UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
The UFC is set to travel to Macau next weekend for a Fight Night event. This will be the first event in Macau since the summer of 2014.
UFC Fight Night: Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo features a major bantamweight clash as its headliner, with a number of other intriguing bouts elsewhere. With plenty of exciting fighters on offer, then, this should be an event well worth watching.
Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo.
#1. UFC bantamweight bout: Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
If you rewind to mid-2020, this fight could easily have been put together as a champion vs. champion superfight of sorts.
Back then, of course, Petr Yan was reigning as the UFC bantamweight champion, having claimed the title vacated by Henry Cejudo by dismantling Jose Aldo. 'No Mercy' was unbeaten in the octagon and looked like the most fearsome fighter in the world at 135 pounds.
Deiveson Figueiredo, meanwhile, was riding high as the flyweight kingpin and looked set to follow in the footsteps of Demetrious Johnson with a dominant reign.
Of course, things quickly went wrong for both men. Figueiredo lost his title to Brandon Moreno in 2021, and despite regaining it at one point, lost it right back to the Mexican in a poor showing in 2023.
Yan, meanwhile, dropped his title to Aljamain Sterling in an odd disqualification, but then failed to regain it and quickly saw his style a little exposed by bullying grappler Merab Dvalishvili.
While neither man is on top of the world anymore, though, a win here could easily propel either man towards a potential title fight.
Of the two, Figueiredo is on the better run right now. Seemingly refreshed since moving up to 135 pounds and having to cut less weight, 'Deus da Guerra' has been fantastic, tearing through Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Vera.
It was the latter performance that was his most impressive, as the Brazilian beat 'Chito' down and became the first man to knock him down, an impressive feat given the Ecuadorian's legendary durability.
Overall, Figueiredo doesn't appear to have many weaknesses at 135 pounds. He carries brutal power in his strikes, is very technically sound, and has a lethal ground game if it comes to that.
The only real question mark on him is his age - he turns 37 next month - but that hasn't been a real problem yet.
For Yan, things are a little trickier. 'No Mercy' is still one of the cleanest boxers in the division, and he chains his strikes together as well as any fighter at bantamweight.
However, the fear factor he once carried is now long gone, and that means that the likes of Song Yadong and Sean O'Malley haven't been afraid to trade with him. When he finds himself on the back foot, then, he tends to struggle somewhat.
Essentially, this fight should come down to the question of which fighter can establish a rhythm. If Yan can come out, perhaps hurt Figueiredo early and back him up, then over five rounds, he might score enough points to win.
However, 'Deus da Guerra' has the better overall game, and if it comes to it, he could also look to surprise 'No Mercy' with a takedown and use that top-class ground game.
Where Figueiredo's ceiling lies in this division is still a question mark, and he wouldn't be favored to beat Dvalishvili or O'Malley.
However, styles make fights, and assuming he can land the first big shot and refuse to let Yan walk him down, stylistically this bout seems to suit him.
This one could realistically go either way, but the smart money - just about - is on 'Deus da Guerra'.
The Pick: Figueiredo via decision
#2. UFC strawweight bout: Yan Xiaonan vs. Tabatha Ricci
While it's probably fair to say that neither Yan Xiaonan nor Tabatha Ricci are the biggest names in the strawweight division right now, this is still a crucial fight at 115 pounds.
That's because Yan - whose last fight saw her challenge unsuccessfully for the title - is still ranked at No.2, while the surging Ricci is currently ranked at No.10.
So can 'Baby Shark' pick up the biggest win of her career to really climb the ladder, or will this be a successful homecoming and bounce-back fight for Yan?
The thing that immediately leaps out when it comes to Ricci is the fact that, despite her success, she simply isn't a great finisher. 'Baby Shark' has won six of her eight trips to the octagon, largely with her grappling, but has only stopped one foe - the over-the-hill Jessica Penne.
In this fight though, that may not matter. That's because for all of Yan's successes previously, she clearly has an Achilles heel and that's her ground game.
In her three octagon losses, 'Fury' has struggled with an overpowering grappler. She was dominated on the mat by both Weili Zhang and Carla Esparza and was bullied in the clinch at points by Marina Rodriguez.
On the feet, however, she's remarkably dangerous. Yan chains combinations together nicely and has a great grasp of distance, allowing her to use her long frame - complete with 63in reach - to abuse her foes.
Essentially, then, this one will come down to whether or not Ricci can take Yan down and keep her there, without running into too many issues on the feet.
There are a couple of problems with that, though. Even in her most recent win over Angela Hill, 'Baby Shark' struggled to control her foe for the full fight.
To add to this, her official takedown success rate only sits at 38%, which isn't all that high when you consider Yan's takedown defense rate is 62%.
Overall, then, it's just hard to imagine Ricci essentially blanketing 'Fury' for three straight rounds, especially when stronger grapplers like Mackenzie Dern have failed to do so.
Will Yan finish 'Baby Shark'? That's doubtful given she doesn't really carry huge knockout power, and Ricci isn't defensively porous. However, it definitely feels likely that Yan will keep this one standing and do enough good work to claim a victory.
The Pick: Yan via decision
#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card
In a welterweight bout, Kenan Song takes on Muslim Salikhov. An octagon veteran since 2017, Song has been one of the better male fighters to emerge from China. He's picked up some fun wins over the likes of Bobby Nash and Ricky Glenn and has also fought better opponents like Ian Machado Garry, although he's almost always lost to them.
Given Salikhov's flashy striking style, this one should be an entertaining stand-up fight for as long as it lasts. However, 'The King of Kung Fu' is also a solid enough grappler, and he's definitely beaten more notable opponents than Song.
With this in mind, unless Salikhov is washed - which is possible at the age of 40 - this is likely his fight to lose. The pick is Salikhov via second-round KO.
In a flyweight bout, Wang Cong takes on Gabriella Fernandes. Both of these women are coming off wins, although it's fair to say that Wang's was more impressive.
'The Joker' dispatched Victoria Leonardo with a vicious right hand in her octagon debut, living up to the pre-fight hype she earned thanks to a kickboxing win over Valentina Shevchenko.
Fernandes' victory over Carli Judice, meanwhile, was more workmanlike and nowhere near as jaw-dropping.
Given Cong's massive reputation, then, as well as the promotion being likely to push her, the pick is Cong via KO.
In a light-heavyweight bout, Volkan Oezdemir takes on Carlos Ulberg. This fight is a big opportunity for Ulberg, who is on a lengthy winning run of six fights, including five finishes.
At his best, 'Black Jag' is a devastating striker with brutal knockout power, and he's clearly grown in his ground game too. The big questions around him, of course, are his durability and cardio.
Oezdemir, meanwhile, has been there and done that since his 2017 debut. A former title challenger, 'No Time' has become the best gatekeeper at 205 pounds. With well-rounded skills, knockout power, and a lot of toughness, Oezdemir is tricky to beat, and most fighters who manage it head into title contention.
So can Ulberg defeat the Swiss fighter? It's definitely possible. He's probably Oezdemir's most explosive opponent since Jiri Prochazka, and he took out 'No Time' violently.
'Black Jag' is still very unproven at this level, but if he can come at Oezdemir in a rush - living up to his opponent's nickname - then he can win. The pick is Ulberg via KO.
Finally, also at light-heavyweight, Zhang Mingyang takes on Ozzy Diaz. On a lengthy unbeaten run dating back to 2020, Mingyang made a big splash in his octagon debut, viciously dispatching Brendson Ribeiro.
Diaz, meanwhile, is making his octagon debut, but despite winning seven of his last eight fights, his appearance on Dana White's Contender Series saw him knocked out by Joe Pyfer.
Given the power that 'The Mountain Tiger' showed in his octagon debut, then, it's hard to look past Mingyang here, particularly in his home country. The pick is Mingyang via KO.
#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims
Picks in bold
UFC featherweight bout: Bin Xie vs. Kangjie Zhu
UFC bantamweight bout: Baergeng Jieleyisi vs. You Su Yung
UFC flyweight bout: Kira Singh Sahota vs. Dong Hun Choi
UFC strawweight bout: Shi Ming vs. Feng Xiaocan
UFC flyweight bout: Nyamjargal Tumendemberel vs. Carlos Hernandez
UFC flyweight bout: Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Jose Ochoa
UFC bantamweight bout: Xiao Long vs. Quang Le
UFC lightweight bout: Hayisaer Maheshate vs. Nikolas Motta