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UFC Vegas 89 predictions & odds

We broke down every fight, including odds from the UFC Vegas 89 fight card starring Amanda Ribas and Rose Namajunas (-225)

By Vincent Manta

Amanda Ribas
Amanda Ribas / Handout/GettyImages
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Billy Quarantillo (-142) vs. Youssef Zalal (+120)

Featherweights take the Octagon once more when Billy Quarantillo (18-5) fights Youssef Zalal (13-5). Quarantillo has been with the UFC since 2019. He has 13 career finishes and beat Damon Jackson in his last fight. The 35-year-old freezes opponents with an off-beat style in which he wings strikes from unorthodox angles. Opponents have a difficult time adjusting as Quarantillo gradually accumulates damage over the fight. While tough and gritty, Quarantillo must fluster Zalal rather than risk letting the 27-year-old adjust and dictate where the fight takes place.

Zalal and Quarantillo stand 5 feet 10 inches tall, but Zalal has a pronounced five-inch reach advantage with 75 inches total. The man took a loss to Ilia Topuria by decision in his first UFC fight. He's fought only the toughest since and still hasn't been finished. Zalal has 10 career finishes with six submissions. He has multiple ways to win and is durable. Look for him to challenge Quarantillo on the feet and refuse to let his opponent get in a groove.

Prediction: Zalal by round-two submission

Payton Talbott (-148) vs. Cameron Saaiman (+124)

Bantamweight prospects are next up when Talbott fights Cameron Saaimon (9-1). Talbott has done everything right with the UFC so far. The 25-year-old has six career finishes and is comfortable in all aspects of MMA. He's got an athletic style and uses his 5-foot-10-inch build along with a 70-inch reach to pick shots and keep opponents at bay. He went 5-0 as an amateur, is a DWCS alum, and is 1-0 in the UFC.

Saaiman is smaller, standing at only 5 feet 8 inches tall and at a reach disadvantage with only 67-inches to play with. However, he comes from Team CIT, the same camp as current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. The 23-year-old is also a DWCS standout with seven career finishes. Both men are well-rounded, fun to watch, and young. It's a rare treat seeing such exciting prospects face off this early in their careers.

Prediction: Talbott by decision

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