Overview

• No. 3 Sergei Pavlovich meets No. 6 Waldo Cortes-Acosta in the UFC Fight Night 257 main event in Shanghai on August 23.
• Pavlovich remains the favorite with markets ranging roughly from -236 to -275, while Cortes-Acosta sits near +200 to +280 as support for the underdog narrows the gap.
• After losses to Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov, Pavlovich beat Jairzinho Rozenstruik by unanimous decision in February and says he is prepared to control all three rounds if needed.
• Cortes-Acosta enters on a five-fight win streak highlighted by a second-round knockout of Ryan Spann and a decision over Serghei Spivac, drawing praise for improved boxing and wrestling defense.
• Oddsmakers set the total at 1.5 rounds with the over around -175 to -180, and pricing for a Pavlovich first-round knockout near +360 signals uncertainty about an early finish.