UFC predictions, picks and best bets for UFC on ESPN 33: Magny continues to rise

Need a break from March Madness? We’ve also got some UFC to look forward to this weekend. UFC on ESPN 33 takes place on Saturday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The card features a heavyweight fight as the main event.

We are sharing our UFC on ESPN 33 best bets here, but head over to our main UFC on ESPN 33 predictions page for picks for every fight on the main and preliminary card. Please gamble responsibly when following our MMA picks and predictions.

UFC on ESPN 33 main card best bets

Marc Diakiese vs Viacheslav Borshchev ML (-145)

Viacheslav Borshchev comes into this fight with an MMA record of 6-1. He is 2-0 in the UFC, most recently beating Dakota Bush by KO/TKO back in January of this year. He is averaging 6.16 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 64%. Borshchev is absorbing 5.08 strikes and has a striking defense of 56%. He will likely not be looking to grapple, having not landed a takedown yet in the UFC. He also only has a takedown defense of 33%, so he still needs to be careful if this fight moves to the ground.

Borshchev has already shown a tremendous amount of power, seeing that he has 5 wins by KO/TKO and 2 wins by that method in the UFC. His striking volume is much greater than that of Diakiese, therefore backing him to stay undefeated in the UFC will be the play.

UFC on ESPN 33 preliminary card best bets

Neil Magny Win by KO/TKO or Decision (-200) vs Max Griffin

Neil Magny comes into this fight with an MMA record of 25-9. He is 18-7 in the UFC, most recently beating Geoff Neil by unanimous decision. Magny is averaging 3.67 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 46%. He is absorbing 2.06 strikes and has a striking defense of 56%. Magny’s grappling will be important here, averaging 2.44 takedowns per every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 42% and a takedown defense of 57%.

Magny is in fine form at the moment, winning 4 of his last 5 fights in the UFC. All of those wins came by decision, but he also has a total of 7 wins by KO/TKO. Griffin has only lost by KO/TKO and decision in his career, so backing Magny to win by KO/TKO or decision will be the play here.

Jennifer Maia vs Manon Fiorot Win by Decision (-125)

Manon Fiorot comes into this fight with an MMA record of 8-1. She is 3-0 in the UFC, most recently beating Mayra Bueno Silva by unanimous decision back in October of 2021. Fiorot is averaging 7.10 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 42%. She is absorbing 2.55 strikes and has a striking defense of 70%. Her grappling is also solid, averaging 1.87 takedowns per every 15 minutes. Her takedown accuracy is 50% and her takedown defense is 100%.

Fiorot already has 6 wins by KO/TKO, including 2 in the UFC. However, Jennifer Maia is a tough opponent and has only ever been knocked out once in her career. That was all the way back in 2012, so she should be able to stand up and fight for a full 3 rounds here. Fiorot still has the better striking and grappling, so backing her to win by decision will be the play.