UFC 318 Fight Card: Preliminary Card Odds, Picks And Predictions
The UFC 318 pay-per-view fight card takes place this week in New Orleans. UFC 318 features a trilogy fight in the main event slot. In that contest, Max Holloway faces Dustin Poirier for the third time. Adding intrigue to the matchup, Holloway's BMF title is on the line. The scrap also marks Poirier's last bout, as the former interim UFC lightweight champ plans to retire after UFC 318. Below, we look at the betting odds, line movement, predictions, and picks for the four-fight preliminary card contests at UFC 318.
UFC 318 takes place on Saturday, July 19, from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The pay-per-view card streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN. The UFC 318 early prelims stream on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass. There are 14 fights booked for UFC 318.
UFC 318 Preliminary Card: Holloway Vs. Poirier 3
Kyler Phillips vs. Vinicius Oliveira - Bantamweight
Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen - Middleweight
Francisco Prado vs. Nikolay Veretennikov - Welterweight
Ateba Gautier vs. Robert Valentin - Middleweight
UFC 318 Fight Card: Preliminary Card Odds And Predictions - Kyler Phillips Vs. Vinicius Oliveira
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - FEBRUARY 01: Vinicius Oliveira of Brazil prepares to face Said Nurmagomedov ... More of Russia in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at anb Arena on February 01, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
The matchup closing out the UFC 318 preliminary card finds Kyler Phillips (12-3) against Vinicius Oliveira (22-3). Phillips enters the event coming off a decision loss to Rob Font in October, while Oliveira is riding a five-fight winning streak, with three of those victories under the UFC banner. Oliveira last fought in February, beating Said Nurmagomedov via decision in a 'Fight of the Night' bonus-winning scrap.
Phillips is No. 12 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings, while Oliveira checks in at No. 15.
Oliveira opened as the -200 betting favorite over Phillips, who came in at +170. The odds have tightened for this 135-pound matchup. Today, Oliveira is listed at -156, while Phillips is +136.
The pick is for Oliveira to beat Phillips via decision.
UFC 318 Fight Card: Preliminary Card Odds And Predictions - Marvin Vettori Vs. Brendan Allen
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 15: Marvin Vettori of Italy prepares to face Roman Dolidze of Georgia in a ... More middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 15, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
The UFC 318 prelims feature an important middleweight matchup between the No. 10 ranked Marvin Vettori (19-8-1) and the No. 11 Brendan Allen (24-7).
Vettori, who fought Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title in June 2021, losing that matchup by decision, is 2-3 since that setback. Vettori has decision defeats in his past two outings, falling to Jared Cannonier in 2023 and Roman Dolidze in 2025. Both of those losing efforts came in main event contests.
Allen is also riding a two-fight losing skid. He was on a seven-fight winning streak between February 2022 and April 2024. Allen dropped decisions to Nassourdine Imavov in September 2024 and Anthony Hernandez in February 2025.
The opening betting odds for this scrap found Allen as a -200 favorite over the +170 Vettori. Today, Allen is -205, while Vettori checks in at +175.
Brendan Allen is a hard out for any opponent, but Marvin Vettori has the style that can convince judges he deserves a win. The pick is Vettori by decision.
UFC 318 Fight Card: Preliminary Card Odds And Predictions: Francisco Prado Vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 07: Francisco Prado of Argentina poses on the scale during the UFC 312 ... More ceremonial weigh-in at Qudos Bank Arena on February 07, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
A welterweight matchup between two fighters with a single UFC win between them in six UFC fights finds Francisco Prado (12-3) facing Nikolay Veretennikov (12-6).
Prado has been with the UFC since early 2023. He is 1-3 with the promotion, but has racked up a 'Performance of the Night' bonus and 'Fight of the Night" honors during his UFC run. Prado is coming off a February 2025 decision loss to Jake Matthews.
Veretennikov is 0-2 with the UFC. His most recent outing was a February knockout loss to Austin Vanderford.
The opening betting odds for this scrap saw Veretennikov as the -185 favorite over the +160 Prado. The betting line on this one has flipped. Today, Prado is the -145 favorite, while Veretennikov is a +125 betting underdog.
Prado might be a small welterweight, but he is the pick to use his grappling skills to earn a decision win at UFC 318.
UFC 318 Fight Card: Preliminary Card Odds And Predictions: Ateba Gautier Vs. Robert Valentin
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - MARCH 29: Ateba Gautier of Cameroon battles Jose Daniel Medina of Bolivia in a ... More middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at CDMX Arena on March 29, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Opening the UFC 318 prelims is a middleweight matchup between Ateba Gautier (7-1) and Robert Valentin (10-5).
Gautier picked up a UFC contract in 2024 on a Dana White's Contender Series Card. He made his promotional debut in March 2025, earning a first-round knockout and a 'Performance of the Night' bonus in defeating Jose Medina.
Valentin is 0-2 with the UFC. His most recent outing was a split decision setback to Torrez Finney in April.
When the betting line opened for this matchup, Gautier was -400, while Valentin came in at +330. Gautier has moved to a -550 favorite. Meanwhile, Valentin is now a +400 underdog.
While this should be a fun fight, look for Gautier to pick up a knockout win.
UFC 318 Pay-Per-View Card: Holloway Vs. Poirier 3
Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier - Lightweight - For Holloway's BMF title
Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov - Middleweight
Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez - Welterweight
Dan Ige vs. Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire - Featherweight
Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber - Lightweight
UFC 318 Early Prelims Fight Card: Holloway Vs. Poirier 3
Adam Fugitt vs. Islam Dulatov - Welterweight
Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio - Light Heavyweight
Ryan Spann vs. Lukasz Brzeski - Heavyweight
Brunno Ferreira vs. Jackson McVey - Middleweight
We will have more on UFC 318 as fight night approaches, including odds, picks and predictions for all the main card fights. Also, look for UFC 318 results and reactions on fight night.
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