Alexander Volkanovski vs. the Korean Zombie

After Alexander Volkanovski defeated Brian Ortega, the original plan was for him to have a 3rd fight against Max Holloway at UFC 272. However, an injury forced Holloway to withdraw. Volkanovski didn’t want to wait for Holloway to recover, so he asked the UFC to set up another fight. Chan Sung Jung stepped in to challenge Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight title. Jung is no stranger to title fights, as he first competed for the UFC Featherweight title in August of 2013 against Jose Aldo. Jung lost the fight after suffering a dislocated shoulder. Jung went on a 4-year hiatus after his fight against Aldo because it was mandatory for him to serve in the South Korean military. Jung picked up where he left off when he returned to the sport in 2017, as he finished the likes of Denis Bermudez, Renato Moicano, and Frankie Edgar by knockout. As good as Jung is, the Verdict Community isn’t giving him much of a chance at UFC 273 with 86% predicting Volkanovski to defeat him. Nearly 9 years after his first title shot, the Korean Zombie will once again challenge for the UFC Featherweight title.

Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2

The long-awaited rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan will finally take place at UFC 273. The first fight ended in one of the most controversial finishes in UFC history after Petr Yan was disqualified for hitting a grounded Aljamain Sterling with an illegal knee. With this win, Aljamain Sterling became the first and only fighter in UFC history to win a Championship by disqualification. For the past year, Sterling has been criticized for not continuing to fight. He hasn’t been able to enjoy his time as UFC Champion and hasn’t gotten the respect that a UFC Champion should. He’ll get his opportunity to earn the respect of a Champion at UFC 273. Prior to the first fight, the Verdict Community was dead split at a 50/50 on who they thought would win the fight. It’s a different story headed into the rematch, as 85% of the Verdict Community predicts Yan to defeat Sterling.

Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Even with 2 Championship bouts on the card, Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev is still the most anticipated fight on the card for many people. It’s been a long time since a prospect has demolished the competition the way Khamzat Chimaev has. He’s only had 4 fights in the UFC and many are already expecting him to become a UFC Champion in multiple divisions. Given that he’s ranked #11 at Welterweight, not many at the top of the division were keen on fighting Khamzat Chimaev. They view this as a high risk and low reward situation. However, Gilbert Burns knows that if he defeats Khamzat, he’s going to take all of his hype regardless of his ranking. Burns has never shied away from a challenge and you can see that in his fighting style. He’s a multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion a former UFC title challenger. If Khamzat Chimaev defeats Gilbert Burns, there can be no more doubt. Khamzat will prove that he’s the real deal. The majority of the Verdict Community already believes Khamzat is the real deal, as 76% are predicting him to defeat Burns.

MacKenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres

Mackenzie Dern had a 4 fight winning streak snapped in her last fight against Marina Rodriguez. She’ll get her opportunity to get back on track when she takes on Tecia Torres at UFC 273. Torres’ only losses in the UFC have come against Jéssica Andrade, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Weili Zhang, and Marina Rodriguez. 3 of those women are former UFC Champions while Rodriguez is likely to be fighting for a Champion in 2022. Simply put, Torres has only lost to the best of the best. Torres is currently on a 3 fight winning with a win against Angela Hill in her last fight. With that said, she's still a big underdog headed into this fight with 75% predicting Dern to defeat her.

Aspen Ladd vs. Raquel Pennington

Aspen Ladd was originally scheduled to fight Irene Aldana but Aldana withdrew due to undisclosed reasons. Raquel Pennington has stepped in on short notice to fight Ladd. Since losing to Holly Holm in January of 2020, Raquel Pennington has won 3 consecutive fights. Even though she’s on a winning streak, 63% are predicting Aspen Ladd to defeat Pennington.

Ian Garry vs. Darian Weeks

After making a successful UFC debut last November, Ian Garry returns to the Octagon to take on Darian Weeks. Garry is undefeated at 8-0 and is a former Cage Warriros Champion. He represents the new wave or Irish fighters in the UFC and is looking to restart the Irish takeover. He has a lot of confidence as he’s nicknamed himself as “The Future”. His opponent Darian Weeks has a 100% finishing rate with 4 out of 5 fights ending by knockout.