by
- What: UFC Kansas City Co-Main Event
- Who: Anthony Smith vs. Zhang Mingyang
- Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
- Location: T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO
- Time: Prelims (6:00 p.m. ET), Main Card (9:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: ESPN2
The UFC is back this week after a short break following the UFC 314 pay-per-view card. At that event, Alexander Volkanovski won the vacant UFC featherweight title via decision over Diego Lopes. This week’s UFC Fight Night card takes place on Saturday, April 26, in Kansas City, MO. That event, UFC Kansas City, is headlined by a welterweight matchup between ranked UFC welterweights Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates. In the evening’s co-main event, Anthony Smith faces Zhang Mingyang in a light heavyweight matchup. Here is some background on Smith and Zhang before we look at the betting breakdown for the UFC Kansas City Fight Night event.
Anthony Smith (38-21) is the No. 15 fighter in the official UFC light heavyweight rankings. The former UFC light heavyweight title challenger is 2-5 dating back to July 2022. Smith has three knockout losses over that time. He enters UFC Kansas City on a two-fight losing skid.
Zhang Mingyang (18-6) is 2-0 in the UFC with two first-round knockout wins and two fight-night bonuses to his name. Mingyang is unranked heading into UFC Kansas City.
Before we look at the best bets for Anthony Smith vs. Zhang Mingyang on the UFC Kansas City card, check out the best UFC betting sites and where you can find our betting picks for the UFC Kansas City Main Event.
UFC Kansas City co-main event: Anthony Smith vs. Zhang Mingyang betting picks
| Fighters |  |  |  |  |
| Anthony Smith | +400 | +375 | +390 | +370 |
| Zhang Mingyang | -550 | -525 | -550 | -549 |
UFC Kansas City co-main event: Anthony Smith betting breakdown
Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith is a well-rounded fighter who excels on the mat. However, he has struggled as of late, and at 36, Smith has said that UFC Kansas City will be the final event of his UFC career. Smith has struggled with the mental aspect of the fight game lately. He has difficulty engaging his opponent, which does not bode well for him heading into Saturday’s event. If he is mentally checked out and going through the motions in this fight, he could find himself on the wrong end of a knockout.
Smith is tough and resilient. He has good technical skills and can mix up his techniques as needed. Smith is also a good game planner. However, he has struggled to implement a strategy in his last few outings. If he allows his opponent to take control of any aspect of the fight in Kansas City, things could go wrong fast for the UFC veteran.
Smith lands 3.20 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 49 percent. He gets hit 4.88 times per minute with a defensive striking rate of 45 percent. Considering the background of these two combatants, the expectation is the fight will remain standing for as long as it lasts.
UFC Kansas City co-main event: Zhang Mingyang betting breakdown
UFC Kansas City marks the third trip to the Octagon for the 26-year-old Zhang Mingyang. His first two UFC fights have lasted a combined 4:06 with both ending via first-round knockout. Mingyang takes a step up in competition against Smith. With that in mind, the UFC is clearly looking for Mingyang to score a big win over the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger so the promotion can push the young 205-pounder while Smith exists the promotion.
Mingyang enters UFC Kansas City having never gone the distance in a win (12 knockouts, six submissions). On the losing side of the ledger, he has dropped three fights by knockout, two by submission, and one via decision. He has not gone past the first round since 2018. His only fight to go the three-round distance was in 2017.
Mingyang looks to use his striking to get the fight to the mat, where he is very good at grappling or finishing things with ground strikes. However, Mingyang is not the best technical striker and can get sloppy, but he believes in his striking and his chin and keeps moving forward.
Mingyang doesn’t have much to go on for UFC stats, so take these numbers with that in mind. He lands 8.57 significant strikes per minute with a landing rate of 55 percent. He absorbs 5.59 significant strikes per minute with a striking defense of 53 percent.
Best Bets: UFC Kansas City co-main event: Anthony Smith vs. Zhang Mingyang
The betting odds for Anthony Smith vs. Zhang Mingyang are very one-sided, which means there is some betting value in picking Smith to pull off an upset. While I would consider that type of wager because of the betting line, I would only do so with an amount that you’re willing to lose, because Smith doesn’t have many routes to victory.
The betting pick is for Zhang Mingyang to beat Anthony Smith via knockout in the co-main event of UFC Kansas City.
See below the top offshore sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
Best Betting Sites 