The UFC prepares for International Fight Week with its biggest card of the year taking place in the city of Las Vegas. UFC  276 is highlighted by one of the most exciting fighters on the planet, this card is far from disappointing, and is filled with a ton of exciting prospects, along with a stellar main card. The prelims, which will air on ABC, could easily fill the main card of a UFC Fight Night. Dricus Du Plessis is one of the more exciting prospects in the middleweight division and his fight against Brad Tavares is an exciting start to the prelims. Ian Garry has already been deemed the next Conor McGregor, and a win against Gabe Green would be a huge boost to his resume. Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller are both legends far beyond the promotion. Finally, Brad Riddell and Jalen Turner is an excellent prelims headliner, with both fighters looking to crack the UFC rankings. Not to mention, well-known fighters, Uriah Hall and Andre Muniz headline the early prelims as well . Nonetheless, let’s break down the main card predictions.

Previous Prediction Record: 43-27

PEDRO MUNHOZ VS. SEAN O’MALLEY

Sean O’Malley brings a new wave of entertainment to the entire promotion with the crazy hair colors and an unorthodox fighting style. The “Unranked Champ” has completely slashed through every opponent since his injury loss to Marlon Vera. His length has given him a massive advantage in both boxing and kickboxing. Not to mention that he has a very underrated jujitsu game that he has yet to utilize because of his dominant striking. He faces Pedro Munhoz, an experienced veteran holding a ranked spot for multiple years now. However, Munhoz is 1-4 in his last five fights, only with a win over Jimmie Rivera who isn’t with the promotion anymore. This could be seen as a fight for a spot bout for Munhoz. But it’s hard to see him winning without some dominant jujitsu. O’Malley will likely overwhelm him with his striking and hopefully, can be taken as a serious fighter in one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC.

Official Prediction: O’Malley by KO/TKO

ROBBIE LAWLER VS. BRYAN BARBERENA

Two of the best scrappers in the welterweight division, the Robbie Lawler vs. Bryan Barberena match should be an all-out brawl. Lawler, a former contender, has continued to fight the best of the best in the division. He is recently coming off of a weird win against Nick Diaz that might have added a little heat to his name. But nonetheless, Lawler is a brawler in this game and goes the depths with anyone he’s asked to fight. The same can go for Barberena, who is coming off of back-to-back wins against Matt Brown and Darian Weeks. He has the nickname “Bam Bam” for a reason. He is willing to walk through heaven and hell to earn a victory. His striking defense is also a bit crisper than Lawler’s, which could be vital. Barberena looks to be more on a roll, plus his age definitely plays as an advantage for him in a style of fight where both guys are going to be taking a lot of punches. Realistically, I imagine him coming out of this fight victorious.

Official Prediction: Barberena by KO/TKO

SEAN STRICKLAND VS. ALEX PEREIRA

Since moving up to the middleweight division, Sean Strickland, has been on an absolute tear and will put himself on the map as a legitimate title contender if he’s able to win this fight. His domination against Uriah Hall and Krzysztof Jotko showed his ceiling, while the brawl he went through against Jack Harmanson showed the lengths he’s willing to go to for a win. Strickland now faces his toughest opponent yet in Alex Pereira, who has otherworldly kickboxing skills. Known for beating Adesanya twice in another promotion, Pereira comes in with a ton of hype as the guy who could possibly dethrone The Last Stylebender at 185 pounds division. But as always, it’s important to focus on the fight in front of him. Pereira lacks a legitimate wrestling game and it showed early in recent bouts, but he was still able to earn wins with his striking. This becomes a more complicated situation with Strickland, who has a decent enough wrestling game to win the fight. He’ll have to take the fight to the ground, even though he hasn’t shown a lot of it in his fights at middleweight. If Strickland is able to keep Pereira’s kickboxing at bay, and use some of his wrestling techniques, this should be a steady decision win for Tarzan.

Official Prediction: Strickland by Unanimous Decision

ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI VS. MAX HOLLOWAY

Despite Alexander Volkanovski winning the first two fights against Max Holloway, a trilogy became almost inevitable when Holloway showed dominance against Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez over the last year and a half. Now after dealing with injuries, the time has finally come for Holloway to earn his revenge. But in all honesty, he shouldn’t have to. Halloway won the second fight and I believe that poor judging changed the course of his division. Holloway was able to knock him down twice and stay consistent for the remainder of the fight, while Volkanovski became impatient and desperate for hits. Holloway definitely needs to improve on his wrestling defense if he wants any chance of earning the belt back, because Volkanovski has only displayed improved wrestling in his recent defenses. On the other hand, Volkanovski is one of the most complete fighters in the division. His brilliant game plan against Brian Ortega turned heads, and many believe that he’s destined to be the champion. Volkanovski followed that up with a steamroll against the Korean Zombie. At 30 years old, I believe Holloway has yet to show us his true prime despite the run he had years ago in the division. Some may see another robbery at hand, but I see Holloway narrowly winning the trilogy and potentially solidifying himself as the best featherweight of all time.

Official Prediction: Holloway by Split Decision

ISRAEL ADESANYA VS. JARED CANNONIER

One of the best pound-for-pound fighters currently part of the promotion, Israel Adesanya, comes in as a heavyweight for his fifth title fight against Jared Cannonier. Adesanya is coming off of a stellar performance against Robert Whittaker, where some of his best skills were on display. Adesanya demonstrated accurate striking and his ability to hide his kicks and punches is spectacular. I could see this fight following a similar direction as his technique has proved more than successful to this point. Only Jan Blachowicz in a different weight class has been able to exploit his flaws. He’s only separated himself from the rest of the contenders in this division with his recent title defenses. Cannonier does pack a lot of power in his hands, as he displayed that in his win against Derek Brunson. That could be one aspect that leads to a new champion. Cannonier even showed some wrestlingskill, but I can’t imagine that’ll be a factor in this bout. His best chance may be by luck with a knockdown or two to catch Adesany off guard. But The Last Stylebender has been all too perfect with his defense in recent fights, and I don’t see this fight being very close at all. It may be time for the UFC to start exploring bigger fights outside of the division for Adesanya, because Robert Whittaker has been the only challenger to give Adesanya even a little bit of trouble during his title reign.

Official Prediction: Adesanya by KO/TKO

The UFC takes their first overseas event as they kick off the summer months with a pay-per-view event in Kallang, Singapore headlined by two title fights and a highly anticipated rematch between two of the most competitive women’s strawweight fighters. As always, the prelims are filled with a ton of exciting prospects. SeungWoo Choi and Josh Culibo are two of the better prospects in the featherweight division. Brandon Allen is an exciting veteran who always brings finishes to his matches. Andre Fialho is fighting his fourth fight with the promotion in the year. The matchup between Maheshate Maheshate and Steve Garcia should also bring a ton of action. As always, let’s break down the main card predictions.

Previous Prediction Record: 40-26

JACK DELLA MADDALENA VS. RAMAZAN EMEEV

After an exciting debut with the promotion in January, where he knocked out Pete Rodriguez, Jack Della Maddalena puts his name on the map for the welterweight division. He’s been on an 11fight win streak since losing his first two professional bouts in 2016. Della Maddalena packs a ton of power in his hands, as all but two of his wins have come by KO/TKO. But he faces a big challenge against Ramazan Emeev, who is mainly known for his wrestling and jujitsu. Emeev currently holds seven submissions to his name but hasn’t achieved one since 2016 with the M-1 Challenge promotion. In fact, every fight since then has gone to some form of a decision. But Emeev is coming off of a close loss against Danny Roberts, where Emeev struggles to earn takedowns and was forced to stay on his feet. As long as Della Maddalena can do the same,I imagine he earns another finish to his name with his elite striking.

Official Prediction: Della Maddalena by KO/TKO

ROGERIO BONTORIN VS. MANEL KAPE

Two of the better flyweight prospects the promotion has to offer, the winner between Manel Kape and Rogerio Bontorin could be set up for a title contention next. After coming into the UFC in 2019 after domination in Rizin FF, Manel Kape had a ton of hype but failed to turn it into winning production. He would lose his first two fights against Alexandre Pantoja and Matheus Nicolau and all seemed confused for Kape. But back-to-back first-round knockouts have set Kape back on the track he originally started and now has a chance to put himself in the title picture. His well-roundness has made him difficult for opponents to control. He’s always been a submission threat but the power is legit. On the other hand, Bontorin has some slickness of his own, having 11 submissions to his name. But he has been on a slump, having three losses and a draw in his last four fights. He is most recently coming off of a split decision loss to Brandon Royval. I can’t imagine Bontorin having the capability to stop the hype of Kape right now. This should be a clean finishing victory for Kape.

Official Prediction: Kape by KO/TKO

ZHANG WEILI VS. JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK

After one of the most exciting fights from 2020, the rematch between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk is finally here. While Zhang had a two-match duel with Rose Namajunis, Jedrzejczyk had not fought since the first fight. After being knocked out in her first matchup against Namajunis, Zhang ended up losing a close split decision in the rematch. But her preparation and game plan could have certainly won her the fight. Jedrzejczyk on the other hand has openly expressed her interest elsewhere in MMA. Similar to the McGregor approach, the former strawweight champion doesn’t seem to have the same interest in fighting as opposed to fighting big matchups for money. Her inactivity could also prove to be an issue in the octagon. Nonetheless, this should be an exciting fight with a ton of activity, but I believe the odds are closer than they should be.

Official Prediction: Zhang by KO/TKO

VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO VS. TAILA SANTOS

Valentina Shevchenko has been one of the most dominant champions in the promotion across the board. She hardly ever lets up any room for her opponents to implement their game plan against her. Her well-roundedness as a fighter makes her almost impossible to handle because of her ability to bring the heat from every aspect of her game. Her win against Jessica Andrade was filled with wrestling and ground and pound before leading to a finish. But her win against Lauren Murphy involved a lot of stand-up and technical striking. Taila Santos on the other side may be her toughest challenge since Amanda Nunes. Santos is coming off of a submission win against Joanne Wood and a four-fight win streak. Her power is immaculate and could easily bring a finish if she lands a combination. But even if Santos is one of the best in the division, Shevchenko is still miles ahead of her, I don’t imagine this fight gets close without some luck from the Santos corner.

Official Prediction: Shevchenko by Unanimous Decision

GLOVER TEIXEIRA VS. JIRI PROCHAZKA

This is easily one of the toughest title fights to predict this year. The challenger, Jiri Prochazka, has only fought twice in the UFC but has been absolutely devastating. He holds 25 knockouts to his 28 wins, including two against Volken Oezdimir and a ridiculous backward spinning elbow against Dominick Reyes. He’s about as reckless as can be, but he’s been perfect in his fights thus far. He has the highest significant strikes landed per minute amongst all active in the division. He’s been completely overwhelming for anyone who crosses his path. But Glover Teixeira has been one of the best comeback stories in the entire promotion. Since his loss to Corey Anderson in 2018, Teixeira has been undefeated. He recently won the belt with a submission victory to become the oldest fighter to earn a belt in promotion history. He’s never been one to count out despite his age and older fighting style. While Prochazka is the big bad wolf who can run the division for years to come, I think it’s not his time to do so. Glover has always been one to pull something out of his sleeve, especially in the wrestling department. If he can avoid Prochazka’s pressure and force him to bite, it could be over from there. While it’ll be extremely close, I think Teixeirawill continue his championship run and earn another defense against an up-and-coming light heavyweight.

Official Prediction: Teixeira by Submission

For UFC 274 we are heading to the ever-growing city of Phoenix, Arizona where last minute changes have led to a vacant title fight against two of the best in the lightweight division. The co-main event is just as electric, and a possible rematch for the ages as a fellow champion looks to establish her legacy as one of the new belt-holders.

UFC 274 is filled with a lot of MMA legends competing in likely the final matches of their career. Of course, the undercard always fills out as well. Randy Brown vs. Khaos Williams should be a thrilling bout between two of the best prospects at welterweight. Andre Fialho will have another chance to build hype to his name against Cameron VanCamp. The flyweight division will look to add another legitimate contender from the winner of Brandon Royval and Matt Schnell. Danny Roberts vs. Francisco Trinaldo is another rousing clash between two welterweight prospects. Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marco Rogerio de Lima and Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont are also two compelling bouts that could easily bring flashing finishes.

As always, let’s break down predictions for the main card.

Previous Prediction Record: 38-24

JOE LAUZON VS. DONALD CERRONE

While Donald Cerrone will very likely be a UFC Hall of Famer when his career finally concludes, he has yet to win a fight since 2019. He’s been a stand-up guy by taking on the best of the best and never turning down a match, but it is clear that the end is near and it would be best for him to end on a high note. At 37, the same can be said for Joe Lauzon. After a first-round knockout against Jonathan Pearce in 2019, he hasn’t fought since. Cerrone has been knocked out three times in his last five fights, all within the first round as well. With Lauzon taking almost three years off could be an advantage for him, considering Cerrone fights multiple times a year and continues to take damage. Cerrone’s submission game has been the hallmark of his career, but it’ll be the hands that showcase once again as Lauzon will earn back-to-back finishes despite the time off.

Official Prediction: Lauzon by KO/TKO

MAURICIO RUA VS. OVINCE SAINT PREUX

Two more legends face off in UFC 274, as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, returns after a two-year layoff to continue his lustrous career against Ovince Saint Preux. Shogun, a masterclass fighter during his time with PRIDE, was once one of the best heavyweights on the planet. Even at 40-years-old, he hasn’t completely lost his step. In July of 2020, he earned a convincing win in a rematch against Rogerio Nogueira. But a brutal loss against Paul Craig is where stands now. Saint Preux, on the other hand, has been a bit more active during his time with the promotion, but has back-to-back losses against Jamahal Hill and Tanner Boser. OSP brings a significant reach advantage to this matchup, partnering that with his great striking could prove problamatic for Shogun. If Shogun can keep the fight on the ground with his proven wrestling skills, this could lead to a very easy win. Although, I’d imagine the match ending differently, in favor of OSP and tallying another finish to the Haitian legend.

Official Prediction: Saint Pruex by KO/TKO

TONY FERGUSON VS. MICHAEL CHANDLER

Since his interim title fight loss to Justin Gaethje in spring 2020, Tony Ferguson, has struggled to retain his footing since his 12-fight win streak. Ferguson was utterly dominated by Charles Oliveira and Beniel Dariush, and has yet to notch a single win in his last 11 rounds of MMA. Chandler is a former champion with the Bellator MMA promotion, and was quick to earn a title shot after knocking out Dan Hooker in his debut. Chandler came in as a credentialed wrestler with a lot of power in his hands, yet he was unable to achieve gold, and lost a scrapper against Justin Gaethje. Without knowing where Ferguson physically is at this point in his career, it’s easy to assume Chandler should win this fight. It’ll be tough for Ferguson to pull out the victory, but is best bet is to keep his distance and use length to his advantage, and avoid Chandler’s power.

Official Prediction: Chandler by Unanimous Decision

ROSE NAMAJUNAS VS. CARLA ESPARZA

Nearly eight years ago, Carla Esparza, put up an incredible performance to win The Ultimate Fighter Season 20 Finale against Rose Namajunas. Now, they face-off again in much different positions, as much different fighters. Namajunas recently completed a phenomenal two-fight performance against Zhang Weili, proving that the first wasn’t a lucky finish and that she can compete with and beat the best of the best. Namajunas’ striking is considered to be some of the best in women’s MMA, and her submissions are where she’s earned some of her best finishes to date. On the other hand, Esparza has been on an absolute tear for the last four years. Her cardio has proved tremendous as four of her last five wins have been via decision. To top it off, she finished Yan Xiaonan in May. She’s as well-rounded as one could be. This is easily one of the closest matchups on the entire card, but I think it’s the champion that prevails in the end. Her mindset in rematches is unbeatable, as she could go 4-0 with a win against Esparza. Namajunas will cement her legacy as an established champion with only more to come in the future.

Official Prediction: Namajunas by Unanimous Decision

CHARLES OLIVEIRA VS. JUSTIN GAETHJE

Now with a vacant title on the line after Charles Oliveira missed the UFC 274 championship weight by half a pound, the landscape of this fight completely changes. Oliveira finished his last two title fights in dramatic fashion, his next  against Justin Gaethje could almost certainly be as well. But Gaethje is no joke, outside of his fight against now UFC Hall of Famer, Khabib Nurmagomedov, he’s been almost perfect since late 2018. Four of his last five wins have been knockouts with three coming in the first round. He’s earned 19 knockouts to his 23 MMA wins. His wrestling has only improved which could prove vital in this fight. His weakness has been against grapplers, as it looked almost effortless for Nurmagomedov to submit Gaethje in the second round . Oliveira has his weaknesses as well. He’s been very vulnerable to elite strikers in the past, almost getting finished against Chandler and Dustin Poirier. But his magic has worked before and I would expect the same here. Oliveira’s grappling could be overwhelming for Gaethje. But with Oliveira’s mindset now in a completely different place, and Gaethje being coached by one of the best in Trevor Wittman, it becomes Gaethje’s belt to lose at this point. Heavy hands should prove to be too much for Oliveira to keep the title vacant. I’m expecting the landscape for the division to look different after Gaethje becomes champion.

Official Prediction: Gaethje by KO/TKO

The UFC returns with another stacked pay-per-view card down in Jacksonville, Florida at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Stadium, the same stadium where nearly a year ago the promotion held its first event with fans since the start of the pandemic. The card for UFC 273 is headlined by two exciting title fights and an additional bout including one of the most exciting prospects in the entire promotion against a former title challenger coming off of a dominant win. As always, the undercard is filled with talented prospects looking to raise their rankings in hopes of cracking the top 15 in their respective divisions. The prelims kick off with a stellar welterweight bout between Mickey Gall and Mike Malott. Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Marcin Tybura should bring the heat in their heavyweight bout that should produce another top contender. Ian Garry, deemed the next Conor McGregor, gets his second UFC bout against Darian Weeks. As always, let’s break down the main card predictions.

Previous Prediction Record: 35-22

VINC PICHEL VS. MARK O. MADSEN

Mark O. Madsen has used his decorated wrestling credentials to pound through his first three fights in the UFC. The Olympic silver medalist came off a close split decision win against the legendary Clay Guida in August. Guida was able to eliminate Madsen’s wrestling threat but was unable to control the lethal body strikes that carried Madsen to victory. Vinc Pichel on the other hand is a much more decorated striker than Madsen. Pichel is looking to be more active after winning three straight fights in the last three years. He’s handled wrestlers like Austin Hubbard with ease and even has a decent offensive wrestling game himself. If Pichel is able to keep Madsen at distance and use his length to his advantage, I would imagine a tough evening for Madsen as he fights to keep his undefeated streak alive.

Official Prediction: Pichel by KO/TKO

MACKENZIE DERN VS. TECIA TORRES

Mackenzie Dern was on a ridiculous tear through the strawweight division before meeting Maria Rodriguez and was unable to implement her own game plan. Despite that, Dern’s run says a lot about what she can do to the rest of the women in her division when on point. She finished three of her four last wins with first-round submissions. Her striking lacks greatly but her jujitsu has made up for it. She’s matched up with another striker in Tecia Torres. However, the big difference between her former opponent, Maria Rodriguez, and Tecia Torres is power, by a significant margin. Torres only has only TKO to her name compared to Rodriguez’s six. Torres does have some solid volume numbers to her name but I can’t imagine this would be much of a concern for Dern once she’s able to get the fight to the ground where she’ll likely dominate.

Official Prediction: Dern by Submission

GILBERT BURNS VS. KHAMZAT CHIMAEV

Khamzat Chimaev has been one of the UFC’s most exciting prospects since McGregor was on his rise. Even after dealing with what was described as a nasty battle with COVID-19, Chimaev still looked perfect in his last fight against Li Jingliang, which ended in a first-round submission. In fact, Chimaev has been almost perfect in all of his bouts in the UFC. He’s had more UFC fights than significant strikes taken, which is absolutely wild to wrap your head around. All of his fights have ended with finishes in the first two rounds, including a 17-second knockout of Gerald Meerschaert. While Gilbert Burns still looks to be in his prime as a fighter, I think Chimaev is too much of an all-around combatant for Burns to manage. Even though I do believe that the odds for this fight are disrespectful towards Burns. He’ll have to improvise outside of his standard gameplay to pull off a sneaky submission if he stands a chance to win. However, Chimaev’s style of offensive wrestling may simply be too much for Burns to have opportunities. Chimaev will likely be fighting for the belt after this expected win.

Official Prediction: Chimaev by Unanimous Decision

ALJAMAIN STERLING VS. PETR YAN

It took thirteen months for the highly anticipated rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan has come to fruition. While Sterling was recovering from neck surgery, Yan claimed the interim belt against Cory Sandhagen in an all-out brawl that showed Yan has a massive chip on his shoulder to earn back what’s his. Especially considering that Yan was winning the first fight and had all the momentum, all the pressure is on him to perform on Saturday’s UFC 273. Even when Sterling was throwing awkward kicks and hooks, Yan barely bit and technically picked Sterling apart once his tank ran out. I can’t expect much to change unless Sterling can pull something out of his back pocket and pull off a quick submission. Sterling stands little chance to be able to outpace Yan so he’ll have to find a finish if he wants any chance to pull the upset. It’s hard to see Sterling winning this fight and a potential finish would only be the cherry on top for Yan’s continued dominant run in the UFC.

Official Prediction: Yan by KO/TKO

ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI VS. CHAN SUNG JUNG

Aspiring to become more of a consistent fighter, Alexander Volkanovski looks to defend his title for the second time within a year. While Max Holloway was originally scheduled to earn his belt back, the popular Chan Sung Jung, AKA “Korean Zombie”, stepped in for one last title shot. Coming off a dominant victory against Dan Ige, Korean Zombie has a high mountain to climb after Volkanovski’s last title defense. Volkanovski was forced to the trenches against Brian Ortega, even describing how he saw the lights dim in a nasty choke. But his resilience carried his way to another victory. I don’t see him facing any problems against KZ with his elite-level striking and phenomenal wrestling skills. KZ’s best chance is to pull a historic upset is to bring some surprise submissions that may catch Volkanovski by surprise. But even in Ortega’s best efforts to do the same, “The Great” still prevailed. I expect the trilogy between Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski to be booked for early fall when they can finally settle the controversy from the second fight.

Official Prediction: Volkanovski by Unanimous Decision

UFC returns to the familiar city of Las Vegas to settle some bad blood between two former American Top Team teammates in Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. The two combatants will get to settle their hatred for each other in a five-round main event. While this is the first pay-per-view card that doesn’t feature a belt or Conor McGregor in a very long time, this is not a card to overlook.

A lot of quality prospects will have their chance to raise their stock to hopefully get a crack at the rankings. Mariya Agapova, Umar Nurmagovedov, Devonta Smith, Nicolae Negumereanu, Kennedy Nzechukwu, and Jalin Turner are some of the more recognizable names scattered across the prelims.

Let’s dive right into the predictions of what should be another exciting main card.

Previous Prediction Record: 32-20

SERGEY SPIVAK VS. GREG HARDY

Former NFL star, Greg Hardy, was once poised to be a top prospect in the heavyweight division. But after being knocked out in his last two fights against Marcin Tybura and Tai Tuivasa while becoming the first fighter to ever miss the heavyweight weight limit, Hardy has lost some of his spotlight. His opponent, Sergey Spivak, is coming off of a loss to Tom Aspinall, but has ripped off key wins against Alexey Oleynik, Jared Vanderaa, and Carlos Felipe. His mixture of strong wrestling and power striking has given him a myriad of finishes throughout his career. Unless Hardy shows great improvement in his overall wrestling defense, I expect that to be his Spivak’s primary formula to secure the win and have him back on track moving up the heavyweight rankings.

Official Prediction: Spivak by Submission

KEVIN HOLLAND VS. ALEX OLIVEIRA

After going 5-0 in 2020, Kevin Holland’s wrestling defensive flaws were exposed by dropping his last two main event bouts to Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori in 2021. Holland followed those fights with a no-contest against Kyle Daukaus after an accidental clash of heads.  A new year comes with a new change for Holland as he finally moves down weight classes to 170 pounds after teasing the idea for months. His 170 pound debut comes against veteran Alex Oliveira, an experienced wrestler who is currently on a three-fight losing streak. Holland’s frame and length proved to be a massive advantage at middleweight and that should only be a bigger advantage at a lighter weight class. Assuming he’s improved his take-down defense during training sessions leading up to the bout, Kevin Holland should have a pretty convincing win and put the rest of the class on notice.

Official Prediction: Holland by KO/TKO

EDSON BARBOZA VS. BRYCE MITCHELL

Season 27 winner of The Ultimate Fighter, Bryce Mitchell, returns after a 17-month layoff to square off against veteran Edson Barboza. A slick submission specialist, Mitchell AKA “Thug Nasty,” is riding a five-fight winning streak including four decision wins, proving his durability and cardio to endure multiple rounds. Approximately 45 percent of his time inside of the octagon has been spent on the ground, a level that only fighters such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev have met. His formula to win is ground and pound with an eventual submission. But his main concern should be Barboza’s hands as he is the clear favorite in the striking department. Barboza also hasn’t been submitted since 2015 by Tony Ferguson, so Mitchell has a tall mountain to climb. I think it will be a tough task considering the layoff too. I expect Barboza to bank another win against a young up-and-comer and hold his ranking.

Official Prediction: Barboza by Unanimous Decision

RAFAEL DOS ANJOS VS. RENATO MOICANO

After Rafael Fizev had to pull out due to a positive COVID-19 test, Renato Moicano joined the card on 10 days notice and the fight has been moved up to 160 lb catchweight. Moicano is coming off a submission win against Alexander Hernandez in February at UFC 271. He now faces former lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos, who is fighting his second bout since moving back down from 170. He showcased a dominant win against Paul Felder, but that was 16 months ago and injuries have delayed his return to the octagon. Grappling will take center stage in this matchup as both fighters combine for 19 submission finishes. I do think Moicano’s best strategy is to avoid groundwork as he did not have a full camp coming into this fight. Moicano has a chance to win in the stand-up, but I think it’s a tough task to pull off an upset against a former champ who is back in his natural weight class and hungry to get back to fighting.

Official Prediction: dos Anjos by Unanimous Decision

COLBY COVINGTON VS. JORGE MASVIDAL

Entering his 51st professional bout, Jorge Masvidal, is known as the guy who can pull off sneaky victories where he isn’t favored. His flying knee knockout of Ben Askren will go down as one of the best finishes of all time. Wins over Darren Till and Nate Diaz show his grit and toughness in situations where he’s labeled as the underdog. Covington has to make this a wrestling match to have any chance of winning. Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal is a huge challenge stand-up-wise because of his dynamic style with a lot of kick and knee movement. Recent back-to-back losses against Kamaru Usman have to spark some fire for Masvidal to improve his wrestling defense. I think if the bad blood is real between the two, the big brother effect will play at large too. As Masvidal has stated that he provided a lot for Covington upon entering the MMA scene. I think Gamebred shows off for the fans and adds another exciting finish to his resume of knockouts.

Official Prediction: Masvidal by KO/TKO