The UFC returns to the Apex facility in Las Vegas for Fight Night this Saturday, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to offer predictions for all ten fights.
UFC Fight Night Preview: Marcin Tybura vs. Serghei Spivac 2
Marcin Tybura vs Sergei Spivac 2
This heavyweight rematch didn’t exactly excite fans when it was announced, but given their respective rankings and performances since their first meeting in 2020, the fight makes sense. Tybura was never really in contention for the heavyweight title, but has only lost to Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall since his first fight with Spivac, and I expect the Polish fighter to defeat “Polar Bear” again and earn himself a chance to break into the top five of the division.
(Selection: Tybura)
Chepe Mariscal vs Damon Jackson
This fight was already one of the more interesting on the card, being declared the co-main event after Javid Basharat pulled out of his fight against Chris Gutierrez. Jackson has been consistently underestimated during his second UFC appearance, and while he’s perfectly capable of pulling off an upset here, Mariscal has looked impressive during his current six-fight winning streak.
(Selection: Mariscal)
Danny Barlow vs Nikolay Veretennikov
Barlow welcomes Veretennikov to the UFC after he was previously scheduled to face promotional veteran Uroš Medić in Las Vegas. Veretennikov has done well to stay on the UFC radar, with three straight wins following his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance in 2021, but Barlow has a significant reach advantage and will be on the hunt for another KO victory.
(Selection: Barlow)
Chris Gutierrez vs Quang Le
This is a difficult matchup after Gutierrez was originally scheduled to face Javid Basharat in the evening’s co-main event. Given his extensive amateur experience, Le is much more experienced than his 8-0 pro record would suggest, but it’s still a difficult task to face a former top opponent in his short-notice UFC debut.
(Selection: Gutierrez)
Yana Santos vs Chelsea Chandler
Santos returns to the Octagon after over a year away and is currently on the first losing streak of her career, having lost three fights in a row. A win for Chandler would likely give her a chance to break into the top 10 women’s bantamweight division, but I’m on the side of the more experienced Santos to end her losing streak.
(Selection: Santos)
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Charalampos Grigoriou vs. Toshiomi Kazama
Both men head to Las Vegas looking for their first UFC win, and after Kazama had two difficult submissions against Rinya Nakamura and Garret Armfield, I’m going to tip Silent Finisher to get back to winning ways against Grigoriou.
(Selection: Kazama)
Karol Rosa vs Pannie Kianzad
As this is one of only three matchups on this card featuring top-ranked fighters, I’m leaning slightly towards Rosa in what should be a hard-fought fight and could provide a little drama if the judges’ scorecards are anything to go by.
(Choice: Pink)
Karl Williams vs Jhonata Diniz
Diniz is capable of winning a fight standing up, but after watching Williams take down Justin Tafa in his last fight, I have to assume he will do the same here in a similar style matchup.
(Selection: Williams)
Jarno Errens against Youssef Zalal
Zalal’s second stint in the UFC started impressively when he submitted Billy Quarantillo in March, and I expect “the Moroccan Devil” to extend his winning streak to five fights when he faces Errens, potentially knocking the Dutchman out of the UFC in the process.
(Selection: Zalal)
Stephanie Luciano vs. Talita Alencar
A rematch of their Dana White’s Contender Series fight last year that ended in a draw, although Alencar did get her first UFC win in December. I’m tipping Luciano to make it happen the second time around after having to delay her planned promotional debut for a few months.
(Selection: Luciano)
MMA KO will provide comprehensive coverage of UFC Fight Night: Tybura vs. Spivac 2 throughout fight week. Be sure to check back with our homepage for a preview of the event as well as live results and highlights from fight night.
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