UFC Fight Night Betting Picks: Lewis vs. Nascimento Odds & Predictions

Saturday night brings UFC on ESPN 55 from the UFC Apex facility near Las Vegas. Mattheus Nicolau was scheduled to fight former Rizin Bantamweight champ Manel Kape in the main event as a flyweight fight, but Kape has had to withdraw due to a rib injury, and now former UFC Flyweight Championship challenger Alex Perez will step in and take the bout. The co-main event pits Ryan Spann against Bogdan Guskov in a light heavyweight bout. The main card will be telecast on ESPN with the preliminary fights on ESPN2. The whole night can also be streamed on ESPN+. Read on to see the full card as well as our UFC betting predictions for some of the fights.

UFC Odds Breakdown: Nicolau vs Perez Betting Lines Analyzed | MMA Event

Matheus Nicolau -185 vs Alex Perez +154

Nicolau (19-3-1, 7-2) vs Perez (24-8, 6-4) is a fight that should help clear the deck at the top of this talented flyweight division. Six years ago, the UFC had released Nicolau, a shocking move after he took an upset loss against Dustin Ortiz. It looked like UFC was just going to shelve the whole division, but then they changed their minds, and Nicolau returned in 2021. He beat Manel Kape on the cards, using his sharp striking and skilled wrestling. The frustrating thing about Nicolau is his desire to use his strengths to neutralize the opposition, which means that the action can get uneven. He did knock Matt Schnell out at the end of 2022, showing that he might be building skills as a finisher, but he also tends to let the other fighter lead the action, which went badly for him in his one 2023 fight, a knockout at the hands of Brandon Royval. His potential rematch with Kape has now been pushed back twice.

Perez ran up the ladder to title contention, getting a shot at Deiveson Figueiredo relatively quickly. His style involves moving forward with pressure, combined with a strong grappling and wrestling game. In his title shot, though, Figueiredo only needed a couple of minutes to tap him, and Perez vanished from UFC consciousness. He missed all of 2021 and 2023 due to injuries and issues making weight for Perez and his opponents. He only fought once in 2022, when he got blown out in just 91 seconds by Alexandre Pantoja, who currently holds the UFC Flyweight belt. Pantoja decided to apply a bullying style of his own, and it worked easily. He fought fairly well in March against Muhammad Mokaev, another grinder, but he could not take charge of the fight in the late going and finish, and he ended up losing on th ecards. Perez should be able to start fast thanks to Nicolau’s patience, but after that, it will be interesting to see if Nicolau finds a groove and wears Perez down, or if Perez can land a bomb before Nicolau warms up to the fight. Given that this is a five-round fight, it’s more likely that Nicolau will wait things out and then stack up the points in the last two rounds.

UFC Fight Night Pick: Nicolau wins via decision

Ryan Spann -205 vs Bogdan Guskov +170

Spann (21-9, 7-4) vs Guskov (15-3, 1-1) is Spann’s latest attempt to see if he can bring offense with enough volume and speed to avoid having his opponent exploit his lack of defense. Sometimes his offensive blitzes work, and sometimes his opponents find that gaping hole in his game and the fight sinks into pandemonium until one fighter or the other delivers a finish. This has led to quick victories over Dominick Reyes and Ion Cutelaba but also submission losses to Nikita Krylov and Anthony Smith, which seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. Then there was his tilt with Johnny Walker, which looked like the inside of a washing machine until the finish came three minutes in.

Guskov is a prospect who brings a lot of interest, but it remains to be seen if he has the consistency to succeed in this promotion. He is a power puncher, he can move, and his hands are fast. Volkan Oezdemir didn’t need much time to dispatch him in his last-minute UFC debut back in September, but then Guskov counced back and finished Zac Pauga in swift, vivid fashion two months ago. This should be a sprint to see who can deliver the finish first. Guskov can bring a bomb or two, but he hasn’t looked steady on his feet when brawls break out.

UFC Fight Night Pick: Spann wins via knockout

Ariane Lipski +130 vs Karine Silva -155

Lipski (17-8, 6-5) vs Silva (17-4, 3-0) is another entertaining fight from what is becoming the best women’s division in UFC. Lipski entered UFC with a nice pedigree – so nice that her debut came against Joanne Wood, who always appears on contender lists. Lipski took the loss there and struggled for a while. She is known as the “Queen of Violence,” but the pressure and volume she brings leaves gaping holes in her defense. This changed in 2021 when she delivered a win over Mandy Bohm in 2021 that showed patience and defensive technique, but then Priscila Cachoeira was able to goad her into a brawl in her next fight, and Lipski walked right into the knockout. In 2023, though, she rebounded to take down J.J. Aldrich, Melissa Gatto and Casey O’Neill. How far can she climb in this division? Well, in all of those 2023 wins, she was clearly the better athlete. In Silva’s case, that isn’t the truth.

Silva has been terrific since joining UFC. She focuses on finishes, which helped her in Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, but against better opponents, she has had to add dimensions to her game. Her grappling is the best part of her game, but when she tries to force opponents to the ground, bad things can happen. Silva comes in as the slight favorite even though Lipski has plenty of wrestling skills herself, so I’m going with the value here.

UFC Fight Night Pick: Lipski wins via decision

Austen Lane +195 vs Jhonata Diniz -238

Lane (12-4, 0-1 UFC, 1 NC) vs Diniz (6-0, 0-0) will be an intriguing heavyweight bout. Lane played for several years in the NFL and has the sort of athleticism to do well in MMA. He’s been in this sport for seven years now, but his approach is still as arbitrary as it was when he started, as he likes to go in multiple directions and see what happens. He has a combinatino of speed and size that works well against regional competition, but in UFC bouts, he looks like he will get himself into trouble. In his promotional debut against Justin Tafa, things ended quickly in a no-contest. The rematch came quickly and ended in just 82 seconds as Tafa delivered the knockout.

Diniz makes his UFC debut against Lane. He came over from kickobxing less than two years ago, and his style is a bit pedestrian. When he gets the chance, he can bring serious bombs. Lane has the reach and the speed to cause some issues, and Lane can also do well on the ground. However, if he gets close enough Diniz to deliver punishment, it will only take one swing.

UFC Fight Night Pick: Diniz wins via knockout

Main Card at ESPN / ESPN+

• Matheus Nicolau vs Alex Perez (Flyweight)
• Ryan Spann vs Bogdan Guskov (Light Heavyweight)
• Ariane Lipski vs Karine Silva (Women’s Flyweight)
• Austen Lane vs Jhonata Diniz (Heavyweight)
• Jonathan Pearce vs David Onama (Featherweight)
• Tim Means vs Uros Medic (Welterweight)

Preliminary Card at ESPN2 / ESPN+

• Rani Yahya vs Victor Henry (Bantamweight)
• Austin Hubbard vs Michal Figlak (Lightweight)
• Don’Tale Mayes vs Caio Machado (Heavyweight)
• Marnic Mann vs Ketien Souza (Women’s Strawweight)
• Chris Padilla vs James Llontop (Lightweight)
• Ivana Petrovic vs Liang Na (Women’s Flyweight)
• Gabriel Benitez vs Maheshate Hayisaer (Lightweight)

The bright lights of Las Vegas are the backdrop of UFC 300, set for Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. The main card has three title fights and a title eliminator bout, so the pay-per-view audience will have a big night of fighting to watch. Alex Pereira is set to defend his UFC Llight Heavyweight belt against Jamahal Hill in the meain event; in the co-headliner, Zhang Weili will defend her UFC Women’s Strawweight title against Yan Xiaonan. Justin Gaethje will defend his honorary “BMF” belt against Max Holloway; both are former UFC titleholders. Gaethje took this title from Dustin Poirier via knockout at UFC 291. Charles Oliveira will take on Arman Tsarukyan in a lightweight contender eliminator bout. ESPN will carry the preliminary and early preliminary cards. Read on to get our UFC betting predictions about the two fights that will deliver belts as well as the full fight card.

UFC 300: Pereira vs Hill Betting Picks & Predictions | MMA Event

Alex Pereira -130 vs Jamahal Hill +110

Pereira (9-2, 6-1) vs Hill (12-1, 6-1) is a terrific match that should bring plenty of excitement. Pereira has only been in UFC for a little over two years, and his rise to not one but two belts has been impressive to watch. Shortly after he stopped Sean Strickland with a knockout in the first round, he was given a title shot against Israel Adesanya, whom he had already beaten twice in kickboxing. Adesanya was leading their title fight on the cards until Pereira knocked him out in the last round. In their rematch, Adesanya flipped the script and came back late in the fight. After that, Pereira moved up to light heavyweight, improving his grappling defense and wrestling skills enough to get by, and so he was able to deal with Jan Blachowicz easily, getting a title shot against Jiri Prochazka. Pereira was able to stack up points in that fight before delivering an elbow that ended the fight.

Hill is look to claim a title that he never actually lost. He took the belt from Teixeira early in 2022 after skating through some high-risk opportunities in the three previous years. Hill never started with a ton of energy, needing some time to warm up before delivering power and volume with his striking. Hill improved in that area and became a threat to deliver big bombs from the start. Paul Craig showed Hill’s vulnerabilities on the ground to give him the one blemish on his pro record. Hill was able to get around Thiago Santos’ strong takedown game and get a late stoppage, but Santos got more takedowns than he should have. Soon after Hill got the belt, though, he had to vacate it due to injury. Now that he’s back, this is an intriguing fight. He likes to use his boxing to drain his opponent, while Pereira likes to sit back and deliver the big counter, although his leg kicks can deliver damage. Hill seems more durable, but we will see if he can deal with Pereira’s power.

UFC Pick: Pereira wins via knockout

Weili Zhang -485 vs Xiaonan Yan +370

Zhang (24-3, 8-2) vs Yan (18-3, 8-2). This is the first all-Chinese title fight in the storied history of UFC. Zhang has always been an impressive finisher, as she showed both in her regional work and in the swift, violent beating she delivered to Jessica Aguilar in her second UFC fight. She beat Tecia Torres to move to 3-0 and got a title shot against Jessica Andrade on a card in China. It only took 42 seconds for her to knock Andrade out to give UFC its first champion from China. Her first title defense was a five-round grind against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, but that would be her last win for more than two years. COVID-19 shut down her 2021 schedule, and she lost twice to Rose Namajunas in 2022. She beat Jedrzejczyk and took the belt back from Carla Esparza. She won her only title defense so far, back in August against Amanda Lemos, a fight that went to the ground early.

Yan has emerged as an overachiever who has had to earn every step up the UFC ladder. She brings a ton of volume in the striking game and did not lose until she met Esparza, her first solid wrestler. Esparza got her to the ground and delivered a quick stoppage. Yan has worked on her wrestling game since then, but her two-fight winning streak came against an inconsistent Mackenzie Dern and a defensively inept Andrade, who basically ran into a knockout. Her volume and accuracy could do damage to Zhang, but Zhang also has the athleticism to avoid damage from all of the striking and move in to pluck out points.

UFC Pick: Zhang wins via decision

Main Card at Pay Per View

• Alex Pereira vs Jamahal Hill (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
• Zhang Weili vs Yan Xiaonan (UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship)
• Justin Gaethje vs Max Holloway (Lightweight – “BMF” Title Fight)
• Charles Oliveira vs Arman Tsarukyan (Lightweight Contender Eliminator)
• Bo Nickal vs Cody Brundage (Middleweight)

Preliminary Card at ESPN / ESPN+

• Jiri Prochazka vs Aleksandar Rakic (Light Heavyweight)
• Calvin Kattar vs Aljamain Sterling (Featherweight)
• Holly Holm vs Kayla Harrison (Women’s Bantamweight)
• Sodiq Yusuff vs Diego Lopes (Featherweight)

Early Preliminary Card at ESPN / ESPN+

• Jalin Turner vs Renato Moicano (Lightweight)
• Jessica Andrade vs Marina Rodriguez (Women’s Strawweight)
• Bobby Green vs Jim Miller (Lightweight)
• Deiveison Figueiredo vs Cody Garbrandt (Bantamweight)

Saturday night brings a rematch between former LFA Middleweight champ Brendan Allen and Chris Curtis as the headliner of UFC Fight Night 240, set for the UFC Apex facility near Las Vegas. Allen was supposed to take on former UFC Middleweight challenger Marvin Vettori, but Vettori had to withdraw. Curtis beat Allen by TKO in the second round in December 2021, so Allen is looking for revenge. The co-headliner is a featherweight tilt between Alexander Hernandez and Damon Jackson. You can catch the whole evening’s action on ESPN+. We have the whole fight card and online UFC betting predictions for the top two fights.

UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Curtis 2 Betting Picks and Prediction | MMA Event

Brendan Allen -198 vs Chris Curtis +164

Allen (23-5, 11-2 UFC) vs Curtis (31-10, 1 NC) is Allen’s chance to empahsize his status as a possible middleweight title contender later this year. He’s been impressive ever since he showed up on the Contender Series in 2019. He entertained viewers with his aggressive style and wrestling focus, and he has been able to overcome talented UFC grapplers like Kyle Daukaus, Tom Breese and Kevin Holland. Sean Strickland and Curtis kept their fights with Allen upright and ended up dismantling him, but since then he has won six fights in a row, including main event results over Andre Muniz and Paul Craig, thanks to improved and more powerful striking. Five of these six wins have come thanks to the rear naked choke, starting out by out-striking over grapplers and then taking advantage of them on the ground. Since Curtis can hold his own against Allen’s wrestling and will force him into the striking game, this is an intriguing fight.

It took Curtis a long time to get a UFC contract, even though he delivered a bracing knockout on the Contender SEries in 2018. He had a three-fight stint in the PFL that went poorly, but then he won four straight showdowns in regional MMA before getting a chance to fight as a last-minute replacement against Phil Hawes at Madison Square Garden. Curtis used that opportunity to deliver a knockout victory and then finished Allen four weeks later. Curtis lacks size for the division, so opponents will stay out of his range or get all over him in the clinch. When he beat Marc-Andre Barriault in January, though, he showed us that he can still bring power. His defense on the mat is better than many people think, so Allen will have to be patient with the striking before trying to get things to the ground. But will he be patient, and will he be able to take advantage on the ground?

Alexander Hernandez -205 vs Damon Jackson +170

Hernandez (14-7) vs Jackson (22-6-1, 1 NC) is our next chance to see what kind of featherweight Hernandez will become. In 2018, he debuted with UFC as a lightweight and needed just 42 seconds to knock Beneil Dariush. He followed that up with a convincing win on the cards over Olivier Aubin-Mercier. Going into 2019, though, he ran into the wrecking ball known as Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone,” who found all of Hernandez’s defensive shortcomings and knocked him out in the second round. Hernandez’s next fight showed a ridiculous amount of timidity as he barely made it by Francisco Trinaldo. He decided to cut down to featherweight in 2022, but his first fight was with Billy Quanatillo, who likes to bring early pressure and then break opponents down, which is what he did to Hernandez. He then lost to Bill Algeo on the cards in October. He can still be a real problem if he can balance patience and aggressiveness. Jackson will test Hernandez with his striking pace.

Jackson washed out of UFC back in 2016, but things have gone much better since his 2020 return. He submitted Mirsad Bektic in the third round of his return debut after taking a beating through the first two rounds. He’s been knocked out easily by the likes of Dan Ige and Ilia Topuria, but his aggressiveness got him four straight wins between those setbacks. He fought Quarantillo in a war back in August that impressed viewers despite his decision loss. Hernandez could deliver the early knockout, but if Jackson can survive that early war, Jackson could deliver a late finish.

Main Card at ESPN+

• Brendan Allen vs Chris Curtis (Middleweight)
• Alexander Hernandez vs Damon Jackson (Featherweight)
• Morgan Charriere vs Jose Mariscal (Featherweight)
• Ignacio Bahamondes vs Christos Giagos (Lightweight)
• Valter Walker vs Lucasz Brzeski (Heavyweight)
• Trevor Peek vs Charlie Campbell (Lightweight)

Preliminary Card at ESPN+

• Court McGee vs Alex Morono (Welterweight)
• Norma Dumont vs Germaine de Randamie (Women’s Bantamweight)
• Pedro Falcao vs Victor Hugo (Bantamweight)
• Piera Rodriguez vs Cynthia Calvillo (Women’s Strawweight)
• Dan Argueta vs Jean Matsumoto (Bantamweight)
• Dylan Budka vs Cesar Almeida (Middleweight)
• Nora Cornolle vs Melissa Mullins (Women’s Bantamweight)

Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, is the backdrop of UFC on ESPN 54, set for Saturday night. This is the tenth edition of UFC in Atlantic City and the first in almost six years. The showdown between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot in the women’s flyweight division is the headliner, and Vicente Luque meets Joaquin Buckley in a welterweight tilt as the co-main event. ESPN will broadcast the main card, with ESPN2 showing the preliminary bouts.

We know that when it comes to UFC Fight Night betting, you have to have the full fight card as well as betting picks for several of the fights for you to consider. Big Fights, big bets.

UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs Fiorot Betting Picks and Prediction | MMA Event

UFC on ESPN 54 | UFC on ESPN: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot

Erin Blanchfield -192 vs Manon Fiorot +160

Erin Blanchfield (12-1, 6-0 UFC, -192) vs Manon Fiorot (11-1, 6-0 UFC, +160) square off in a battle for top contender in the women’s flyweight division. Blanchfield joined UFC in 2021 riding a wave of hype, but she needed to add to her level of strategy. She developed an aggressive style, bringing pressure and eating damage in order to take her opponents to the ground. She dominated Sarah Alpar in her promotional debut and then beat Miranda Maverick three months later. J.J. Aldrich stalled her for a short time but then Blanchfield turned the tables and made her tap out, and that was as close to a loss as she has come. She fought Jessica Andrade, the former strawweight champ, toe to toe before bringing her down to the mat and winning via submission.

The most impressive part of Blanchfield’s contender status is that she has so much of her game that she could still improve.

Fiorot came to UFC much more quietly, getting the nod as a last-minute replacement in 2021. She beat Mayra Bueno Silva, who would become a bantamweight contender, easily near the end of 2021, and she beat Jennifer Maia, Katlyn Cerminara and Rose Namajunas on the cards. She likes to bring bombs from range rather than get in the clinch, but she has an underrated grappling game when she needs it.

One difference between the two is that Fiorot tends to wear down over the course of a fight, while Blanchfield usually gains energy. Blanchfield is likely to find her moves blocked and frustrated in the early going thanks to Fiorot’s blend of speed and size. Once Blanchfield gets Fiorot on the ground, though, she should be able to wear her out.

Final Prediction: Blanchfield wins via decision

Bet on Erin vs Manon

Vicente Luque -112 vs Joaquin Buckley +108

Vicente Luque (22-9-1, 15-5, UFC, -112) vs Joaquin Buckley (17-6, 7-4 UFC, -108) is the latest fight in Luque’s career, which has brought him from underrated fighter to highlight-reel main-event fighter. He came into UFC in 2015 and developed a reputation for moving forward and eating damage before delivering knockout power or enticing his opponents to the mat, where his signature brabo choke would deliver the win. UFC found him main event-worthy starting in 2019. He knocked out Bryan Barberena in the third round of one of 2019’s best fights, and he got a co-main event fight when UFC went to Uruguay for the first time. He also got a main card bout at Madison Square Garden against Stephen Thompson. He came into 2022 as part of the title conversation, but then losses to Belal Muhammad and Geoff Neal were concerning as Neal’s hand speed simply turned Luque inside out, leading to a knockout so brutal that Luque had a brain injury that threatened to end his career. A year later, Luque was cleared to come back against Rafael dos Anjos. Luque got an ugly win on the cards and now looks to make it two straight wins against Buckley.

Buckley will always be known for the jumping spinning back kick that turned out the lights on Impa Kasanganay in 2020. Normally, Buckley prospers by moving forward, bringing volume and power in the striking game. This absorbs a lot of cardio, but Buckley is one of the fittest fighters in this promotion. After that finish of Kasanganay, Buckley got some quick fights on turnarounds. Once Allesio Di Chirico timed Buckley’s movements and knocked him out, though, Buckley dropped out of the contender conversation. Since then, his striking game has gotten sharper, and moving down to welterweight helped him use that power against a lighter weight class. He ran right over Andre Fialho, which surprised no one. When he beat Alex Morono on the cards, he showed that he could beat one of the smarter fighters in the classification. Buckley has an opportunity to move into the welterweight rankings if he can bring pressure and deliver results.

Final Prediction: Luque via knockout

Bet on Vicente vs Joaquin

Bruno Silva -285 vs Chris Weidman +230

Bruno Silva (23-10, 4-4 UFC, -285) vs Chris Weidman (15-7, 11-7 UFC, +230) is Weidman’s latest chance to avoid his time in UFC coming to an end. His early days in UFC were memorable as he entered in 2011 and took Anderson Silva’s belt just two years later, ending a stout title run. He would hold the championship for 2 ½ years, but he never really gained highlight-reel status. He had some nagging injuries that sent him into lengthy layoffs, and then Luke Rockhold took the belt away late in 2015. Since then, Weidman has never really found his mojo again as the next generation of fighters had superior athleticism. As Weidman suffered more injuries, he just could not keep up. He broke his leg against Uriah Hall, sending a kick that got checked, leading to a two-year layoff. When he finally returned against Brad Tavares back in August, he looked decent, but he was still just a shadow of his former self. He is still an aggressive, tough fighter, but he absorbed a lot of damage.

Silva came into UFC in 2021 and was seen as a pressure-first fighter who was all about delivering big bombs, getting knockouts, and leaving defense to figure itself out. That paid off initially but then led to some big losses, so now Silva has tried to add some patience to his game. However, there’s usually a point in the fight when he puts the patience away and just starts bringing violence. On the mat, Silva’s skills are minimal, so Weidman could win if he can pull off a takedown or two, but if Silva decides to unload, it’s hard to say that Weidman will be able to stop the pressure.

Final Prediction: Silva wins via knockout

Nursulton Ruziboev -265 vs Sedriques Dumas +215

Nursulton Ruziboev (33-8-2, 1-0 UFC, -265) vs Sedriques Dumas (9-1, 2-1 UFC, +215) is a fight between two middleweight prospects. Ruziboev has a ton of fights under his belt for a prospect, but most of that competition was difficult to handicap accurately. He’s one of the tallest middleweights at 6’5” and has historically used intimidation to bully his way to a knockout win. In his UFC debut, he knocked out Brunno Ferreira in swift fashion, so he has the power to deliver damage at this level.

Dumas can just about match Ruziboev in height. His UFC career started poorly with a submission loss against Josh Fremd. He has a pair of wins since then, but both of those came against fairly easy competition. Dumas is a fairly sizable underdog because of the assumption that Ruziboev will be able to get him to the ground and finish him. I’m not sure Ruziboev should be this heavily favored, though.

Final Prediction: Dumas wins via decision

Main Card (ESPN / ESPN+)

• Erin Blanchfield vs Manon Fiorot (Women’s Flyweight)
• Vicente Luque vs Joaquin Buckley (Welterweight)
• Chrsi Weidman vs Bruno Silva (Middleweight)
• Nursulton Ruziboev vs Sedriques Dumas (Middleweight)
• Bill Algeo vs Kyle Nelson (Featherweight)
• Chidi Njokuani vs Rhys McKee (Welterweight)

Preliminary Card (ESPN2/ESPN+)

• Nate Landwehr vs Jamall Emmers (Featherweight)
• Vima Jandiroba vs Loopy Godinez (Women’s Strawweight)
• Julio Arce vs Herbert Burns (Featherweight)
• Dennis Buzukja vs Connor Matthews (Featherweight)
• Ibo Aslan vs Anton Turkalj (Light Heavyweight)
• Viktorila Dudakova vs Melissa Gatto (Women’s Flyweight)
• Andre Petroski vs Jacob Malkoun (Middleweight)
• Angel Pacheco vs Caolan Loughran (Bantamweight)

UFC Apex is the site of this week’s card in the premier MMA promotion on Saturday, as Amanda Ribas and former two-time UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas in the headliner. Karl Williams will square off with Justin Tafa in a heavyweight tilt in the co-main event. You can catch the main card on ESPN and the preliminary card on ESPN+. Check out the whole card and our sports betting predictions on some of the key fights.

UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs Namajunas Betting Picks and Prediction | MMA Event

Rose Namajunas -250 vs Amanda Ribas +205

Namajunas (11-6, 9-5 UFC) vs Ribas (12-4, 7-3 UFC) is Namajunas’ second flyweight fight with UFC. She entered the promotion as a strawweight and lost the division’s first title fight to Carla Esparza. She got back to contender status by stopping Paige VanZant and edging out Tecia Torres on the cards. Before she could get another title shot, though, Karolina Kowalkiewicz wore her down with steady pressure. It only took one more win to earn a title shot against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She ran right over the champ early in the second round and then won a rematch on the cards in a five-round war. It looked like she might have an extended reign until Jessica Andrade dropped her on her head for a knockout in the second round of a fight that Namajunas led after an amazing first round. She won the rematch against Andrade and took the title back by knocking out Weili Zhang in 2021. Zhang eventually took the title back, and Namajunas decided to go up to flyweight. Her lack of striking volume was a problem in her flyweight debut against Manon Fiorot, but a broken finger in the early going likely played a part. Other than that, she looks like she could be a problem for other flyweights.

Ribas spent a couple of years trying to break into UFC, and when the promotion finally inked her to a deal, she rewarded their confidence by beating Emily Whitmore and Mackenzie Dern. UFC sank some money into promoting Ribas in 2021, but she started off the new year with a knockout at the hands of Marina Rodriguez. She has run into a ceiling with her relative lack of defense, even after moving up to flyweight for three bouts. So far she is 1-2 in the division, sandwiching a win over Viviane Araujo between setbacks at the hands of Katlyn Cerminara and Maycee Barber. When she wins, it’s because she has the physical tools to win the grappling game, but Cerminara was able to ward off her takedown attempts, and Barber just brought too much striking power for Ribas to get close enough to make the wrestling work. She went back down to strawweight and finished Luana Pinheiro, but Pinheiro was ahead on the cards before Ribas delivered the finish. Ribas’ lack of defense will give Namajunas enough room to land some big bombs.

Final Prediction: Namajunas wins via knockout

Bet on Namajunas vs Ribas

Karl Williams -180 vs Justin Tafa +150

Williams (9-1, 2-0 UFC) vs Tafa (7-3, 4-3 UFC) brings Tafa into the limelight. He entered UFC in 2019 and was fairly green particularly on defense, and his debut saw him run right into a knockout from Yorgan De Castro. Tafa added patience to the mix, but he looked so tentative in decision losses to Jared Vanderaa and Carlos Felipe that some were worried that he might have lost his aggressiveness. Since then, though, he has a nice four-fight undefeated streak in which he has shown the ability to wait for the right moment and also to take advantage of that moment when it comes. Harry Hunsucker, Parker Porter, and Austen Lane all found themselves on the mat after Tafa found the right opening for his offense.

Williams is a wrestler first and foremost. He has a decent striking game, meaning that he can deliver enough blows to keep his opponent off him, but if he is going to win, things need to get to the mat. Tafa has never really had to do much wrestling, but he is also the biggest physical specimen that Williams has had to encounter so far. I see Tafa bringing the damage and ending things early.

Final Prediction: Tafa wins via knockout

Bet on Williams vs Tafa

Edmen Shahbazyan -198 vs A.J. Dobson +164

Shahbazyan (12-4, 5-4 UFC) vs Dobson (7-2, 1-2 UFC) shows us how far Shahbazyan has come since his days on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018. At that time, he had only fought tomato cans, but he established a reputation for being a highlight-reel prospect, getting three swift finishes in four fights that elevated him to contender status going in 2020. However, the tougher talent proved to be a problem – he was still getting off to hot starts, but the wrestling he had used as a Plan B didn’t work as well against tougher fighters. He took over a year off after taking a beating from Nassourine Imavov. ON his return, he got an easy win over Dalcha Lungiambula, but then he got a tough matchup with Anthony Hernandez, who brings fast pressure and got a quick win.

Dobson has a ton of skill but is still working on consistency. He’s been a pro MMA fighter for eight years now, but he hasn’t added depth to his game. He did change camps before his August tilt with Tafon Nchukwi, and the new voices may have paid off. Dobson didn’t do a lot of damage, but he did cobble together three decent rounds and won on the cards in his steadiest fight to date. Both of these fighters could hang on and win on points, but Dobson’s recent improvement makes his value worthwhile.

Final Prediction: Dobson wins via decision

Bet on Shahbazyan vs Dobson

Payton Talbott -148 vs Cameron Saaiman +124

Talbott (7-0, 1-0 UFC) vs Saaiman (9-1, 3-1 UFC) is an interesting fight between young bantamweights who could grow into the division’s future. Saaiman uses a combination of aggression and power to bring pressure forward, but his three wins in UFC all involves wearing down his opponent. Christian Rodriguez did outwork him in October, giving him the first loss of his career. Now Saaiman takes on another new fighter in Talbott.

Talbott is one of the taller bantamweights, and he likes to use that reach to move forward and deliver pressure tha this opponent can’t penetrate. He can absorb the bombs, but wrestlers can present a challenge as Nick Aguirre did in his debut. Talbott is solid as far as getting back up and bringing the striking again, but he needs to do a better job of avoiding the takedowns in the first place. Saaiman is faster but is also more hesitant to impose his own rhythm on fights to this point. Talbott has the better cardio, so if he can escape the ground game, he should get enough points to win.

Final Prediction: Talbott wins via decision

Bet on Talbott vs Saaiman

Main Card at ESPN / ESPN+

• Amanda Ribas vs Rose Namajunas (Women’s Flyweight)
• Karl Williams vs Justin Tafa (Heavyweight)
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs A.J. Dobson (Middleweight)
• Payton Talbott vs Cameron Saalman (Bantamweight)
• Billy Quarantillo vs Youssef Zalal (Featherweight)
• Fernando Padilla vs Luis Pajuelo (Featherweight)

Preliminary Card at ESPN+

• Kurt Holobaugh vs Trey Ogden (Lightweight)
• Ricardo Ramos vs Julian Erosa (Featherweight)
• Miles Johns vs Cody Gibson (Bantamweight)
• Jarno Errens vs Steven Nguyen (Featherweight)
• Montserrat Rendon vs Darya Zheleznyakova (Women’s Bantamweight)
• Igor Severino vs Andre Lima (Flyweight)
• Mohammed Usman vs Mick Parkin (Heavyweight)

UFC Apex in suburban Las Vegas will host Fight Night 239 on Saturday night, with Tai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura meeting in a heavyweight bout that will headline the night’s action. Bryan Battle will tangle with Ange Loosa in a welterweight tilt as the co-main event. You can catch all of the fighting on ESPN+. Below you will find the complete fight card along with our UFC betting predictions for the two bouts at the top.

UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs Tybura Betting Picks and Prediction | MMA Event

Tai Tuivasa -122 vs Marcin Tybura +105

Tuivasa (14-6, 8-6 UFC) vs Tybura (24-8, 11-7 UFC) is Tuivasa’s chance to turn things around. Tuivasa has been rushed throughout his entire UFC tenure, thanks to a shortage of Australian stars in the promotion and Tuivasa’s organic charisma. He was only in UFC for about a year before he got matched with Junior dos Santos in a main event – and ended up getting knocked out, starting a three-fight skid. He took a year away to work on his skills and looked much more patient and creative when he returned in 2020 to beat Stefan Struve. That started a five-fight winning streak that brought Tuivasa to the edge of the title conversation in 2022. He ran into Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov next, though, and both of them had advantages in skill and length. Those losses were followed by a bomb delivered by Sergei Pavlovich. Can he end this latest three-fight losing streak?

Tybura is the best UFC heavyweight who doesn’t have knockout power and lacks stamina. He came into UFC on the strength of a wrestling and grappling reputation, and his first fight, a loss to Tim Johnson, showed him that he would need to develop a striking game as well. Tybura has developed the skill to elude some of the lower heavyweights in UFC, but he has always had a hard time avoiding knockout power. Tybura could get a submission, but his defense is a little too suspect.

Final Prediction: Tuivasa wins via knockout

Bryan Battle -180 vs Ange Loosa +150

Battle (10-2, 5-1 UFC) vs Loosa (10-3, 2-1 UFC) will show us which of these two developing welterweights is ready to take the next step to contender status. When The Ultimate Fighter returned in 2021, Battle breezed to the middleweight title, using cardio and pace to wear down the opposition. However, if his opponents didn’t tire quickly, he would collapse due to his own lack of stamina. Cutting down to welterweight has brought his thunderous finishing potential to a lower weight class as he is one of the biggest 170-pounders. That led to some violent knockouts of Takashi Sato and Gabriel Green. He did fall prey to Rinat Fakhretdinov’s wrestling game, and his fight with Loosa will tell us whether he has improved his defense against the ground game.

Loosa has a grand total of three UFC fights, but don’t sleep on this talent. His tools are decent, but he is still working on consistency. He beat A.J. Fletcher and Rhys McKee as he ramped up his aggressiveness and built his takedown skills, but McKee almost dealt him a finish. Battle should be able to push the pace enough to get Loosa out of his comfort zone and then use that uncertainty to grab the finish, but Battle will have to eat some punishment to do so. Battle is used to the punishment, while Loosa is still learning how to fight here.

Final Prediction: Battle wins via stoppage

UFC Fight Night Main Card at ESPN+

• Tai Tuivasa vs Marcin Tybura (Heavyweight)
• Bryan Battle vs Ange Loosa (Welterweight)
• Ovince Saint Preux vs Kennedy Nzechukwu
• Pannie Kianzad vs Macy Chiasson (Women’s Bantamweight)
• Gerald Meerschaert vs Bryan Barberena (Middleweight)
• Christian Rodriguez vs Isaac Dulgarian (Featherweight)

Preliminary Card at ESPN+

• Thiago Moises vs Mitch Ramirez (Lightweight)
• Natan Levy vs Mike Davis (Lightweight)
• Josiane Nunes vs Chelsea Chandler (Women’s Bantamweight)
• Jafel Filho vs Ode’ Osbourne (Flyweight)
• Joshua Culibao vs Danny Silva (Featherweight)
• Cory McKenna vs Jaqueline Amorim (Women’s Strawweight)
• Charalampos Grigoriou vs Chad Anheliger (Bantamweight)

UFC 299: O’Malley vs Vera 2 Betting Picks and Prediction | MMA Event

UFC heads to South Beach this weekend as Miami’s Kaseya Center is set to host UFC 299 on Saturday night. The headliner will feature Sean O’Malley defending his UFC Bantamweight Championship against Marlon Vera. Vera actually won their first meeting, back at UFC 252 in 2020, via TKO in the first round. In the co-main event, Benoit Saint Denis will meet former interim UFC Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier. The main card will be available on pay per view, with the preliminary and early preliminary cards broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+. Read on for the complete fight card as well as our UFC 299 betting predictions about the top two fights.

Sean O’Malley -258 vs Marlon Vera +210

Sean O’Malley (17-1, 9-1 UFC) vs Marlon Vera (23-8-1, 15-7 UFC) is the latest step in O’Malley’s march toward long-term domination of his weight class. In his debut, he wasted a lot of energy but still beat Terrion Ware and then barely beat Andre Soukhamthath on the cards. He injured his foot in that win, though, and missing time for recovery and for drug-related suspensions, he vanished for a couple of years. During the time away, though, he developed his power punching game and beat Jose Quinonez and Eddie Wineland efficiently and ruthlessly. In his first fight against Vera, though, a kick led to a leg injury for O’Malley, and he could not fight through it and ended up getting finished. When he returned in 2021, UFC set him up with some tomato cans as a restart, but then a fight with Pedro Munhoz ended with an accidental eye poke. Next, he was matched with onetime champ Petr Yan, and he responded to the challenge by delivering some big bombs and winning on the cards. That made him a top contender, and he took the belt from Aljamain Sterling with a mammoth counter in the second round. While Merab Dvalishvili made a more logical title defense fight, the rematch with Vera has its own intrigue.

Vera lost his UFC debut to fellow Ultimate Fighter Latin America, falling easily on the cards. He built his striking game and earned his first win against Guangyou Ning. His competition improved, and so did Vera’s danger level, even if his results were uneven. He finished Brad Pickett and Brian Kelleher, but hardier athletes like Douglas Silva de Andrade and John Lineker were able to beat him. That win over O’Malley was his breakout, and then he knocked out Frankie Edgar in 2021. In that fight, he was behind on the cards before delivering the finish. Similar results against Rob Font and Dominick Cruz highlighted Vera’s reliance on landing big strikes to turn the tide in fights he was otherwise losing. If O’Malley can avoid Vera’s leg kicks this time around, he should be able to deliver enough volume to stack points.

Final Prediction: O’Malley wins via decision

Benoit Saint Denis 205 vs Dustin Poirier +170

Benoit Saint Denis (13-1, 5-1 UFC) vs Dustin Poirier (29-8, 21-7 UFC) will show us if Saint Denis is ready for legit contender status in the UFC Lightweight division. In 2021, he entered the promotion as an intriguing prospect, with more grappling prowess than striking talent. He had to move up to welterweight with little notice and got taken to the woodshed by Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. Taking a break and moving to 155 pounds were key steps, though. His grappling skills are now at UFC level, but what most observers notice is the inexorable pressure of his striking game. He excels at marching down opponents and either using a blitz approach to deliver a finish or wait for his opponent’s defenses to show a crack. He demolished Thiago Moises and Matt Frevola in violent fashion.

Poirier is on the edge of contender status, but his loss to Justin Gaethje and the difficulties of scheduling Islam Makhachev make moving up to actual contender status difficult. He has been part of UFC for 15 years and first earned his stardom with a highlight-reel fight in 2012 against The Korean Zombie. However, a knockout loss to Conor McGregor sealed his fate at 145 pounds. He moved up to lightweight and found that his power-speed combo was more effective. He did take a bad knockout from Michael Johnson but then beat Gaethje in a war. He lost title bouts to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira but did beat McGregor in back-to-back succession. His 2023 rematch with Gaethje ended in a head kick knockout for Poirier. Saint Denis is dangerous here, but in a five-round fight, cardio is key, and Saint Denis could run out of gas. In a close fight like this, I’m going with the experience and the value.

Final Prediction: Poirier wins via stoppage

UFC 299 Main Card

• Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera (UFC Bantamweight Championship)
• Dustin Poirier vs Benoit Saint Denis (Lightweight)
• Kevin Holland vs Michael Page (Welterweight)
• Gilbert Burns vs Jack Della Maddalena (Welterweight)
• Petr Yan vs Song Yadong (Bantamweight)

UFC 299 Preliminary Card (ESPN / ESPN+)

• Curtis Blaydes vs Jailton Almeida (Heavyweight)
• Katlyn Cerminara vs Maycee Barber (Women’s Flyweight)
• Mateusz Gamrot vs Rafael dos Anjos (Lightweight)
• Pedro Munhoz vs Kyler Phillips (Bantamweight)

UFC 299 Early Preliminary Card (ESPN / ESPN+)

• Ion Cutelaba vs Philipe Lins (Light Heavyweight)
• Michel Pereira vs Michal Oleksiejczuk (Middleweight)
• Robelis Despaigne vs Josh Parisian (Heavyweight)
• C.J. Vergara vs Assu Almabayev (Flyweight)
• Joanne Wood vs Maryna Moroz (Women’s Flyweight)

UFC Fight Night Betting Analysis: Moreno vs Royval 2 in UFC Mexico

UFC heads south of the border on Saturday night, as Arena CDMX in Mexico City will host UFC Fight Night 237. The main event is a rematch between former UFC Flyweight champ Brandon Moreno and one-time title challenger Brandon Royval, who held the LFA Flyweight belt before coming to UFC. Moreno won their first matchup by TKO in the first round at UFC 255 in November 2020. The co-headliner is another rematch as one-time title challenger Brian Ortega will face former interim UFC Featherweight champ Yair Rodriguez. Rodriguez won their first fight at UFC on ABC: Ortega vs Rodriguez via TKO in the first round as Ortega suffered a shoulder injury. You can catch the whole night’s action on ESPN+. We have the complete fight card for you as well as UFC betting predictions for the top two bouts.

Brandon Moreno -270 vs Brandon Royval +220

Brandon Moreno (21-7-2, 9-4-2 UFC) vs Brandon Royval (15-7, 5-3 UFC) is a rematch that was aloready trending in Moreno’s direction before Royval had to withdraw late in the first round due to injury. Moreno rode that momentum to a title bout with Deiveson Figueiredo, which turned into a highlight-reel draw. The rematch happened swiftly, leading to an historic four-championship fight series. The two passed the belt back and forth until Moreno beat Figueiredo in Brazil early in 2023. He lost his belt to Alexandre Pantoja, but if he can get the win against Royval, he will be right on the edge of the title picture again.

Royval has seen a lot of ups and downs since he met Moreno the first time. He took nine months to come back from the injury in his loss to Moreno, and Pantoja beat him easily in his return. He then worked on retooling his game, and then put together three straight wins to get a title shot against Pantoja. That streak included a win on the cards over Rogerio Bontorin, but he was so tentative that the judges almost voted against him. The next two wins, over Matt Schnell and Matheus Nicolau, were more highlight-worthy, but Royval just took advantage of Schnell’s overextension and found a crack in Nicolau’s defenses. Pantoja ended up just holding Royval in different wrestling positions, doing just enough to win on the cards. Royval has the length to take advantage of unwise aggression on Moreno’s part, but Moreno has an edge in the ground game here.

Final Prediction: Moreno wins via submission

Yair Rodriguez -166 vs Brian Ortega +140

Yair Rodriguez (19-4, 10-3 UFC) vs Brian Ortega (15-3, 7-3 UFC) is the next step in a unique progression for Ortega, who has advanced largely with his elite wrestling skills. He started his UFC career with a seven-fight winning streak but needed finishes to win all of them as he was behind on the cards in all of his fights. He earned a title challenge in 2018 against Max Holloway, and Holloway took him to the woodshed. An injury kept him out of the Octagon for two years, and when he returned, he had learned how to incorporate a striking game, which he used to stack up points and beat The Korean Zombie on the cards. He got another title fight, this time against Alexander Volkanovski, but while he was able to get the champ in a guillotine choke, Volkanovski somehow escaped and delivered a beating. Ortega then met Rodriguez, and Rodriguez was ahead on the cards before an armbar hurt Ortega’s shoulder. Nineteen months later, Ortega is back.

That win launched Rodriguez into contender status. He developed a reputation for creativity and athlieticism, but Franke Edgar put the clamps on all of that, bringing a wrestling game that ended things quickly. By 2018, it looked like Rodriguez was on the way out, but then he delivered a no-look elbow to knock out The Korean Zombie, lost to Holloway and then beat Ortega. That got him an interim title bout against Josh Emmett in early 2023, and Rodriguez dismantled Emmett. That led to a title bout against Volkanovski, which did not go well for him. Can Rodriguez avoid submission? He has the stamina to do it, and this fight takes place at elevation.

Final Prediction: Rodriguez wins via decision

UFC Fight Night Main Card at ESPN+

• Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Roybal (Flyweight)
• Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega (Featherweight)
• Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado (Lightweight)
• Raul Rosas Jr vs Ricky Turcios (Bantamweight)
• Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes (Women’s Strawweight)
• Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan (Lightweight)

UFC Fight Night Preliminary Card at ESPN+

• Christian Quinonez vs Raoni Barcelos (Bantamweight)
• Jesus Santos Aguilar vs Mateus Mendonca (Flyweight)
• Edgar Chairez vs Daniel Lacerda (Flyweight)
• Claudio Puelles vs Fares Ziam (Lightweight)
• Luis Rodriguez vs Denys Bondar (Flyweight)
• Victor Altamirano vs Felipe dos Santos (Flyweight)
• Erik Silva vs Muhammad Naimov (Featherweight)

UFC Fight Night 238: Rozenstruik vs Gaziev Fight Overview and Picks

UFC returns to Las Vegas this weekend as the UFC Apex center will host Fight Night 238, set for Saturday night. This card was originally scheduled for Saudi Arabia, but the hosting organization opted to wait for a more high-profile set of fights, so the promotion’s debut in that country will likely happen in the summer. The main event is a heavyweight tilt between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Gaziev. Vitor Petrino meets Tyson Pedro in a light heavyweight fight in the co-headliner. The whole night’s action will broadcast on ESPN+.

Read on to find the full card as well as our UFC betting predictions for the top two fights.

Betting UFC Fight Night 238: Rozenstruik vs Gaziev Fight Overview and Picks

Main Card (ESPN+)
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Shamil Gaziev (Heavyweight)
Vitor Petrino vs Tyson Pedro (Light Heavyweight)
Alex Perez vs Muhammad Mokaev (Flyweight)
Umar Nurmagomedov vs Bekzat Almakhan (Bantamweight)
Matt Schnell vs Steve Erceg (Flyweight)

Preliminary Card (ESPN+)
Eryk Anders vs Jamie Pickett (Middleweight)
Vinicius Oliveira vs Bernardo Sopaj (Bantamweight)
Aiemann Zahabi vs Javid Basharat (Bantamweight)
Christian Leroy Duncan vs Claudio Ribeiro (Middleweight)
Ludovit Klein vs AJ Cunningham (Lightweight)
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs Loik Radzhabov (Lightweight)

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (13-5, 7-5 UFC, +124) vs Shamil Gaziev (12-0, 1-0 UFC, -148) is Gaziev’s chance to get a breakout in just his second fight in the promotion. He got a convincing win in September on Dana White’s Contender Series, using a series of quick finishes that reflected his career-long trend. He has only had one fight go the distance, a split-decision win back in 2022. By the end of that fight, he looked completely drained, but his UFC debut may have done enough to allay concerns about stamina. He fought Martin Buday and delivered the second-round finish; the fact that he could finish so quickly against a heavyweight with Buday’s reputation for durability should be seen as a good sign.

Rozenstruik has become UFC’s gatekeeper to the elite in the heavyweight division. He started his own UFC ascent with four straight wins in ten months, finishing with a knockout of Alistair Overeem. He relies heavily on counters in his striking, which can lead to lengthy stretches without much action. This desire to wait for opportunities has not paid off well against the division’s top ten, as his fights at this level basically come down to whether his late gambits work or not. Gaziev is the slight favorite, but given his lack of defensive savvy, Rozenstruik should have opportunities to deliver damage, so I’m going with the slight edge in value.

Final Prediction: Rozenstruik wins via knockout

Vitor Petrino (10-0, 3-0 UFC, -298) vs Tyson Pedro (10-4, 6-4 UFC, +240) is the next step in Petrino’s potential march toward contender status. His style to this point has seen him push forward with pressure, looking for the knockout, but over the last year he has also shown the ability to take down opponents and try for the submission. In his UFC debut, he beat Anton Turkalj in a chaotic struggle that saw both of them surrender several positions in grappling and wrestling exchanges, but Petrino remains unbeaten. Can he extend that streak against Pedro?

Pedro has been part of UFC since 2016, and he used a solid clinch and wrestling game to beat Khalil Rountree and Paul Craig in succession to open his time in the promotion. The comparative lack of Australian stars led UFC to give him some opponents for whom he was not yet ready, and so Ilir Latifi, Ovince St. Preux and Mauricio Rua all taught him some lessons. He hurt his knee in the loss to Rua, and the ensuing drama led to an absence of almost four years. Since he came back, he showed an improved striking game in victories over Isaac Villanueva and Harry Hunsucker, but when Modestas Bukauskas made it past the first round, he exposed Pedro’s lack of stamina; he still has yet to win a fight that goes past the opening three minutes. His win over Turkalj in September also came quickly, but it showed that Pedro might be able to take early advantage of Petrino’s pressure. Given Petrino’s track record of success against a number of other similar fighters, though, he is the worthy favorite here.

Final Prediction: Petrino wins via stoppage

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UFC 298 Betting Analysis: Volkanovski vs Topuria Featherweight Championship | MMA Event

MMA’s premier promotion heads to Anaheim, California, this Saturday for UFC 298 at the Honda Center. In the headliner, UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski will defend his title against Ilia Topuria. The co-main event pits Robert Whittaker against Paulo Costa in a middleweight tilt. The main card will be available on pay per view, and you can watch the preliminary and early preliminary cards on ESPN+. Read on to find the full fight card and our sports betting predictions for the top two fights.

Alexander Volkanovski -118 vs Ilia Topuria -102

Alexander Volkanovski (26-3) vs Ilia Topuria (14-0) is Volkanovski’s second title fight in as many appearances as he got a last-minute shot against UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev. He didn’t do so well in that matchup and may be showing signs of age. He has spent his career overcoming low expectations, though. He came in from Australia and dismantled his early opposition, but it was his comeback win over Chad Mendes in 2018 that showed his potential as a contender. He got an even more impressive win in his next victory as he had to fight against his usual strategy and use a range striking game to stop Jose Aldo. He followed that up with a beating of Max Holloway that brought him his belt. In his defense fights, he has escaped from a guillotine choke to beat Brian Ortega, run over Chan Sung Jung, and delivered an emphatic win over Max Holloway in their trilogy fight. Can he bounce back from the struggle with Makhachev and defend his belt?

Topuria entered UFC in 2020 as a last-minte replacement; in his debut, he outwrestled Youssef Zalal, but he was really impressive in his next win, a boxing-heavy win over Damon Jackson. He almost lost to Jai Herbert when weight cut issues pushed him up to 155 pounds, but he turned the tables and delivered a mighty knockout. His later fights showed a combination of striking power and wrestling savvy, but Volkanovski is a major upgrade in terms of opponent talent. If Volkanovski is just past his prime, this could be Topuria’s fight for the taking. However, Volkanovski has struggled mentally with last-minute fights, and that could have played a role against Makhachev.

Final Prediction: Volkanovski wins via decision.

Robert Whittaker -225 vs Paulo Costa +185

Robert Whittaker (24-7) vs Paulo Costa (14-2) brings us an all-time fighter in Whittaker, who really started to take off after moving up from welterweight. The change brought him an advantage in terms of cardio and striking speed. He earned contender status by beating Derek Brunson 2016, and his wrestling skill in his win over Jacare Souza really set him apart. He beat Yoel Romero to grab the interim title. After that, though, his title unification fight never came, and then major injuries pushed off title defenses against Kelvin Gastelum and Luke Rockhold. When he finally got to defend his belt, Israel Adesanya knocked him out in the second round. A loss to Dricus du Plessis has complicated Whittaker’s path to a belt, but beating Costa is the next step.

Costa entered UFC full of muscle and ready to establish himself as a power puncher. He got a title shot when he beat Romero on the cards, marching after him and winning with strikes. Since then, he has only fought three times in the last four and a half years; in his title shot against Adesanya, he took a second-round knockout and blamed the outcome on a wine hangover. He lost at 205 pounds to Marvin Vettori but at least looked better with his power, even if his cardio was off. It was another year before he would fight again, this time against Luke Rockhold. Given his cardio issues in recent years, it’s hard to see Costa stopping Whittaker.

Final Prediction: Whittaker wins via decision

UFC 298 Main Card (Pay Per View)

• Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria (UFC Featherweight Championship)
• Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa (Middleweight)
• Geoff Neal vs Ian Machado Garry (Welterweight)
• Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo (Bantamweight)
• Anthony Hernandez vs Roman Kopylov (Middleweight)

UFC 298 Preliminary Card (ESPN / ESPN+)

• Amanda Lemos vs Mackenzie Dern (Women’s Strawweight)
• Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs Justin Tafa (Heavyweight)
• Rinya Nakamura vs Carlos Vera (Bantamweight)
• Zhang Mingyang vs Brendson Ribeiro (Light Heavyweight)

UFC 298 Early Preliminary Card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)

• Josh Quinlan vs Danny Barlow (Welterweight)
• Oban Elliott vs Val Woodburn (Welterweight)
• Andrea Lee vs Miranda Maverick (Women’s Flyweight)

UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer Betting Picks and Prediction | MMA Event

UFC will return to the Las Vegas area for Fight Night 236, with Jack Hermansson and Joe Pyfer squaring off in the main event. The co-headliner is a featherweight showdown between Dan Ige and Andre Fili. The event is set for the UFC Apex facility, and you can catch all of the action on ESPN+. Read on to get the full fight card as well as our UFC betting predictions on the top two fights.

Jack Hermansson +200 vs Joseph Pyfer -245

Hermansson (23-8, 10-6) vs Pyfer (12-2, 3-0) is Pyfer’s shot at moving from a prospect to a possible contender. He needed two stints on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a UFC contract, and once he finally figured out his technique, he has impressed observers with his clean technique. His frame is sizable, and he brings big bombs, which helped him knock out Alen Amedovski and Gerald Meerschaert quickly. He used a solid grappling and wrestling game to submit Abdul Razak Alhassan in the second round. This combination of power and technique will cause problems for others in the middleweights as well. But is he ready for Jack Hermansson?

Hermansson has long been left on the outside of the circle of middleweight contenders. When he joined UFC, he had an effective striking game that could veer off into awkwardness at the wrong time. He changed his approach to ground-and-pound in 2017, and while it took a while to work, in 2019 he needed less than a minute to tap David Branch. He followed that up with his first main event win in UFC, stopping Ronaldo Souza. However, Jared Cannonier beat him in Copenhagen, and Hermansson has spent his time since then alternating victories and defeats for four years. He has a hard time with opponents who bring consistency and strength. However, when he can deliver a blow that opens things wide open, Hermansson can win in highlight-reel fashion, as we saw when he submitted Kelvin Gastelum and used his reach to demolish Chris Curtis. Pyfer might not be able to track Hermansson down, but he could find an opening and wind things up with a finish.

Final Prediction: Pyfer wins via submission

Dan Ige -175 vs Andre Fili +145

Ige (17-7, 9-6 UFC, -175) vs Fili (23-10, 11-9 UFC, +145) is a last-second booking between two veterans who can stack up highlights. Ige has never made it into the top ten of a talented UFC featherweight group, but he has overcome a shaky start in UFC. He lost is debut to Julio Arce but then finished Mike Santiago and Danny Henry before beating Edson Barboza on the cards. He got his first main event fight against Calvin Kattar, who showed some cracks in Ige’s defenses. He has a stocky build which keeps him from doing much damage from range, and he has lost five of his last eight – all against past and future contenders and some involving iffy decisions on the cards.

Fili entered UFC back in 2013 as a hyped prospect, but he took on Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez and Calvin Kattar to start his career, and things didn’t go well. Since then, he has worked his way to a solid technique, with nice striking and unexpected wrestling quality. He did get beaten by such elite athletes as Joanderson Brito, and this fight seems to show that Ige has an edge in striking power, which he should be able to use to exploit an opening.

Final Prediction: Ige wins via knockout

UFC Fight Night Main Card

• ESPN+ at 04:00 PM ET
• Jack Hermansson vs Joe Pyfer (Middleweight)
• Dan Ige vs Andre Fili (Featherweight)
• Robert Bryczek vs Ihor Potieria (Middleweight)
• Brad Tavares vs Gregory Rodrigues
• Michael Johnson vs Darrius Flowers (Lightweight)
• Rodolfo Vieira vs Armen Petrosyan (Middleweight)

UFC Fight Night Preliminary Card

• ESPN+ at 04:00 PM ET
• Trevin Giles vs Carlos Prates (Welterweight)
• Bolaji Oki vs Timothy Cuamba (Lightweight)
• Loma Lookboonmee vs Bruna Brasil (Women’s Strawweight)
• Devin Clark vs Marcin Prachnio (Light Heavyweight)
• Max Griffin vs Jeremiah Wells (Welterweight)
• Zac Pauga vs Bogdan Guskov (Light Heavyweight)
• Fernie Garcia vs Hyder Amil (Featherweight)
• Daniel Marcos vs Aori Qileng (Bantamweight)

UFC 297 Betting Analysis: Strickland vs du Plessis

For the first time since December 2018, UFC returns to Toronto on Saturday night, with UFC 297 set for Scotiabank Arena. The headliner is a tilt for the UFC Middleweight belt as Sean Strickland will defend his belt against onetime KSW Welterweight champ Dricus du Plessis. The co-main event is also a title bout as former UFC Women’s Bantamweight challenger Raquel Pennington will square off with Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant title. We have the Main card for this event as well as sports betting picks for the two title matchups.

Sean Strickland -115 vs Dricus du Plessis -105
UFC Middleweight Championship

Sean Strickland (28-5, 15-5 UFC, -135) vs Dricus du Plessis (20-2, 6-0 UFC, +114) is a championship bout that seemed impossible in 2022. Strickland had had to go up to 185 pounds in 2020; after that, he had developed a reputation for bringing pressure and volume, but his upright fighting stance made him a sitting duck for big bombs. He got knocked out by Alex Pereira and lost to Jared Cannonier on the cards. However, in 2023, he beat Nassourdine Imavov to start the year and then easily took down Abusupiyan Magomedov in a last-minute headliner. When UFC needed someone to fight Israel Adesanya in Australia, Strickland was the only fighter on the roster really available, and the upset was shockingly easy on the cards as Adesanya refused to bring pressure and move things forward.

Du Plessis is another surprise contender in his own right. He brings power but, at least at first, had no strategy. He was able to beat Darren Till and Derek Brunson with that power, but when he took down the division’s #2, Robert Whittaker, then his contender status became serious. Du Plessis was actually supposed to fight Adesanya in Australia, but an injury kept him off the card. Both fighters have flaws; Strickland has pressure without meaningful defense, while du Plessis simply has no technique. For Strickland to win, the fight needs to go safely, but du Plessis brings enough chaos to deliver the upset.

Final Prediction: du Plessis wins via knockout

Raquel Pennington +140 vs Mayra Bueno Silva -160
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

Raquel Pennington (15-8, 12-5 UFC, +142) vs Mayra Bueno Silva (10-2-1, 5-2-1 UFC, -170) will yield the first new bantamweight champion for UFC since Amanda Nunes retired. Pennington has been part of UFC since 2013; she took some tough losses against Jessica Andrade and Holly Holm in the early going, but a four-fight winning streak that included a win over one-time champ Miesha Tate earned her a title shot. An ATV accident knocked hero out of commission for 18 months, but the shot was still there in 2018 when she returned. The beating she took from Nunes was hard to watch, since 2019, she has gotten herself back up and running, with sound technique giving her big wins – and she brings a five-bout winning streak into the Octagon.

Bueno Silva started as a flyweight, and she established a reputation for a ferocious grappling game. She picked up some impressive early submissions, but her striking game was not intimidating, and fighters who figured out how to keep things upright would beat her. She figured out how to solve that problem against Holly Holm, using a standing choke at the start of the second round to turn the fight in her direction. She is the better finisher in this bout, and she might be able to bring enough pressure to win on the cards as well. Pennington is better in terms of cardio, but Bueno Silva has more dangerous options at her disposal.

Final Prediction: Bueno Silva wins via stoppage

UFC 297 Preliminary Card

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Brad Katona vs Garrett Armfield (Bantamweight)
Charles Jourdain vs Sean Woodson (Featherweight)
Serhiy Sidey vs Ramon Taveras (Catchweight – 139.75 lbs)
Gillian Robertson vs Polyana Viana (Women’s Strawweight)

UFC 297 Early Preliminary Card

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Yohan Lainesse vs Sam Patterson (Welterweight)
Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Priscila Cachoeira (Women’s Bantamweight)
Malcolm Gordon vs Jimmy Flick (Catchweight – 127.5 lbs)