The UFC is back home in Las Vegas for a fight night event at the UFC Apex. Headlining this event is a middleweight bout between a mainstay at the top of the division Jared Cannonier and surging contender Caio Borralho.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 23: (L-R) Opponents Jared Cannonier and Caio Borralho of Brazil face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX on August 23, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

This fight card has a ton of exciting fights up and down the fight card, so let's take a look at the best bets for this weekend's UFC Vegas 96 event.

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UFC Vegas 96 Best Bets and Predictions August 24

Tabatha Ricci vs Angela Hill Betting Odds and Prediction

Best Odds: Tabatha Ricci (-117) BetRivers Sportsbook

In the strawweight division, we fight two top-ranked competitors battling it out as Tabatha Ricci and Angela Hill look to continue their winning ways when they step inside the Octagon in the co-main event of this fight night event.

1. Tabatha Ricci comes into this fight with a split-decision victory over Tecia Pennington in her last fight.
2. She is now 4-1 in her UFC strawweight career and will be looking to get the biggest win of her career when she takes on Angela Hill this weekend.

Ricci has grown a lot during her time in the UFC. She came in as a grappler with her judoka and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background but fight after fight we've seen her progression in her striking. Against a very good striker in Pennington, she was able to land some very good shots on the feet and that striking will need to be on full display going against a seasoned veteran like Hill.

While Hill has gotten immensely better as her fights have come and gone as evident in her dominant performance over Luana Pinheiro, she is still susceptible to takedowns and tends to slow down as things get into the later rounds.

In this matchup, Ricci will be the aggressor coming forward looking to put the pace on Hill. From there she can get into the clinch and use her judo to take the fight to the canvas or land her heavy strikes on the feet as she gets the nod on the judge's scorecards by the end of the fight.

Mairon Santos vs Kaan Ofli Betting Odds and Prediction

Best Odds: Mairon Santos (-198) DraftKings Sportsbook

Mairon Santos came into his time on The Ultimate Fighter already on the UFC's roster but unfortunately couldn't get his visa in time for the fight which led to him not getting his opportunity.

• Fast forward a year later he finally gets his chance to shine on The Ultimate Fighter where he went 2-0 and now is set to face off against TUF teammate Kaan Ofli in the finale.
• Santos is 13-1 in his professional career with his lone loss coming against current UFC Bantamweight Dan Argueta.
• Of those 13 wins, 7 of them have come by KO/TKO

This matchup is your classic striker vs. grappler matchup and it will come down to who can get this fight to where they are most comfortable and will come away with the win. While Ofli is an exceptional grappler, he wasn't as dominant on the show as Santos was.

This will be the third grappler that Santos has faced from the show and seeing how well he defended takedowns against two very accomplished wrestlers, one being a collegiate wrestler and the other being an Olympian leads to believe he should fend off these takedowns and keep the fight standing.

As long as Santos can defend the takedowns or get back to his feet it will be his fight to lose as he becomes the next Ultimate Fighter.

Edmen Shahbazyan vs Gerald Meerschaert Betting Odds and Prediction

Best Odds: Edmen Shahbazyan (-305) BetRivers Sportsbook

Edmen Shahbazyan got back on track in a big way in his last fight when he decimated AJ Dobson by knocking him out in the second round. He looks to continue his winning ways against a mainstay in the middleweight division Gerald Meerschaert this weekend.

• Edmen Shahbazyan is now 6-4 in his UFC career after starting his career 4-0.
• Of those 6 wins, 5 of them have come by finish which are split between 4 knockouts and 1 submission.

This is a very binary fight as Shahbazyan has a big advantage on the feet while Meerschaert has a massive advantage on the canvas. We've seen Shahbazyan struggle with grapplers in the past but Meerschaert isn't the best at getting the fight where he wants which bodes well for him.

Shahbazyan will need to do a good job at using his jab to keep Meerschaert at bay and then punish him with crisp boxing combinations mixing it up between head and body strikes as he attempts to crash the pocket.

Eventually, Shahbazyan will land something big midway through this fight getting Meerschaert out of there to get his 6th knockout victory in his UFC career and continue to climb the middleweight rankings.