Check out my Evan Elder vs Samuel Sanches prediction for UFC 334 on Saturday, November 14, along with my betting preview and breakdown.
Evan Elder vs Samuel Sanches Odds
| Elder Odds | -102 |
| Sanches Odds | -118 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (-115 / -115) |
| Location | Madison Square Garden, New York City |
| Bout Time | 5:15 p.m. ET |
| TV/Streaming | Paramount+ |
| UFC 334 odds as of Saturday and via DraftKings. Bet on UFC 334 with our DraftKings promo code. | |
Here's my Elder vs. Sanches pick and prediction.
Tale of the Tape
Elder vs. Sanches Pick, Prediction
23-year-old Brazilian Samuel Sanches makes his Octagon Debut on Saturday after a quick win on Contender Series last September. He was supposed to face Tofiq Musayev in March but withdrew due to injury.
Sanches will face Evan Elder, who has won three straight after consecutive losses to begin his UFC tenure but hasn't fought in about 19 months, pulling out of a bout with Tom Nolan just two months ago with a leg injury of his own.
Elder has been a fast starter in the UFC; he's won 80% of his first and second rounds, but just half of his third rounds, when his strike differential flips from +1.5 to -1.2 per minute after 10 minutes. He has never been knocked out (his lone TKO loss came via doctor stoppage against Nazim Sadykhov), and he's a big lightweight with a grappling path if he commits to it. Still, he's been wobbled by a couple of opponents standing and hasn't completed more than one takedown or held control for longer than two minutes in any UFC bout.
We don't have UFC data on Sanches, but he's a highly touted knockout artist, and the market has moved roughly four percent toward the debutant, from roughly even at open to -110 to -115 as of writing. The two are the same height (5'10"), but Sanches is six years younger, the more explosive athlete, and pairs his 2" reach advantage with much quicker, more powerful hands.
Zerillo's Picks:
- Samuel Sanches (-115, 0.5u), DraftKings; bet to -130
- Samuel Sanches Live after Round 1
