Home of Fight Expert Picks: UFC Vegas 114
The UFC returns to the Meta APEX in Las Vegas this Saturday, March 14, for UFC Vegas 114. The main event features a fascinating generational clash as former interim title challenger Josh Emmett takes on 24-year-old rising star Kevin Vallejos. At nearly 17 years, this bout marks the largest age disparity in UFC main event history. Vallejos enters with lethal finishing ability, holding 12 career knockouts with eight coming in the opening frame. Although the hard-hitting Argentine expects a bloody five-round war, the 41-year-old Emmett’s renowned one-punch power makes an early finish highly possible.
The co-main event promises excitement in the strawweight division, with former title challenger Amanda Lemos throwing down against submission specialist Gillian Robertson. Lemos’ lethal striking against Robertson’s elite grappling creates a fascinating stylistic clash.
Further down the main card, fireworks are guaranteed at 205 pounds when the always-chaotic Ion Cutelaba locks horns with the highly touted Oumar Sy. Meanwhile, another pivotal featherweight prospect-versus-veteran matchup sees Jose Delgado testing his skills against the battle-tested Andre Fili.
While it might lack the massive numbered-event star power, this card delivers what hardcore fans love: high-stakes divisional clashes and young talent trying to break into the rankings. Expect explosive finishes and a glimpse into the future of the featherweight division.
With a great fight card on tap, money can be made at the sportsbook this Saturday night. Home of Fight is here to help put money in your pockets and cash out at the window this Saturday night. Let’s take a look at the Home of Fight expert picks for UFC 326.
Josh Emmett vs. Kevin Vallejos
HayJive – Kevin Vallejos
- “Massive age gap between these two and it will likely show throughout the fight. Emmett has the threats to make Vallejos respect him but I don’t see how he wins a lot of rounds here.”
Nolan (TheParlay) – Kevin Vallejos
- “The youth and speed will be a lot to handle for Emmett. Vallejos boxing should be able to win the minutes as well, where I think he’s going to either find the finish or win 3 rounds.”
JJ (TheOctagonKings) – Kevin Vallejos
- “Josh Emmett is durable, but at 41, with all this wear and tear and wars, against a technical and powerful boxer like Vallejos, I can see the young prospect finding the finishing combo.”
Corrie – Josh Emmett
- “I get why Vallejos is the favorite, and I do agree, but this line feels way too wide for me when Emmett still has the kind of power that can change a fight instantly, and the losses on his record have come against literally only super high-level names.That said, Vallejos is exciting, durable, and absolutely live here to find the finish, but if this turns into a fight about who lands the bigger shot in close, I still think Emmett is dangerous enough that I cannot fully trust that pricetag so I’m not betting this, I’ll lean Vallejos, and will be simultaneously hoping for an old man upset for the soul.”
The Fight Analyst – Kevin Vallejos
- “This is the passing of the torch fight, a 27-year-old prospect taking on the aging 41-year old veteran. Vallejos has the speed and power advantages that will help him counter Emmett’s power punches until he cracks him one good shot and puts him away cementing himself as a top-10 featherweight.”
Austin Swaim – Kevin Vallejos
- “Josh Emmett is game with elite striking defense (60%), and he’s never lost by knockout in UFC. The problem is that, at 41, he just doesn’t have volume or consistent wrestling offense to outpoint a combination boxer like Kevin Vallejos. This matchup is designed to let the Argentinian prospect shine.”
Amanda Lemos vs. Gillian Robertson
HayJive – Amanda Lemos
- “I expected Robertson to be the favorite, but I’ll take the underdog here. Strength of schedule difference is wide, and as long as Lemos doesn’t willingly pull herself in to the grappling then I think she’s got the upper hand.”
Nolan (TheParlay) – Gillian Robertson
- “Gillian’s on a good win streak, and if she gets the grappling going she should be able to win this fight off control and ground and pound alone.”
JJ (TheOctagonKings) – Gillian Robertson
- “We have seen Lemos struggle with the grappling, and we know that Robertson is one of the most dangerous submission artists inside the division.”
Corrie – Gillian Robertson
- “My psycho queen, miss Gillian… I just trust her style, her pace, and especially her grappling a lot more in this matchup. Lemos is still dangerous and can be super aggressive when she opens up, but to me that side of her has looked a little more dialed back lately, and if Gillian gets to her pressure and starts mixing in the wrestling, I think she has the much clearer path.”
The Fight Analyst – Gillian Robertson
- “This is a binary fight where Robertson must land takedowns to get the and luckily for her, she will. Lemos may have the power and size advantages, but her takedown defense has let her down in multiple fights. Robertson lands the takedowns and maintains top control to get the nod on the judge’s scorecards.”
Austin Swaim – Gillian Robertson
- “The betting lines on this fight are probably appropriate. Lemos’ last fight was a shutout by Tatiana Suarez, who is a similarly powerful grappler that Gillian Robertson has proven to be at 115 pounds. Lemos’ BJJ defense might let her see the final bell, but I don’t trust the Brazilian’s ability to keep her feet and make her striking advantage in this matchup count.”
Andre Fili vs. Jose Delgado
HayJive – Jose Delgado
- “Delgado is a maniac to deal with, constantly overloading your brain and then capitalizing with his dynamic abilities. I think he’ll be too much for the 35 year old.”
Nolan (TheParlay) – Jose Delgado
- “Delgado is younger, faster, and holds a lot of power. Fili’s chin isn’t as great, and I think it’ll be a tough night if he tries to wrestle for 15 minutes. Delgado by damage here.”
JJ (TheOctagonKings) – Jose Delgado
- “Delgado is too compact, too dangerous, especially against an older prospect that is being placed here to lose.”
Corrie – Jose Delgado
- “Going Delgado here, and I’m honestly leaninghim by finish. I love both of these guys, so it’s an exciting matchup but also kind of a painful one, but Delgado is simply like the younger guy on the rise with the sharper momentum, a lot more hunger, the right camp around him, and that aggressive, violent, technical style that creates real finishing opportunities when he gets going early and as much as I love Fili, after watching the C Rod fight in person, there were too many times he got touched that would’ve been a lot worse coming from a real finisher like Jose.”
The Fight Analyst – Jose Delgado
- “This is a tough matchup for Fili, who’s been quite hittable over the years. Delgado possesses a ton of pop in his strikes, and with that, there’s a good chance he lands on Fili early and gets him out of there inside the first round.”
Austin Swaim – Jose Delgado
- “I’ve called Jose Delgado a hurricane of knees and elbows. He’s one of the toughest first-round opponents in all of featherweight and showed good staying power in a tight loss to Nathaniel Wood. Four of Andre Fili’s five wins since the COVID break have been split decisions; I don’t think he’s got the firepower to beat Delgado early or late.”
Marwan Rahiki vs. Harry Hardwick
HayJive – Marwan Rahiki
- “Rahiki is a fun prospect who I would expect to continually improve and mature. He’s got to sure up some defensive flaws but in this matchup I don’t see him having problems with it.”
Nolan (TheParlay) – Marwan Rahiki
- “I’m not confident in either guy, but Rahiki seems to be far more athletic and explosive. I think Hardwick might take too much damage before he can settle into the fight.”
JJ (TheOctagonKings) – Marwan Rahiki
- “Dangerous fight for Hardwick against a fighter he will have a major speed disadvantage against.”
Corrie – Marwan Rahiki
- “I dont have a ton of stake on this fight, but I lean Marwan Rahiki because he feels like the more dangerous minute-winner with the higher upside offensively, especially early considering with his pace, length, kicks, and overall finishing ability. That said, he’s forsure hittable and not someone I fully trust from say a defensive standpoint, but if he gets Hardwick backing up or starts chopping at the legs, I think he has the better tools to take control.”
The Fight Analyst – Marwan Rahiki
- “Rahiki is too fast and too slick on the feet for Hardwick, and he has deceptive power in his strikes. If Hardwick doesn’t come out and grapple early and often, there’s a good chance that Rahiki keeps his finish streak alive on Saturday.”
Austin Swaim – Harry Hardwick
- “A short-notice lightweight fight saw Harry Hardwick leave in a wheelchair, but this return to 145 pounds should go better. Marwan Rahiki was nearly finished 3 times in his Contender Series fight with poor head defense, relying on his opponent’s exhaustion to win. Though not quite the same test of power, the Englishman is a grinder that builds as the fight progresses.”
Oumar Sy vs. Ion Cutelaba
HayJive – Oumar Sy
- “Sy has all the hardware to be a legit guy in this weight class. Cutelaba is aggressive, but I think Sy will use his grappling to slow him down and wear him out.”
Nolan (TheParlay) – Ion Cutelaba
- “Risky pick, but Sy just hasn’t shown anything that makes me believe he should be a big favorite. Cutelaba will dog it out with anyone.”
JJ (TheOctagonKings) – Oumar Sy
- “I can see Oumar Sy being more technical than Cutelaba, mixing his skills and taking advantage of the unpredictability from Cutelaba.”
Corrie – Oumar Sy
- “Lightly taking Oumar Sy here. Ion might honestly be the slightly cleaner striker at this stage and he still has some nice counters and offensive wrestling, but he is just so inconsistent that I have a hard time fully trusting him, whereas Sy feels like the bigger, more athletic guy who always just goes in, and does exactly what he has to do to get his. hand raised, so I’ll stick. to that side.”
The Fight Analyst – Oumar Sy
- “Oumar Sy is too big for Cutelaba, sporting an 8-inch reach advantage, which will help allow him to stay on the outside. That is where Sy has all of the advantage as the much more technical fighter in this matchup. As long as Sy can avoid the first five minutes of hell with Cutelaba, he should take over down the stretch and either punish him late or get the nod on the scorecards.”
Austin Swaim – Oumar Sy
- “Ion Cutelaba’s more patient, measured tendencies in recent fights could make this fight closer than it needs to be, but Oumar Sy’s +1.95 striking success rate and well-known grappling prowess make him a worthy favorite. His only UFC loss came from his own lack of aggression.”
Bruno Silva vs. Charles Johnson
HayJive – Bruno Silva
- “Johnson is coming back too soon after he got KO’d for the first time ever at UFC 324. Silva is still very dangerous and I can never trust Johnson to put together 15 solid minutes.”
Nolan (TheParlay) – Charles Johnson
- “Bounce back spot on Johnson. This could play out badly, but Johnson’s movement could give Bruno trouble and if Johnson starts landing big shots I think he wins by finish.”
JJ (TheOctagonKings) – Bruno Silva
- “Johnson is coming off a bad KO loss, Silva has the power to compensate skill and feed and make this interesting.”
Corrie – Charles Johnson
- “I don’t love either side here because Bruno’s clearest path is probably an early blitz and finish, while Charles Johnson feels more like the guy who has to survive some real danger before taking over late, which is not exactly the kind of side I want to trust. If I had to lean anyone, it would be Charles just because these are 125ers and he is more likely to weather that first wave and find the finish later, but the only bet I really like is the under 2.5 since both guys’ most realistic win conditions point to violence.”
The Fight Analyst – Charles Johnson
- “Johnson was on the wrong end of a TKO in his last fight against Alex Perez, which certainly isn’t a good look coming into a fight with another small but mighty puncher in Silva. However, Johnson still has the speed, volume, and size to make this a very tough fight for Silva. Expect Johnson to pick Silva apart at range and win a boxing-heavy matchup and get back on track.”
Austin Swaim – Charles Johnson
- “I think many will fear the short turnaround for Johnson after his first career knockout loss, but Bruno Silva wore damage extremely poorly in fights with Josh Van and Manel Kape, and “Inner G” has proven to have that type of striking prowess and power on his best Saturdays. I think uses a pronounced size advantage to get back in the win column via finish.”
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