*Ilia Topuria blasts Josh Emmett with a powerful right hand. Credit: MMA Mania.*

The UFC returns to the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas, Nevada with a fantastic pay-per-view card. From top to bottom, this event has been filled with excellent matchups, established veterans, and rising prospects all looking to earn a victory this Saturday. In the co-main event, we’ll see the dominant Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja look to defend his title against dangerous striker Kai Kara-France. In the main event, two former champions will go toe-to-toe for vacant Lightweight gold when Ilia Topuria faces off against Charles Oliveira. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima

*Payton Talbott floors Yanis Ghemmouri with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Bantamweight Bout

Payton Talbott: 9-1-0, 7 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Felipe Lima: 14-1-0, 4 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Talbott has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Cameron Saaiman (9-3-0), Yanis Ghemmouri (12-3-0), and Nick Aguirre (7-2-0). He is a dangerous, technical striker who’s constantly coming forward and throwing in combination. He’s a lengthy fighter for the division and uses it well, continually throwing long, straight shots to damage his opponent. Talbott does an excellent job mixing kicks into his combinations and varies his shots well, attacking the head and body evenly. He fights behind his jab and has outstanding distance management, utilizing great footwork and head movement to remain unscathed. Training at the Reno Academy of Combat, he has a solid chin, regularly eating shots and marching forward unfazed. Talbott remains technical throughout and gets increasingly dangerous, with nearly all of his finish victories coming in the second or third round.

*Felipe Lima fires a vicious knee to the head of Muhammad Naimov. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Lima is on a 14-fight win streak, holding UFC victories over Muhammad Naimov (13-3-0) and Miles Johns (15-3-0). He’s a talented fighter with outstanding boxing and excellent submissions. He’s highly explosive and powerful, throwing everything with impressive speed without loading up or telegraphing. Lima has great distance management and counterstriking, regularly looking to slip punches and return fire. He has a solid takedown game and is very active in the top position, constantly looking to improve his position or posture. Training at Allstars Training Center, he will constantly look to take his opponent’s back before hunting for submissions. Lima has produced five of his seven finishes in the first round but has solid cardio and is always dangerous.

#9 Beneil Dariush vs. #10 Renato Moicano

*Beneil Dariush throws a jab at Mateusz Gamrot. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Lightweight Bout

Beneil Dariush: 22-6-1, 5 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Renato Moicano: 20-6-1, 2 KO/TKO, 10 Sub.

Dariush has won three of his last five bouts and holds victories over #7 ranked Lightweight Mateusz Gamrot (25-3-0), Drew Dober (27-15-0), and Diego Ferreira (19-6-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and excellent Muay Thai. He is more than willing to brawl on the feet, regularly getting into slugfests and hanging in the pocket, unleashing powerful shots. Training at Kings MMA, Dariush has a solid arsenal of kicks and can do serious damage without much space, particularly with his knees. He’s landing, on average, about two takedowns per fifteen minutes and has excellent wrestling and top control. He’s patient in top position, always choosing position over submission and never putting himself in bad spots. In his 16 UFC victories, he’s secured eight finishes and five post-fight bonuses, always leaving everything inside the Octagon.

*Renato Moicano unloads brutal ground and pound strikes onto Jalin Turner. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Moicano has won four of his last five outings, with UFC victories coming over #13 ranked Lightweight Benoît Saint Denis (14-3-0), #15 ranked Featherweight Calvin Kattar (23-9-0), and Jalin Turner (14-9-0). He is a grappling ace with an excellent submission game, but is more than willing to throw down on the feet. With only five of his eighteen bouts in the promotion going the distance, he always fights with a “kill or be killed” mentality. Moicano is dangerous in top position, especially if he takes his opponent’s back, with all his career submissions coming via rear-naked choke. He’s aggressive on the ground, always trying to improve or find a finish, but also has excellent control and rarely loses position. On the feet, he has solid speed and power in his hands and loves to throw uppercuts and elbows when in close. Training at American Top Team, he often stays patient and picks his shots, waiting for openings to land combinations or attempt a takedown.

#1 Brandon Royval vs. #12 Joshua Van

*Brandon Royval lands a crushing left hand on Brandon Moreno. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Flyweight Bout

Brandon Royval: 17-7-0, 4 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.

Joshua Van: 14-2-0, 7 KOT/KO, 2 Sub.

Royval has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #2 ranked Flyweight Brandon Moreno (23-8-2), #4 ranked Flyweight Kai Kara-France (25-11-0), and #5 ranked Flyweight Tatsuro Taira (16-1-0). He’s a wild brawler who pushes a crazy pace and is dangerous anywhere the fight goes. Training with Mile High Militia, “Raw Dawg” has been awarded five post-fight bonuses in ten bouts in the promotion and always leaves everything in the cage. Royval is dangerous in any position on the ground, always working and searching for submissions. He throws everything in combination on the feet and is always coming forward, looking to do damage. He’s willing to hang in the pocket and exchange, and has proven to be highly durable with an excellent ability to recover from damage. Royval has set multiple Flyweight records in his five-year UFC tenure, including the most significant strikes attempted in a fight, most total strikes both attempted and landed in a fight, and the most head strikes landed in a fight.

*Joshua Van cracks Charles Johnson with a stinging jab. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Van has won four of his last five bouts, holding UFC victories over #15 ranked Flyweight Bruno Silva (14-7-2), Rei Tsuruya (10-1-0), and Kevin Borjas (10-3-0). He’s a dangerous striker who’s constantly coming forward to let his hands go. He fights behind his jab and favors volume to power, throwing everything in combination without loading up or telegraphing. Van has outstanding head movement and distance management, regularly looking to dodge punches before unloading combinations. Training at 4oz Fight Club, he does an exceptional job varying his shots, entering the pocket at different angles, and constantly attacking his opponent’s body and legs. He’s willing to grapple, possessing solid takedown defense and landing, on average, about one takedown per fifteen minutes. Van has the highest significant strikes landed per minute in UFC history, with 8.20, and has outlanded his opponent in all his UFC victories.

(C) Alexandre Pantoja vs. #4 Kai Kara-France

*Alexandre Pantoja viciously submits Kai Asakura with a rear naked choke. Credit: Ag. Fight.*

Flyweight Title Bout

Alexandre Pantoja: 29-5-0, 8 KO/TKO, 11 Sub.

Kai Kara-France: 25-11-0, 12 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Pantoja is on a seven-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #1 ranked Flyweight Brandon Royval (17-7-0), #2 ranked Flyweight Brandon Moreno (23-8-2), and #6 ranked Flyweight Manel Kape (21-7-0). He’s a fast starter and an exceptionally well-rounded fighter with serious power in his hands. He’s constantly pressuring forward, throwing everything in combination, and varying his strikes, attacking the head and body evenly. Pantoja transitions incredibly quickly on the ground and always looks for a finish, typically preferring submissions to ground and pound. Training at American Top Team, he’s never looking just to touch his opponents, throwing every shot with power and knockout intentions. He is willing to eat a shot to land one and can get drawn into brawls on the feet, often swinging wildly in the pocket. Pantoja is impressively calm in deep waters and can find a finish anywhere, any time.

*Kai Kara-France flattens Steve Erceg with a left hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Kara-France has won three of his last five outings, holding UFC victories over #9 ranked Flyweight Steve Erceg (12-4-0), Askar Askarov (15-1-1), and Cody Garbrandt (14-7-0). He’s a speedy, explosive striker who’s always looking to push the action. He’s in perpetual motion, never staying in one spot for long and always keeping his head off the centerline. Kara-France throws every shot with power, regularly dipping his head and blitzing forward to unload looping hooks and overhands. He won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges, but has excellent balance and takedown defense and has proven tough to finish on the mat. Training at City Kickboxing, he’s always willing to eat a shot to land one, regularly hanging in the pocket to exchange blows. Kara-France has been awarded a bonus in half of his UFC fights and has never been in a boring fight.

Ilia Topuria vs. #2 Charles Oliveira

*Ilia Topuria blasts Max Holloway with a powerful right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Lightweight Title Bout

Ilia Topuria: 16-0-0, 6 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Charles Oliveira: 35-10-0, 10 KO/TKO, 21 Sub.

Topuria is undefeated and has UFC victories over Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (27-4-0), #1 ranked Featherweight Max Holloway (26-8-0), and #10 ranked Featherweight Josh Emmett (19-5-0). He’s a dangerous, technical striker, staying composed and fighting behind his jab while evenly mixing up his attacks between the head and body. He has serious power in both hands and can produce flash knockouts at any time. Training at Climent Club, Topuria has a black belt in BJJ and is landing, on average, over two takedowns per fifteen minutes. He has fantastic wrestling, capable of landing takedowns in open space or along the fence before looking to advance position or land ground and pound. He’s also defensively sound, warding off any submissions thrown his way and never putting himself in bad spots. Topuria relentlessly pursues a finish by any means necessary, only going to a decision twice in his UFC tenure.

*Charles Oliveira stuns Michael Chandler with a cracking left hook. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Oliveira has won three of his last five outings, with UFC victories over #3 ranked Lightweight Justin Gaethje (26-5-0), #4 ranked Lightweight Dustin Poirier (30-9-0), and #9 ranked Lightweight Beneil Dariush (22-6-1). He’s an exceptionally well-rounded fighter with bricks for hands and deadly submissions. He utilizes technical, crisp Muay Thai on the feet to piece up and damage his opponents. Oliveira is averaging over two takedowns landed and nearly three submissions attempted per fifteen minutes, and is exceptionally dangerous on the mat. He has solid wrestling skills and is one of the UFC's most prolific submission artists. Training at Chute Boxe, he has proven his ability to stay calm in deep waters, regularly getting hurt in his fights, only to come back and find a way to win. Oliveira holds various UFC records, including the most finishes, submission wins, and post-fight bonuses.

Best Bets

Royval vs. Van Over 2.5 Rounds: This is an outstanding matchup of an established contender and a rising star. Although both are highly talented, they have differing styles; Van is more of a volume puncher, utilizing his hands, output, and speed to get the job done. Royval has a much more well-rounded approach, always coming forward and making use of both his striking skills and excellent grappling to secure victory. It's important to mention this is a rather short-notice matchup for Van, who fought just a few weeks ago and is stepping in for the injured Manel Kape. Neither fighter has had a full camp to prepare for their opponent, making it more likely that both men take a more measured, careful approach. Both fighters have also proved highly durable, with just four finish losses in 40 combined fights. I expect Royval to look to grapple and slow down the pace much more in this fight, considering Van is most comfortable on his feet. Ultimately, I expect plenty of close exchanges, but I believe this fight will go at least two and a half rounds.

Alexandre Pantoja by Submission: The first of two title fights on the night, I’m looking forward to this one. Pantoja is looking to earn his fourth title defense, while Kara-France will try to cash in on his second attempt at UFC gold. Stylistically similar to the Royval and Van matchup, Pantoja likes to mix it all together, while Kara-France is more of a striking specialist. I believe Pantoja’s well-roundedness is a massive difference maker in this matchup. Although Kara-France has proven to have excellent takedown defense, he hasn’t faced a fighter quite like Pantoja, who’s capable of masking his grappling threat with his dangerous striking, making takedown and submission attempts much less predictable. Kara-France has also only gone five rounds once in his career, and Pantoja tends to build as the fight continues, becoming increasingly dangerous throughout. Lastly, Kara-France’s most significant advantage is typically in his punching power, whereas in this fight, I believe Pantoja can fully match that power on the feet. I anticipate Pantoja will push a heavy pace from the opening bell, welcoming early striking exchanges before pursuing takedowns and controlling Kara-France on the ground. As Kara-France’s endurance wanes, I expect Pantoja to encounter less resistance on the mat, ultimately securing a submission victory and another title defense.

Ilia Topuria Moneyline: An outstanding matchup of two of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, this is an excellent way to close the card. Topuria makes his second appearance in the Lightweight division, this time for gold after vacating his Featherweight belt. Oliveira is a perennial title contender and former Lightweight champion looking to earn back what was once his. In terms of pure skill, this is an incredibly close matchup, with both fighters being highly well-rounded and dangerous anywhere. Although close in skill, I believe Topuria has an advantage in striking; he possesses a type of one-punch knockout power rarely seen or replicated. Oliveira tends to get clipped or caught early in the fight with big punches, and you can’t afford that mistake against Topuria. While it’s nearly impossible to match Oliveira’s submission skills, Topuria is an outstanding grappler in his own right and has the takedown defense to keep the fight standing. Beyond Topuria’s technical skills, he’s impressively durable and can recover well from significant damage, exemplified by his comeback victory against Jai Herbert. I expect this fight to start quickly and aggressively, with both men looking for a finish from the opening bell. I expect Topuria to get the better of the exchanges on the feet, deny any takedown attempts, and control the center of the Octagon. While I’m not confident in how long this fight goes or how it ends, I am confident that Topuria will become the new Lightweight champion this Saturday.

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