UFC Vegas 103 Picks for Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev and Other Fights

If you’re after UFC Vegas 103 picks and predictions, we’re here for you. We’ll now analyze the Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev fight, along with several other interesting matchups on the program this coming Saturday in Vegas.

Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev: Striking or Grappling, Which is Better?

Kape (20-7) is a proven finisher with elite experience. Since joining the UFC in 2021, he’s gone 5-3, with all losses via decision to top-tier opponents – Pantoja, Nicolau, and Mokaev.

His TKO win over Bruno Gustavo da Silva and past RIZIN title knockout of Kai Asakura prove his striking prowess.

Meanwhile, Almabayev (21-2) is a dominant grappler with nine submission wins. He absorbs just 13 strikes per UFC fight, using clinch control to nullify opponents – evident in his decision win over Matheus Nicolau.

If he can close the distance, he could frustrate Kape. But he won’t, at least, that’s our Kape vs. Asu prediction.

Given that Kape’s takedown defense is 77%, we think he’ll be able to deal with Asu’s attempts to take him down.

Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez – UFC Vegas 103 Odds Favor Marquez to (Finally) Win

It seems that Julian Marquez (9-5) can’t do without pornstar Kendra Lust. He and the adult film actress had a podcast “Beauty and the Beast” until late 2021 – which coincides with the time when we saw him win a UFC fight the last time.

Marquez lost each of his last three fights, each time by a TKO. Nevertheless, bookies think he’s going to bounce back onto the winning track on March 5.

What about us? We don’t think so. We think Cody Brundage will beat him by a TKO.

UFC Vegas 103 Picks for Remaining Fights

• Nasrat Haqparast (+230) vs. Esteban Ribovics (-270) – Esteban Ribovics
• Austen Lane (+270) vs. Mario Pinto (-330) – Mario Pinto
• Hyder Amil (+175) vs. William Gomis (-205) – William Gomis
• Ricardo Ramos (+330) vs. Chepe Mariscal (-400) – Chepe Mariscal
• Douglas Silva de Andrade (+170) vs. John Castaneda (-200) – John Castaneda
• Andrea Lee (+163) vs. JJ Aldrich (-188) – JJ Aldrich
• Danny Barlow (-300) vs. Sam Patterson (+250) – Danny Barlow
• Montana De La Rosa (+110) vs. Luana Carolina (-130) – Luana Carolina
• Danny Silva (-180) vs. Lucas Almeida (+155) – Danny Silva
• Charles Johnson (+100) vs. Ramazan Temirov (-120) – Ramazan Temirov

Some fans don’t like UFC APEX events, calling them unexciting. One of the reasons for that is that favorites win their fights in most bouts in such events.

The last time the UFC held an event at this venue, we saw favorites win in three-quarters of the fights. We suspect something similar will happen on March 1.

If you take a look at our UFC Vegas 103 picks, you will notice that we’re backing favorites in most fights. In fact, the only exception is the co-main event of the evening, in which we think Cody Brundage will upset the odds against Julian Marquez.