Welterweight mainstay Neil Magny and rising contender Carlos Prates square off in the main event at UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night (7 p.m. ET on ESPN+, with prelims at 4 p.m. on ESPN+).

Magny is 1-1 in two fights this year, with a win over Mike Malott in January and a loss to Michael Morales in August. Prates is undefeated thus far in the UFC, with a 3-0 record since debuting with the promotion in February. Both fighters are unranked in ESPN’s welterweight rankings.

Brett Okamoto spoke to veteran MMA coach and ESPN analyst Din Thomas to get his perspective on the UFC main event. ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds insight and analysis on the main event and other intriguing bets he likes on the card.

Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Welterweight: Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates

Din Thomas, veteran MMA coach and analyst

How Magny wins: Magny needs a classic Magny performance here. He’s got to control range and stay out of harm’s way until he can work into the clinch and wrestle this guy against the fence. He has to wear Prates out, using that wrestling pressure. Maybe get a takedown and use that to log some exhaustion on Prates. If he can get a tired man in front of him, Magny will be able to do whatever he wants, but until then, I wouldn’t even be throwing punches when he has Prates on the fence. Just manipulate his body and force Prates to hold weight in different ways.

How Prates wins: Stay on the outside and find those openings. I like his accuracy, but because he’s so accurate, he doesn’t throw a lot — which could help Magny in this case, because Magny won’t be overwhelmed. But Prates should use pressure and a lot of feints, because Magny will react and start flowing backward, and that’s where he’ll get exposed. This guy will just slip and rip on Magny moving forward.

X factor: I don’t know how good Prates is on the ground. Maybe he’s great and beats Magny on the ground. Or maybe he’s really bad and Magny doesn’t need to just wear on him, he’ll be able to submit him. I just haven’t seen enough of it to know.

Prediction: Prates knocks Magny out within two rounds.

Betting analysis

Odds accurate as of publication. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET.

Parker: Prates to win by knockout. Magny has an endless gas tank and is good everywhere but not great. We saw Ian Machado Garry tear up his legs and Morales finished him efficiently in his last fight. If Magny can’t put Prates down on his back quickly, he is going to face another knockout loss at the hands of Prates.

Parker’s best bets on the rest of the card

Strawweight: Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson

Robertson to win, inside the distance. With back-to-back losses by way of finish, Pinheiro will look to avoid losing her UFC roster spot. Unfortunately for her, she takes on a surging Robertson. Pinheiro is probably the better striker on the feet, however, once things start going downhill for her, she tends to give up. Against Robertson, I expect that to happen early in the fight. Look for Robertson to use her striking to set up her wrestling. Once the fight hits the floor, the end will be near for Pinheiro.

Middleweight: Gerald Meerschaert vs Reinier de Ridder

De Ridder to win. The king of the Apex, Meerschaert, returns to take on UFC newcomer de Ridder. We all know how Meerschaert rolls. He gets hammered for the first round and when his opponent gasses out due to many failed finishes, Meerschaert turns it around and gets the win. However, this time around, I don’t see it happening. De Ridder, a former two-division champ with One Championship, is well-rounded and has a gas tank to support his skills. On the feet, it’s not even close. De Ridder will have a major striking advantage and his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu will help him avoid submission attempts from Meerschaert.

Welterweight: Charles Radtke vs Matthew Semelsberger

Radtke to win. Up until his last fight, a loss to Prates, Radtke was on a two-fight winning streak. He now gets a chance to get back in the win column as he takes on Semelsberger. Semelsberger is coming off his third straight loss. Once a promising prospect, Semelsberger seems to have lost his mojo and that could be an issue versus Radtke.

In his last fight against Preston Parsons, Semelsberger was taken down at will and I believe that is what will happen against Radtke. Unless he lands a massive right hand, Semelsberger has shown a lack of a gameplan in his last three fights and no evolution in his game. Radtke should be able to outwork him and get back in the win column.