Jessica Andrade throws more strikes per minute than any other fighter in the women’s strawweight division. Her challenger on Saturday, Weili Zhang, isn’t far behind. An action-packed bout is widely expected when they meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night 157 in Shenzhen, China. The 12-bout UFC Fight Night 157 card takes place at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre Arena, with the main card starting at 6 a.m. ET. Zhang (19-1), ranked No. 6 in the division, will attempt to become the first Chinese champion in UFC history. In order to do so, she’ll have to defeat a champion who has fast emerged as one of the most versatile fighters in women’s mixed martial arts. Andrade (20-6) won the belt with a stoppage of Rose Namajunas in May, her fourth straight victory. Andrade is a -190 favorite (risk $190 to win $100), while Zhang is priced at +165 in the latest Andrade vs. Zhang odds at UFC Shenzhen. In the co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ 15, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (-300) takes on Li Jingliang (+250) in a welterweight bout. Before settling your UFC Fight Night 157 picks and predictions, make sure you listen to what SportsLine MMA expert Kyle Marley has to say.
Marley won the first-ever “ToutMaster” UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and is in contention to win this year’s contest. He also appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and DFS shows. Over the past year, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up nearly $22,000.
The MMA analyst was all over the co-main event at UFC 241, as he predicted Nate Diaz (+110), returning from a three-year layoff, would win a decision against the dangerous Anthony Pettis. Marley said that Diaz’s length and nonstop pace would overwhelm Pettis, and that’s exactly what happened as the underdog dominated from the opening bell.
At UFC Fight Night 156 in Uruguay, Marley posted a record of 10-3 and his followers netted a one-night profit of $700. His winning selections included taking Gilbert Burns (+125) to hand Aleksei Kunchenko (-155) his first professional defeat. Burns controlled the action most of the way and scored the upset via unanimous decision. Anyone who followed Marley’s advice booked another easy winner and those who have consistently followed him are way up.
Now, with UFC Fight Night 157 fast approaching, Marley has carefully studied every matchup on the card, identified the best value in the UFC odds and released his MMA picks for every single fight. He’s sharing those selections only over at SportsLine.
Marley knows Andrade hopes to spoil the dreams of an opponent who will have a decided advantage in crowd support while fighting for a title in her home country at UFC Shenzhen. Andrade made the most of her second UFC title shot after coming up short against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in May 2017.
She hasn’t lost since, and her four-bout win steak includes consecutive impressive finishes. Andrade earned the title shot with a first-round knockout of Karolina Kowalkiewicz in September 2018.
In her title fight against Namajunas, she overcame early adversity as the then-champion dominated the early action with her boxing. But Andrade remained poised and found an opportunity while defending a submission against the cage. The body-slam knocked out Namajunas and gave Andrade her first UFC title.
Zhang hopes to make Andrade’s reign as champion a short one. After losing her professional debut, Zhang has reeled off 19 straight victories, though the majority came in lesser-known promotions. She made her UFC debut with a decision win against Danielle Taylor in August 2018.
Her level of competition has steadily climbed, and perhaps her most notable UFC win came in her previous outing against Tecia Torres, a top-10 contender entering their March bout. The decision win vaulted Zhang into the top 10 and paved the way for Saturday’s title fight.
We’ll share one of Marley’s UFC Fight Night 157 predictions here: He is backing Mizuki Inoue (-140) to get her hand raised against Wu Yanan (+120) in a flyweight bout on the main card.
Inoue (13-5) makes her UFC debut following wins in five of her last six professional bouts. On the other side of the octagon, Yanan (10-2) has split her first two UFC bouts and is coming off a submission win against Lauren Mueller.
“I like what I have seen from Inoue’s striking and she should have a decent edge on her feet. Inoue will have the better hands and better movement,” Marley told SportsLine. Inoue’s last victory came via unanimous decision over Viviane Pereira last November, but her three previous wins all came via submission. Book Inoue over Yanan as one of your top UFC Shenzhen picks.
Marley also has strong picks for Andrade vs. Zhang, dos Santos vs. Jingliang and every other bout on the UFC Fight Night 157 card. You can only see them at SportsLine.
Who wins Andrade vs. Zhang? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on all 12 fights at UFC Fight Night 157, all from the incomparable expert who’s up nearly $22,000 on MMA in the past year, and find out.
