Odds provided by Duelbits accurate as of 2/7/2025

Dricus Du Plessis -222 vs. Sean Strickland +175

This highly anticipated Middleweight rematch will go down here at our main event. Dricus Du Plessis has become famous for his awkward style of frequent blitzing with powerful strikes, and his freakish strength allows him to dominate his opponents in grappling. Sean Strickland also has a unique style, carrying a very boxing-heavy approach, mixing in some teep kicks, he's also hard to hit clean as he is very defensively responsible.

I'll pick Du Plessis to get the job done again here. He is the fighter much more likely to find the finish, and we already saw he can take a decision with the bigger punches and takedowns.

Prediction: Du Plessis by 2nd Round Submission

Weili Zhang -101 vs. Tatiana Suarez -120

The Strawweight title is on the line between two fierce competitors in our co-main event. Weili Zhang has continually improved over her domination of the division with powerful, high-volume striking and a strong ground game that helped her submit Carla Esparza and take a decision in her last fight against Xiaonan Yan. Tatiana Suarez is an undefeated wrestler who has struggled to consistently stay active as injuries have plagued her career, forcing her to take several years off when she was seemingly about to get her first opportunity at the belt, although when she has been in the cage, she has always been dominant, with four finishes in her last five fights.

I lean towards Zhang here, as I can't justify taking Suarez as a favorite here against a dominant champion when she hasn't consistently competed, and her best performances were over five years ago.

Prediction: Zhang by Decision

Tallison Teixeira -164 vs. Justin Tafa +133

Powerful Heavyweights clash here in this one that could end in the blink of an eye. Tallison Teixeira makes his debut here as an undefeated finisher coming off a first-round knockout on Dana White's Contender Series. Justin Tafa is a dangerous puncher, with all of his UFC wins coming by first-round knockout, although his game is missing a lot as he struggles greatly whenever his opponent can grapple.

I'll go with Teixeira here as he has a sizable reach advantage, he is younger, and if there is any grappling he will have the advantage.

Prediction: Teixeira by 1st Round TKO

Jimmy Crute +132 vs. Rodolfo Bellato -161

Light Heavyweight finishers square off here in what is sure to be a wild fight. Jimmy Crute was once a top prospect who seemed well on his way to being a real contender, although with three losses and a draw in his last four, including a brutal submission loss to Alonzo Menifield the last time we saw him has left many wondering if he has it in him anymore. Rodolfo Bellato comes into this off a crazy debut win where Ihor Potieria dropped him badly and seemingly had him finished before completely gassing out, which Bellato took advantage of by getting top position and finishing the fight.

I like Crute here as, despite his rough stretch, this is a massive step down in competition, and if he can return to the form he had early in his career, he can dominate this matchup both standing or on the ground. With that, Jimmy Crute is this weeks best bet of the week.

Prediction: Crute by 1st Round KO (Best Bet)

Jake Matthews -244 vs. Francisco Prado +190

Welterweights on the rise go head-to-head here to open up the main card. Jake Matthews is a tough veteran with a well-rounded game, leaning heavily on his boxing but still having the ground game to take the fight there if needed. Francisco Prado comes up from Lightweight here after showing crazy toughness and solid power in his hands through his first three UFC fights.

I think Matthews takes a decision here as he is the much more experienced fighter with a more well-rounded skillset, but Prado has proven very difficult to finish.

Prediction: Matthews by Decision

Jack Jenkins +190 vs. Gabriel Santos -238

Two Featherweights looking to keep their momentum going face off in this featured prelim. Jack Jenkins is a fun striker with a very hard leg kick, although his ground game is still questionable. Gabriel Santos is a dangerous fighter with a very well-rounded offensive attack, although his defense can be lacking at times, with him having a lot of trust in his chin, as was the case against David Onama where he was knocked out by the powerful striker.

I've got Santos here, as I think he is the much more dangerous fighter with a big advantage in the grappling.

Prediction: Santos by 3rd Round Submission

Tom Nolan -101 vs. Viacheslav Borshchev -120

Powerful Lightweight strikers will test their skills against one another in this fun matchup. Tom Nolan is a young prospect who is very big for the division with big power and questionable defense, which has led to four of his last five fights ending in the first round. Viacheslav Borshchev is a skilled kickboxer who mixes up his kicks and his boxing very well, although his durability has been inconsistent, with him getting dropped badly by Nazim Sadykhov and Chase Hooper.

I'm going to take Borshchev here as despite him being the older guy at the physical disadvantage he is the far more skilled and experienced fighter making me believe he can overcome the size of Nolan.

Prediction: Borshchev by 2nd Round KO

Cong Wang -385 vs. Bruna Brasil +295

Up and coming Flyweights battle here to see who will move up in the division's ranks. Cong Wang came into the UFC with a lot of hype and scored an early knockout in her debut, although she suffered a massive upset loss in her last fight after getting dropped and choked out by Gabriella Fernandes. Bruna Brasil comes from the popular Fighting Nerds, and she showed growth in her game with her last win over Molly McCann, where she dominated both the striking and grappling.

At these odds, I can't justify taking Wang after what we saw from her last time out, so I'll pick Brasil as the underdog, but I don't have much confidence there.

Prediction: Brasil by Decision

Aleksandre Topuria -385 vs. Colby Thicknesse +290

Two debutants are matched up here in this highly anticipated Bantamweight matchup. Aleksandre Topuria comes in with plenty of expectation as the older brother of Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, and he comes in with five wins, all coming inside the distance. Colby Thicknesse comes from the gym of former champion Alexander Volkanovski, and he does so with a solid ground game.

This price may seem high given Topuria's experience, but he has surely gained plenty of valuable experience training alongside his brother, which I expect will work in his favor here and help him find another quick finish.

Prediction: Topuria by 1st Round Submission

Kody Steele -270 vs. Rongzhu +215

Young Lightweights clash here, looking to make a name for themselves in a deep division. Kody Steele makes his debut here off an impressive performance on Dana White's Contender Series, where he showed his solid boxing to go with a strong grappling base. Rongzhu looks to bounce back here after a tough loss in a fight against Chris Padilla, where he looked very good before suffering swelling that shut his eye and forced the doctor to stop the fight.

I'm going with Rongzhu as the underdog here, as I feel this could turn into a very close striking match with Rongzhu having more experience at this level.

Prediction: Rongzhu by Decision

Kevin Jousset -250 vs. Jonathan Micallef +200

Two Welterweights who are both very familiar with fighting in Australia in their regional days. Kevin Jousset is a solid kickboxer from the famous City Kickboxing gym, coming off a hard-fought war with Bryan Battle where he was finished in the second round after a crazy pace early. Jonathan Micallef is a solid grappler coming in off a first-round submission win that earned him a contract on Dana White's Contender Series.

I'll pick Jousset in this one as I feel he is the much better striker with good enough grappling to dictate where the fight takes place.

Prediction: Jousset by Decision

Quillan Salkilld -667 vs. Anshul Jubli +450

Lightweights looking to establish their place square off in this interesting matchup. Quillan Salkilld is a well-rounded fighter who comes in off a solid win on Dana White's Contender Series, which was his seventh straight win since losing his pro debut. Anshul Jubli is a skilled fighter who showed solid striking early against Mike Breeden before collapsing late and being finished.

Salkilld should have every advantage in this matchup and is the hometown guy so I'll pick him to win, but I would caution people as betting on a debutant at these odds is an unnecessary risk.

Prediction: Salkilld by 2nd Round TKO