The UFC 331 prelims feature a mix of established veterans fighting to remain relevant and rising fighters looking to take the next step this Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Marlon Vera and Tai Tuivasa look to halt lengthy losing streaks, while Edmen Shahbazyan and returning heavyweight Robelis Despaigne face pivotal matchups of their own.
Below are our predictions, free betting picks, and the latest UFC odds for every preliminary bout!
UFC 331 prelim picks and predictions
| Pick |  Probability |
|---|---|
| Fight 1 |
Prediction: Despaigne 84% Top pick: Despaigne by KO/TKO 78% |
| Fight 2 | Prediction: Shahbazyan 62% Top pick: Method of finish: Knockout 59% |
| Fight 3 | Prediction: Jourdain 68% Top pick: Jourdain To Win by Decision 60% |
Click on each fight to jump to the full analysis.
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UFC 331 prelim odds and picks
Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne fight odds
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Method of Victory | Tuivasa | Despaigne |
| To win outright | 18% | 82% |
| To win by KO/TKO | 14% | 73% |
| To win by decision | 7% | 7% |
| To win by submission | 4% | 5% |
| Total rounds | Over 2.5 81% | Under 2.5 19% |
Odds as of 9-18.
Robelis Despaigne has improbably found his way back to the UFC, and the promotion is easing him back in against a Tai Tuivasa who has lost seven fights in a row.
Tuivasa looks listless and punched out at this stage of his career, which is unfortunate because Despaigne isn’t exactly a polished heavyweight himself.
Still, Despaigne is the superior athlete and technician, and he returns to the UFC after staying active and finding success outside the promotion.
Tuivasa still has enough power to make any heavyweight cautious, but his declining output and inability to consistently impose himself make him hard to trust against a faster, longer opponent.
Despaigne should be eager to capitalize on an unlikely second UFC opportunity, and I expect him to pick apart Tuivasa until he finds an opening.
Prediction: Despaigne (Kalshi probability: 84%)
Top picks: Despaigne by KO/TKO (Kalshi probability: 78%)
Covers UFC betting tools
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brunno Ferreira fight odds
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Method of Victory | Shahbazyan | Ferreira |
| To win outright | 61% | 39% |
| To win by KO/TKO | 37% | 23% |
| To win by decision | 20% | 12% |
| To win by submission | 6% | 14% |
| Total rounds | Over 2.5 55% | Under 2.5 48% |
Odds as of 9-18.
A three-fight winning streak appeared to show legitimate growth from Shahbazyan before Brendan Allen brought him back to earth, although Shahbazyan performed better than expected in defeat.
Ferreira isn’t going to take a cerebral approach here, and that should give Shahbazyan opportunities to use his physical advantages and crisper striking to get his shots off first and prevent Ferreira from building momentum.
I don’t expect this fight to reach the scorecards. Shahbazyan should have the advantage when he can maintain distance and dictate the exchanges, but Ferreira remains extremely dangerous if he can turn this into a firefight.
Either Shahbazyan connects first and keeps Ferreira on the outside, or Ferreira blitzes him and flattens him, so I see this as a knockout no matter what.
Prediction: Shahbazyan (Kalshi probability: 62%)
Top picks: Method of Finish: Knockout (Kalshi probability: 59%)
Charles Jourdain vs. Marlon Vera fight odds
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Method of Victory | Jourdain | Vera |
| To win outright | 65% | 35% |
| To win by KO/TKO | 6% | 14% |
| To win by decision | 53% | 15% |
| To win by submission | 11% | 6% |
| Total rounds | Over 2.5 30% | Under 2.5 74% |
Odds as of 9-18.
I’m increasingly convinced that Vera is finished as a contender, although there are still believers waiting for him to turn things around.
Jourdain has quietly clawed his way toward relevance at bantamweight with three consecutive victories, while Vera enters UFC 331 having lost four straight.
“Chito” remains durable and owns the better résumé, but there’s little doubt which fighter has more going for him right now. UFC's current preview likewise notes Vera's four-fight skid and Jourdain's 3-0 run since moving to bantamweight.
Vera has slowed considerably and no longer produces enough consistent offense for me to trust him against an active fighter like Jourdain.
This would have been a very winnable matchup for Vera at his best, but the current version spends too much time waiting for openings instead of creating them. Jourdain should beat him to the punch, win the higher-volume exchanges, and hand Vera another critical loss by decision.
Prediction: Jourdain (Kalshi probability: 68%)
Top picks: Jourdain's to Win by Decision (Kalshi probability: 60%)
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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