Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya looks to end a two-fight losing streak as he takes on Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of a matinee UFC Fight Night on Saturday (noon ET on ESPN+, with prelims at 9 a.m. on ESPN+).

Adesanya’s past two fights were challenges to regain the title against Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis, respectively. He is No. 4 in ESPN’s divisional rankings. Imavov, a rising contender, enters the fight riding a three-fight winning streak. He is ESPN’s No. 7-ranked middleweight.

Brett Okamoto spoke to former UFC women’s featherweight and ESPN analyst Megan Anderson to get her perspective on the 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.

Middleweight: Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov

Megan Anderson, former UFC women’s featherweight and ESPN analyst

How Adesanya wins: It all comes down to controlling the range and striking exchanges. I am hard-pressed to find anyone in the world who can stand and trade with Adesanya. His striking is exceptional and it looked as good as ever in his last fight against Dricus Du Plessis, which was coming off a layoff. So, I expect him to look even better in this main event. He is entering a different chapter in his career, but this matchup is comfortable for him. He has a five-inch reach advantage, which is huge. He can’t lose control of the range. And at various points, if he can put his foot on the gas and back Imavov up, I’d love to see him do that.

How Imavov wins: Shut down Adesanya’s lateral movement. That is one of his best assets. Generally speaking, leg kicks have led to some success against Adesanya. Alex Pereira and Du Plessis utilized them. If Imavov can invest in kicks early in the fight, it should pay off in the later rounds when he’ll be looking for a big moment to capitalize on. He has to nullify Adesanya’s long jab, and Imavov can’t let him dictate the range. He’ll need to turn it into an ugly fight occasionally, and avoid a technical kickboxing bout.

X factor: Cage control. Both of these guys are strikers, who are used to their opponents trying to wrestle. However, they have each had some issues with opponents putting them against the cage, so I wouldn’t be surprised if one tries to implement that to give the other a different look.

Prediction: Adesanya wins. This is a big step up in competition for Imavov and it’s a crucial fight for Adesanya if he’s still hungry to be at the top.

Betting analysis

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

Parker: Adesanya to win (-160). Adesanya is currently a slight favorite, and I love this betting line to take him straight up. In addition to having the striking advantage, his five-round championship experience will be a big factor here. As long as Adesanya can avoid being held down for five rounds, and that isn’t the type of fighter Imavov is, he should have no problem keeping this fight on the feet and getting back in the win column.

Parker’s best bets on the rest of the card

Middleweight: Shara Magomedov vs. Michael ‘Venom’ Page

Page to win (+155). Fans who believe this matchup will be a striker’s delight might be in for a surprise. Although MVP is a well-known striker, he has been working on his grappling, as we saw in his fight against Ian Machado Garry last June. He took Garry down and won a round in top position. If Page leans on his grappling here, he can win this fight with no problem. On the feet, it’s a 50/50 fight as both fighters are great kickboxers. Magomedov is a near 2-to-1 favorite and that doesn’t sit well with me, as I believe MVP has more ways to win and has fought better competition so far in his MMA career.

Men’s bantamweight: Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira

Nurmagomedov to win (-170). We are getting a discounted price on Nurmagomedov here, because of the hype and exciting style of Oliveira. However, these two are at completely different levels at this stage of their careers. Nurmagomedov is a well-rounded fighter and is better everywhere in this matchup. While Oliveira will try to brawl and turn this into a chaotic mess, it won’t work against a high-IQ and composed fighter like Nurmagomedov. As fun as Oliveira is in the cage, and he has a bright future in the sport, this is too much too soon.

Lightweight: Farés Ziam vs. Mike Davis

Davis to win (-140). Ziam was impressive in his win over Matt Frevola in September, but Davis is a much different fighter than anyone Ziam has fought recently. On the feet, Davis is a devastating striker with exceptional precision and power. Davis has improved takedown defense and, as we saw in his last fight (a win over Natan Levy by arm triangle choke last March), can also submit people off his back. I like Davis as the slight favorite here and Ziam is a good opponent to reintroduce himself to UFC fans, following a layoff due to injury.