{"id":39886,"date":"2026-08-18T08:11:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T12:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/?p=39886"},"modified":"2026-08-18T14:21:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T18:21:25","slug":"2026-dwcs-week-2-predictions-picks-and-betting-odds-august-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/mma\/2026-dwcs-week-2-predictions-picks-and-betting-odds-august-18\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 DWCS Week 2 Predictions, Picks and Betting Odds August 18"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DWCS Week 2 Betting Preview and Odds!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>DWCS Week 2 <\/strong>picks and predictions are on the docket for August 18, 2026<\/strong> with UFC WagerTalk handicapper Andy Lang<\/a><\/span> giving his full betting breakdown! The main event is headlined by Namo Fazil vs Kaik Brito<\/strong> in a welterweight fight. The main card starts up at 7:00pm ET from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Namo Fazil vs Kaik Brito: DWCS Week 2 Main Event<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tuesday, August 18<\/th>DWCS Week 2 Main Event (Courtesy of Caesars)<\/th><\/tr>
Moneyline:<\/td>Namo Fazil (-180) vs Kaik Brito (+150)<\/td><\/tr>
Rounds:<\/td>N\/A<\/td><\/tr>
Fight Time:<\/td>Main Card Starts at 7:00pm ET \/ 4:00pm PT<\/td><\/tr>
Arena:<\/td>UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV<\/td><\/tr>
TV:<\/td>Paramount+<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

DWCS Week 2 Predictions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Douglas Rodrigues (-395) vs. Trent Miller (+310) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trent Miller is simply too easy to hit for me to trust him in this matchup. Ryan Gandra knocked  him out in the first round on Contender Series, and Miller followed that by beating a 3-3 opponent who still managed to knock him down and have him badly wobbled multiple times.  Outside of that, Miller\u2019s wins have come against extremely weak competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Douglas Rodrigues is exactly the wrong type of opponent to face with those defensive issues. Rodrigues is a legitimate power puncher who just faced a wrestler and showed that he could defend those attacks, remain composed and eventually get the knockout late in the second round. He showed toughness, defensive grappling and serious finishing power. His kicks are also  dangerous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rodrigues does need to improve his own striking defense, but Miller hasn\u2019t shown me enough to  believe he can consistently exploit it. With how easily Miller gets hit, Rodrigues should eventually land something big<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Logan Paxton (+200) vs. Cristian Perez (-245) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Logan Paxton has an interesting background as a Division I wrestler, but his wrestling hasn\u2019t  translated as cleanly to MMA as you might expect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He likes to strike his way into wrestling attempts, but he struggles to consistently get opponents down. When he crashes forward with his  punches, he generates plenty of power, but he also leaves his head wide open for counters and absorbs a lot of clean shots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cristian Perez brings considerably more experience and has already been tested against much  better competition. He nearly beat Manoel Sousa on Contender Series by getting takedowns and controlling the fight on the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perez eventually exhausted himself from working so hard  and was finished in the third round, but we\u2019ve since seen that Sousa is a very good fighter with excellent cardio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paxton has tools, particularly his wrestling background and power, but there are too many  openings in his game right now. Perez is the more proven and experienced fighter, and I trust him more in a fight where both guys should have opportunities<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahamed Aly (-265) vs. Alik Lorenz (+215) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alik Lorenz lost on Contender Series, and most of his fights tend to end relatively quickly. He  did show that he can fight deep into a matchup when he scored a late third-round win over Ryan Parker in LFA, although he took plenty of damage early in that fight. Lorenz has shown some nice takedowns, but his preferred game is still to come out aggressively and throw hard strikes  early. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not completely sold on Mahamed Aly. He\u2019s a big heavyweight and is supposed to possess  major power, but he went the distance against Jared Gooden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, on Contender Series against  Baraniewski, Aly got caught just 20 seconds into the fight while standing with his hands down. He rebounded by knocking out another low-level opponent, but there are still plenty of questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aly has the physical tools and power to win this fight, but I don\u2019t trust him enough to be laying -265. Lorenz is dangerous enough early that this feels much closer than the price suggests<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taner Trembley (+160) vs. Roman Puga (-192) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taner Trembley only has seven professional fights, but most of them have come in LFA, so he hasn\u2019t built his record by beating complete nobodies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His striking is really crisp, he throws plenty  of volume, has legitimate power and has already shown good durability. He can also pressure opponents against the fence, and two fights ago he showed another dimension by transitioning into a slick guillotine finish. Trembley has ways to win everywhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roman Puga is a Mexican boxer with obvious striking talent, including a fantastic body attack,  but he also showed some impressive ground skills in his last fight. He\u2019s durable, strong and looks  like he could be a legitimate prospect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My concern is whether they\u2019re moving Puga along too quickly. He\u2019s already 29, so I understand why they want to accelerate his development, but Trembley is a legitimate test and has already faced solid competition. At +160, I think the value is with the more tested and versatile underdo<\/strong>g.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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