UFC Kansas City Picks for Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates and Other Fights on April 26

Our UFC Kansas City prediction is that the April 26 event will make fans talk about it months after it finishes. We think so because the fight card is full of exciting matchups, starting with the main event – Machado Garry vs. Prates – where the UFC KC odds are insanely close.

Smith vs. Mingyang, which is the co-main event of UFC Kansas City, is bound to bring fireworks as well. The same goes for many other fights, including a couple of prelims –Amorin vs. Viana, Chandler vs. Edwards, and others.

We’re now going to preview the most interesting fights, sharing our top picks along the way.

Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates – UFC Kansas City Odds Hint at a Bloody Battle

Our Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates prediction is that this bout will win the Fight of the Night accolade. It’s because both of these guys are insanely good strikers, and they’re both famous for never giving up – even when they’re badly hurt.

The UFC Kansas City main event odds are very close, with Machado Garry being a slight favorite at -120. The Irishman holds a 15-1 record, with his only loss coming in December against Shavkat Rakhmonov after five grueling rounds.

Despite landing more significant strikes and attempting more submissions, Garry was edged out due to Rakhmonov’s superior wrestling game. That shouldn’t be a major concern heading into UFC Kansas City, as his next opponent leans heavily on striking.

That actually plays into Machado Garry’s strengths as he’s already proven himself against top-tier strikers. For example, he KO-ed Daniel Rodriguez, the man who’s got the highest average in significant strikes in UFC’s Welterweight Division at 7.64.

The trouble is that none of his previous opponents packs so much power as his UFC KC rival. Carlos Prates boasts an impressive 21-6 record, with a staggering 16 of those wins coming by knockout or TKO.

Even more impressive – he’s riding a 10-fight win streak, and every single one ended with a KO or TKO. And none of those fights lasted for more than two rounds.

Sure, that’s impressive, but it also begs the question of whether this guy has the gas engine to do well in his first-ever 5-round bout?

Our prediction? He will gas out in Kansas City. After all, this guy smokes 15 cigarettes a day.  

Anthony Smith vs. Zhang Mingyang – Someone’s Going to La La Land on April 26

Anthony Smith has seen 51 of his 59 pro fights end before the final horn, while Zhang Mingyang has finished all 18 of his wins inside the distance. With numbers like that, it’s no surprise our prediction for the UFC Kansas City co-main event is that it won’t go the distance.

According to the latest UFC Kansas City odds, Zhang Mingyang is expected to get the finish. This is no surprise as Lionheart seems to be approaching the end of his career.

He’s been fighting since 2008, which makes him a sort of MMA legend. However, he hasn’t looked the same since his title shot against Jon Jones.

He’s gone 6-7 since then, with back-to-back losses in 2024 to Roman Dolidze (unanimous decision) and Dominick Reyes (TKO). And we think he’ll suffer another loss on April 26.  

Zhang (18-6) has a 100% finish rate, with 12 KOs and 6 submissions. The most impressive fact is that all 18 of his wins have come in Round 1.

While most of those victories came on the regional scene, he’s shown serious power under the UFC lights. Last year, we saw him get quick knockouts against Brendson Ribeiro and Ozzy Diaz.

Jaqueline Amorim vs. Polyana Viana: Upset Ready to Happen

Polyana Viana is our top UFC Kansas City underdog bet. She’s a violent woman who made the news for beating up a robber outside her apartment a couple of years ago. She’s also known for a fling she had with UFC co-star Colby Covington.

Inside the Octagon, she’s famous for finishes. “Iron Lady” is 13-7, with each of her wins happening inside the distance – 5 by KO/TKO and 8 by submission.

When it comes to her losses, four were by decision and three by a finish. Two of those defeats inside the distance happened in her last two fights, which is proof that this girl loves risk.

She tends to throw everything at her opponent from the very start. Sometimes it works out for her, sometimes it doesn’t. So, what will happen in her fight with Jaqueline Amorim?

UFC Kansas City odds suggest Viana will lose, but we think she’s going to stage an upset.

UFC Kansas City Picks for All Remaining Fights

• Giga Chikadze (+130) vs. David Onama (-150) – David Onama
• Michel Pereira (-145) vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov (+140) – Michel Pereira
• Randy Brown (-210) vs. Nicolas Dalby (+165) – Randy Brown
• Ikram Aliskerov (-700) vs. Andre Muniz (+456) – Ikram Aliskerov
• Matt Schnell (-315) vs. Jimmy Flick (+238) – Matt Schnell
• Evan Elder (-335) vs. Ahmad Sohail Hassanzada (+275) – Evan Elder
• Malcolm Wellmaker (-135) vs. Cameron Saaiman (+115) – Malcolm Wellmaker
• Chelsea Chandler (+180) vs. Joselyne Edwards (-210) – Joselyne Edwards

Take a look at our UFC Kansas City picks and you’ll see that we’re going heavy on betting favorites. The biggest of those favorites is Ikram Aliskerov, who we think is the safest bet of the April 26 event.

He’s a world-class fighter whose only losses happened against Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev. The UFC are giving him a chance to bounce back with a win over a guy who’s nowhere near as good as those two guys.

We think Aliskerov will win, but so do bookies, which is why his UFC KC odds are super short at -700. If you’re looking for a better betting value, the picks to focus on are Randy Brown, Matt Schnell, and Joselyne Edwards.