1 best and worst bet for UFC Vegas 93

The 93rd UFC APEX event will be headlined by a pair of top flyweight contenders in a matchup that has major championship implications. No. 5 ranked flyweight Alex Perez returns to the Octagon just under two months after his recent knockout victory over Matheus Nicolau to take on undefeated No. 13 ranked Tatsuro Taira.

Regardless of who emerges victorious from UFC Vegas 93, the winner of the main event will likely be in line for a flyweight title shot shortly. If the 15-0 Taira is able to pull off the victory, his rise to flyweight stardom will only accelerate. If Perez is able to hand Taira his first career defeat, he could see himself as the next challenger for Alexandre Pantoja's championship.

Over the past several years of UFC APEX events, fight fans around the world have been witness to a collection of highlight finishes and fights that will be remembered forever. Let's take a look at the best and worst bet at UFC Vegas 93.

UFC Vegas 93 best bet: Timmy Cuamba -210

The matchup between Timmy Cuamba and Lucas Almeida features a pair of fighters looking to use their placement on the main card as a springboard for new fans and matchups closer to the top-15. Of the two, Almeida is the more experienced fighter with a 14-3 career record and four fights under the UFC banner (one appearance was on Dana White's Contender Series).

His opponent and the best bet for UFC Vegas 93, Cuamba, is 8-2 professionally with his last fight resulting in a close split decision defeat. Though Almeida has shared the Octagon with UFC veterans such as Andre Fili and Pat Sabatini, he has lost both of those previous contests by finish and is in danger of losing his third consecutive fight.

Cuamba enters the fight eight years younger than his opponent and is undoubtedly looking to get back in the win column in impressive fashion. With Almeida looking to be in the midst of a losing streak, Cuamba is the best bet for UFC Vegas 93.

UFC Vegas 93 worst bet: Alex Perez +152

Perez was able to pull off an impressive and to some degree, surprising knockout victory in his last performance against Nicolau to end his three fight losing streak. Perez's loss to former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo was the beginning of his winless streak but has seemingly gotten himself back on track after his most recent victory.

Though Perez looked great in his win over Nicolau, his matchup with Taira will really show where he stands in the flyweight division. While the move up in competition for Taira may prove to be too much to handle, there is great reason to believe he will win this main event.

Perez has four losses in the UFC, those losses being against the formerly mentioned Figueiredo, Muhammad Mokaev, Joseph Benavidez, and Pantoja. The similarity between these fighters is that they are all amongst the best of the very best 125 pounds has to offer. Many believe that Taira is deserving of this elite approval, and if this holds true, he too will claim victory over Perez.

Additionally, to this point in his UFC career, Taira has proven to show no overwhelming weaknesses in his game, with the ability to take the fight anywhere and be successful. Overall, this matchup features a classic example of an exciting undefeated fighter on the rise, facing a tough veteran. Taira leaves UFC Vegas 100 the winner, making Perez the one bet to stay away from.

All odds are according to FanDuel. Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.