UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan odds, best bet

UFC Fight Night takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and will feature a middleweight bout between Derek Brunson and Edmen Shahbazyan.

Here's a top play for the event.

Vicente Luque (-190) / Gerald Meerschaert (-185)

$100 parlay to win $135.14

Luque is scheduled to face off with Randy Brown in a highly anticipated welterweight clash on the main card. There will be plenty of action, but Luque holds the advantage in several areas.

The Brazilian bruiser is more technical than Brown in the striking department and hits significantly harder. Brown is big by division standards, standing 6-foot-3 with a 78-inch reach, but Luque should be able to get inside his range and bust him up with punches. The 28-year-old also has an incredibly strong chin, so Brown won't be able to knock him out.

Luque is 7-1 in his last eight contests. Over the past five years, "The Silent Assassin" has only lost to top contenders Stephen Thompson and Leon Edwards. Brown went undefeated in 2019 and appears to be turning things around after a rocky start to his Octagon career, but he's still the level of fighter that Luque has handled in the past.

Luque is the slicker grappler of the two and could potentially find a submission if this fight goes to the ground. But it's likely to remain a stand-up battle, and Luque's sharpness and power will take him to victory over "Rude Boy."

The other half of the parlay sees Meerschaert make his light heavyweight debut against veteran Ed Herman.

This is more of a fade on Herman than anything. He's 39 years old and well past his prime. He's riding a two-fight winning streak, but the competition - Patrick Cummins and Khadis Ibragimov - doesn't quite compare to Meerschaert, a crafty grappler who can hold his own on the feet.

Meerschaert should be able to stay more active than Herman in their striking exchanges, and if this fight goes to the mat, "GM3" will be able to dictate the pace and register more offense.

Meerschaert, a 44-fight veteran who's been in the UFC since 2016, is coming off a quick TKO loss to Ian Heinisch in June. It's fair to wonder if he's returning a bit too soon, but the 32-year-old has bounced back from stoppage losses in the past, so it's unlikely to be much of an issue.

The Roufusport product's smartest path to victory against Herman will be on the ground, but he should be able to perform well wherever the fight goes.

Here are the full odds from theScore Bet for UFC Fight Night on Aug. 1:

Main card

Edmen Shahbazyan (-325) vs. Derek Brunson (+255)
Joanne Calderwood (-160) vs. Jennifer Maia (+130)
Vicente Luque (-190) vs. Randy Brown (+160)
Lando Vannata (-150) vs. Bobby Green (+120)
Gerald Meerschaert (-185) vs. Ed Herman (+155)
Kevin Holland (-210) vs. Trevin Giles (+170)

Preliminary card

Jonathan Martinez (-260) vs. Frankie Saenz (+210)
Nate Maness (TBD) vs. Johnny Munoz (TBD)
Jamall Emmers (TBD) vs. Vince Cachero (TBD)
Chris Gutierrez (-325) vs. Cody Durden (+255)