Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios prediction, pick, start time and odds for UFC on ESPN 57

Raul Rosas Jr. It is Ricky Turcios face off on Saturday in the main fight of the UFC on ESPN 57 main card at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Check out this quick recap of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios UFC on ESPN 57 preview

Rosas Jr. (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will look to get his second consecutive victory for the first time in his UFC career. After suffering his first career loss last April to Christian Rodriguez, the young bantamweight bounced back with a first-round TKO over Terrence Mitchell in September. … Turcios (12-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) also enters this matchup coming off a loss, followed by a win in 2022. Turcios has been inactive since then, and enters his first fight in over 18 months.

Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios UFC on ESPN 57 Expert Pick, Prediction

Filling out the main card is the bantamweight fight between Raul Rosas Jr. and Turcios.

The fight was initially scheduled for February this year, but Rosas Jr. was forced to withdraw on the day of the fight due to illness.

The UFC opted to keep the fight together since Rosas Jr. appears to be a fighter they have specific plans and high hopes for, which probably explains why the 19-year-old prospect is so favored here.

Turcios, who is certainly the more experienced of the two fighters, brings a wider range of strikes to work on the feet and discreetly carries a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in his back pocket.

Turcios’ role advantages may be enough to keep him from being submitted, but his propensity to allow fights to get ugly could end up favoring a superior positional scrambler like Rosas Jr.

Therefore, I will side with Rosas Jr. to force the stoppage due to strikes from the mount in the first round.

Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios UFC at ESPN 57 odds

Oddsmakers and the public are favoring the younger fighter, listing Rosas Jr. as a -265 favorite, and Turcios as a +200 underdog, via FanDuel.

Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios UFC on ESPN 57, start time, how to watch

As the main card fight, Rosas Jr. and Turcios are expected to walk to the Octagon at approximately 9:35 pm ET. The fight is broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN+.

For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 57.

This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie