Former UFC Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is searching to break a two-fight losing streak when he takes on Gabriel Bonfim in Las Vegas this week.
There is a plethora of quality fights, including Aussie fighter Tom Nolan on the card and our thoughts and betting plays can be found below.
Belal Muhammad went 11 fights in a row without losing, eventually claiming the UFC Welterweight title in July 2024 by defeating Leon Edwards.
His wrestling heavy gameplan served him well throughout his rise to the top but he was no match for Aussie Jack Maddalena in Canada this time last year.
A second loss in a row against Ian Garry has put a halt on his aspirations of claiming gold again any time soon and he’ll be keen to get back to his roots of controlling his opponents via his grappling.
Gabriel Bonfim is a 28 year-old Brazilian who had an unbeaten record in boxing before turning to MMA.
He won a UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 and has just one loss from seven fights since then.
This includes a decision win over Wonderboy Thompson and KO win over Randy Brown.
Belal attempted to stand and strike with JDM and it was his ultimate demise.
He has had such success with his wrestling to control the tempo of the fight and I would be surprised if he doesn’t go back to this tactic, as boring as it may be for fans.
Brendan Allen is in his fighting prime at 30 years of age and he has proven to be one of the best middleweight’s in the world for a long time now.
Evidence of this fact is his wins over Paul Craig, Chris Curtis, Marvin Vettori and Renier de Ridder.
It was that win over Renier de Ridder in Canada that was the most impressive, stopping the fight during the fourth round via TKO.
Edmen Shahbazyan had a lot of hype around when he entered the UFC back in 2018 and he finished his first three opponents after winning The Ultimate Fighter.
He then lost five of his next seven fights but they included highly ranked opponents such as Derek Brunson, Jack Hermansson and Anthoy Hernandez.
He has earned to co main event spot against a high ranked opponent thanks to three consecutive wins in a row including two first round finishes.
I’m struggling with this from a head to head point of view and I think the market has it just about right but I do think there is value in the fact that the judges will be needed to decide the winner.
This is a huge opportunity for Aussie Tom Nolan who is one of many up and coming fighters from this great country of ours.
After winning a UFC contract through DWCS, he lost his very first fight in the organisation but has bounced back with four straight wins including a first round submission win the last time we saw him.
His opponent is the highly touted Frenchman Fares Ziam who brings a six fight win streak into this contest.
11 of his 18 career pro wins have been finishes but six of his last eight have gone to a decision.
His last loss was a submission against Terrence Mckinney and this may be the best pathway to victory for Nolan although Ziam has a more than solid ground game himself.
Both of these young fighters will be looking for a headline win to stamp themselves as future contenders and both capable of finishing the fight within the three rounds.