The year-closing pay-per-view card for the UFC this weekend marks a historic one. Whereas there may be nonetheless one other Combat Night time occasion subsequent week, UFC 323 will mark not simply the remaining pay-per-view providing as a part of the promotion’s ESPN deal, it’s additionally the ultimate pay-per-view ever with the UFC heading to Paramount subsequent month.
Nonetheless, the UFC seems to be to shut the pay-per-view period out with a strong occasion that options two title fights. The primary occasion will see Merab Dvalishvili put the UFC bantamweight championship on the road as soon as once more, seeking to turn out to be the primary UFC champion to defend a title 4 occasions in a single calendar 12 months. To take action, nonetheless, he’ll must get previous Petr Yan, simply as he did when the 2 first met within the UFC Las Vegas primary occasion in March 2023.
The co-main occasion, in the meantime, will characteristic Alexandre Pantoja searching for his fifth profitable protection of the UFC flyweight championship. He’ll tackle Joshua Van, who shortly rose up the 125-pound ranks this 12 months, solidified with a win over Brandon Royval at UFC 317 that earned loads of reward.
The remainder of the primary card will characteristic a theme of former champions taking up rising contenders: Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira, Henry Cejudo (in his retirement bout) vs. Payton Talbott, and Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov.
The prelims will characteristic just a few notable names as nicely, together with Maycee Barber, Marvin Vettori, and Edson Barboza.
Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira
Of the three non-title pay-per-view card fights, that is the one I’m trying ahead to most. That is undoubtedly a key matchup for the division, as Moreno has held the flyweight title twice whereas placing on spectacular performances within the Octagon. Taira has constructed himself up by way of the ranks however hasn’t reached a UFC title combat but, having handled accidents and a loss to Brandon Royval – Taira’s solely loss in skilled MMA up to now – earlier than incomes the chance to take action.
A win on this bout, nonetheless, and Taira is likely to be subsequent in line for Pantoja (or Van ought to he win the belt).
Whereas Moreno is certainly a confirmed all-around fighter, he is likely to be seeking to do extra putting on this one to counteract the grappling experience supplied by Taira. Maybe most notable of all is that neither man has been completed of their profession, with all of their mixed losses coming by way of resolution.
This needs to be a enjoyable encounter, and the neatest play right here is for this three-round bout to see the ultimate horn.
Guess: Moreno vs. Taira To Go The Distance (FanDuel: -290)
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Grant Dawson vs. Manuel Torres
This can be a battle of a few scrappy fighters who wish to solidify a place for themselves towards the tail finish of the featherweight rankings. Dawson has been almost unstoppable since coming into the UFC off the very first season of Dana White’s Contender Sequence. The truth is, Dawson is 11-1-1 within the Octagon since 2019. Torres, in the meantime, is 4-1 since his personal DWCS win, and he’s coming into this bout off a strong TKO of Drew Dober.
That is going to be your grappler vs. striker battle. Dawson’s wrestling goes to be key, and if he will get this battle to the bottom, he needs to be in strong management. That stated, Torres has some spectacular energy, and he can finish issues in a flash.
With these two robust athletes, even when a end occurs, I totally count on one to not come till later within the combat – if it occurs.
BET: Dawson vs. Torres To Go OVER 1.5 rounds (Caesar’s & DraftKings: +105)
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Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli
If you wish to speak about a younger beast, we will speak about Mansur Abdul-Malik, who competes on the early prelim card in opposition to Antonio Trocoli.
Earlier than getting into the UFC, Abdul-Malik racked up a number of consecutive first-round finishes to begin his skilled MMA profession. That earned him a spot on Dana White’s Contender Sequence in 2024, the place he earned a contract after ending Wes Schultz. After that, he began his UFC run scorching, incomes a efficiency bonus with a first-round end of Dusko Todorovic in his debut, adopted by a end of Nick Klein.
His final combat in opposition to Cody Brundage did have some controversy. Within the third spherical for the primary time of his profession, an unintended headbutt initially resulted in a technical resolution win for Abdul-Malik. The combat was overturned to a no contest, nonetheless, primarily based on Georgia Fee guidelines that prohibit incomplete rounds from being scored – even when a fighter is unable to proceed as a result of an unintentional foul.
Taking up a 34-year-old with a 12-5 file and has struggled within the Octagon, nonetheless, might be going to be the bounce-back efficiency Abdul-Malik simply wants. The query is that if Trocoli will do sufficient to outlive previous the primary spherical.
Guess: Abdul-Malik by way of KO/TKO/DQ in Spherical 1 (FanDuel: +105)
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