Timmy Cuamba vs Benardo Sopaj Pick, 05/16/2026 Predictions UFC Vegas 117 Odds

by Guy Bruhn - 5/14/2026

Timmy Cuamba vs Benardo Sopaj

UFC Vegas 117

Meta APEX in Las Vegas

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Timmy Cuamba will battle Benardo Sopaj at UFC Vegas 117 on Saturday, May 16, 2026. The opening moneyline has Cuamba at +130 while Sopaj is at -150.

Timmy "Twilight" Cuamba looks to add a win to his career total of 10-3-0. The 27-year-old weighs 135 lbs and comes in at 5'9". The orthodox fighter reaches 71". Benardo "Lion King" Sopaj stands in at 5'6" and weighs in at 135 lbs. The orthodox fighter looks to add a win to his total of 12-3-0. The 25-year-old reaches 66". With respect to significant strikes, Timmy Cuamba lands 2.77 per minute and Benardo Sopaj connects on 4.24 significant strikes per minute. Cuamba is connecting on 44% of the significant strikes he attempts while Sopaj lands 56%. When it comes to the fighter's defense, "Twilight" allows 3.58 significant strikes per min and "Lion King" allows 4.88. Cuamba also thwarts 57% of the significant strikes that are thrown his way while Sopaj is able to thwart 49% of them.

ufc picks Timmy Cuamba predictions best bet odds

UFC Vegas 117	Timmy Cuamba	Benardo Sopaj
Opening Odds	+130	-150
Record	10-3-0	12-3-0
Average Fight Time	13:47	14:51
Height	5'9"	5'6"
Weight	135 lbs	135 lbs
Reach	71"	66"
Strikes Landed Per Minute	2.77	4.24
Striking Accuracy	44%	56%

In terms of takedowns, Timmy Cuamba is the not as competent as a wrestler as he takes his opponents to the canvas 1.31 times per 3 rounds. Cuamba is getting his opponent to the mat on 31% of his attempts and stuffing 72% of takedowns his opponents have attempted. Sopaj is taking his opponents to the mat on 71% of his takedown tries and is stopping 76% of the attempts against him. Regarding sub attempts, Cuamba is the more able fighter by attempting 0.8 submissions per 3 rds while Sopaj attempts 0.4 submissions per 15 minutes.

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In his previous bout, Timmy Cuamba faced ChangHo Lee and wound up getting the win by way of unanimous decision in round 3. Lee ended up landing 88 of 141 of the strikes he let go in total for this contest. Cuamba finished this fight landing 39 of 48 total strikes. In regard to significant strikes, Lee ended up landing 15 of 26, giving him a percentage of 57%. He finished the fight landing 10 of 18 significant strikes to the head. In terms of stats for the opponent, Cuamba landed 71% of his significant strikes by sticking 23 of 32. In regard to the placement of these significant strikes, he landed 17 of 26 aimed at the head. 86% of the significant strikes connected on by Lee and 65% of them connected on by Cuamba were thrown at a distance.

In the last Octagon appearance for Benardo Sopaj, he faced off with Ricky Turcios and ended up winning this fight by way of unanimous decision in round 3. Turcios ended up connecting on 76% of his significant strikes at distance and Sopaj ended up connecting on 59% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance. Sopaj landed 58% of the significant strikes he attempted by landing 81 of 139. He ended up landing 64 of 117 significant strikes directed at the head. Turcios connected on 78 of 144 significant strikes in that fight. Looking at the significant strike accuracy, he connected on 30 of 86 aimed at the head. When discussing total strikes thrown, Turcios landed 113 of 187 and Sopaj landed 97 of 155 total strikes.

Other fights on the card to keep an eye on

Another fight to keep an eye on is when Nikolay Veretennikov opposes Khaos Williams. Veretennikov comes into this fight with a record of 14-7-0. The 36-year-old is weighing in at 170 lbs and comes in at 6'1". The orthodox fighter extends his reach 74". Williams measures in at 6'0" and is fighting at 170 lbs. The orthodox fighter looks to add a victory to his career record of 15-5-0. The 32-year-old stretches 77". In terms of takedowns, Nikolay Veretennikov scores a takedown 0.42 times per 3 rds while Khaos Williams gets a takedown 0.60 times per 15 min. When it comes to striking, Veretennikov tags his opponents 2.69 strikes/min and landing 56% out of all the strikes he attempts. On the other side of the cage we have Khaos Williams, who tags the opposition on 39% of the strikes he has attempted and connects on 4.94 per minute.

Another bout to watch is when Ivan Erslan is set to take on Tuco Tokkos. Tokkos walks into the cage with a mark of 11-5-0. The 35-year-old will fight at 205 lbs and measures 6'4". The orthodox fighter has a wingspan of 76". Erslan measures in at 6'2" and steps on the scale at 205 lbs. The orthodox fighter looks to add a win to his career record of 14-6-0 (1 NC). The 34-year-old reaches 72". In terms of wrestling, Tuco Tokkos thwarts 33% of the takedowns fighters have attempted and is taking his opponents to the mat on 47% of the times he tries. Erslan is taking his opponents to the mat on 20% of his tries and defends against 61% of all takedown tries against him. In the matter of striking, Tokkos absorbs 4.27 strikes per minute while he dishes out 2.12 strikes per minute. Erslan, on the other hand, takes 5.01 strikes/min and is dishing out 2.55 per minute.

Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Benardo Sopaj (-150)

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Timmy Cuamba vs Benardo Sopaj Pick, 05/16/2026 Predictions UFC Vegas 117 Odds

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