*Max Holloway fires a jab at Conor McGregor during their first matchup in 2013. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

The UFC heads to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for a top-notch card. From start to finish, there’s plenty of hot prospects, hungry title contenders, and former champions all looking to earn a triumphant victory this Saturday. In the co-main event, two top-ten Lightweights will collide when marauding brawler Benoît Saint Denis takes on grappling ace Paddy Pimblett. In the main event, we’ll witness the long-awaited return of former double-champion Conor McGregor as he rematches the legendary Max Holloway. First, we’ll take a look at two excellent preliminary bouts, then break down the main card.

Prelims

Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yañez

*Cody Garbrandt fires a kick to the body of Trevin Jones. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Bantamweight Bout

Cody Garbrandt: 15-7-0, 11 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Adrian Yañez: 17-6-1, 11 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Garbrandt has won three of his last five fights and holds UFC victories over Xiao Long (27-11-0), Raphael Assunção (28-10-0), and Dominick Cruz (24-4-0). He’s a former UFC Bantamweight champion and an elusive striker with serious power and speed in his hands. He’s in perpetual motion, always circling and looking to draw his opponents in to land power shots. Garbrandt has heavy kicks but favors his boxing skills, often looking to counterstrike and regularly dipping his head to slip shots and return fire. Everything he throws is fast, and he never telegraphs his attacks, allowing him to remain elusive and unpredictable throughout. He’s a solid wrestler with good timing on his takedowns, and he can execute impressive slams. Garbrandt is tied for the third most knockdowns in the UFC Bantamweight division (10) and tied for the most consecutive UFC fights with a knockdown scored (7).

*Adrian Yañez lands a thudding right hand on Ricky Simón. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Yañez has won one of his last five bouts, with one draw, and has UFC victories over Davey Grant (18-8-0), Tony Kelley (8-3-0), and Vinicius Salvador (14-8-0). He’s an excellent technical boxer who maintains a consistent pace and always pursues a knockout. He fights behind his jab, throwing everything with purpose and accuracy without loading up or telegraphing his strikes. Yañez constantly presses forward, throwing from different angles and varying his attacks. Training at Metro Fight Club, he has not landed a takedown in the UFC, but he holds a black belt in BJJ and has successfully defended 75% of takedowns attempted on him. He always throws in combination, typically doing most of his work with his hands and rarely throwing kicks. Yañez has been awarded five post-fight bonuses in ten UFC appearances and is never in a boring fight.

Nikita Krylov vs. Robert Whittaker

*Nikita Krylov launches a powerful kick to the head of Modestas Bukauskas. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Light Heavyweight Bout

Nikita Krylov: 31-11-0, 13 KO/TKO, 16 Sub.

Robert Whittaker: 27-9-0, 11 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.

Krylov has won three of his last five outings and has UFC victories over #8-ranked Light Heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir (21-8-0), #14-ranked Light Heavyweight Johnny Walker (22-10-0), and Ryan Spann (24-11-0). He holds the rank of Master of Sport in Kyokushin Karate, Hand-to-Hand Combat, and Submission Fighting. He’s always willing to eat a shot to land one and regularly finds himself in brawls and exchanges inside the pocket. Krylov has a solid arsenal of kicks, but he typically favors his hands and constantly unloads powerful combinations. Training with Raty Team, he pushes a heavy pace, throwing with power and volume, and has outlanded eight of his last ten opponents. He’s averaging over two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes, has smothering top control, and is always working for a finish. Krylov rarely sees the judges’ scorecards, securing 29 of his 31 victories via finish, with 23 of those victories coming in round one.

*Robert Whittaker cracks Paulo Costa with a stiff right hand. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Whittaker has won two of his last five fights, including UFC victories over #10-ranked Middleweight Ikram Aliskerov (18-2-0), #11-ranked Middleweight Jared Cannonier (18-9-0), and #14-ranked Middleweight Paulo Costa (16-4-0). He is a former UFC Middleweight champion and a precise, technical striker. Drawing on his karate background, he has devastating lead-leg attacks and throws all his shots with impressive accuracy. Training at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu SG, Whittaker varies his shots well, attacking the head and body evenly and never overextending or getting sloppy. He excels at mixing kicks into combinations, making them extremely hard to anticipate or see before they land. He’s a solid grappler with a black belt in BJJ and excellent wrestling skills, but he typically looks to keep the fight standing. Whittaker has earned nine post-fight bonuses during his UFC tenure, the second-most all-time in the Middleweight division.

Main Card

King Green vs. Terrance McKinney

*King Green lands a thudding right hand on the chin of Jeremy Stephens. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Lightweight Bout

King Green: 35-17-1, 12 KO/TKO, 10 Sub.

Terrance McKinney: 18-8-0, 9 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.

Green has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over #14-ranked Lightweight Grant Dawson (24-3-1), Nasrat Haqparast (18-6-0), and Jim Miller (39-19-0). He is an excellent boxer who picks his opponents apart with quick, heavy hands. He’s rarely in a boring fight, always willing to go to the center of the octagon and exchange blows. Green fights with his hands low, remaining unpredictable and never telegraphing his strikes. He fights behind his jab, keeping his strikes sharp and straight while constantly attacking from different angles and varying his targets. Training at Pinnacle MMA, he’s a solid wrestler and averages more than one takedown per fifteen minutes, but he generally prefers to keep the fight standing. Green has been fighting professionally since 2008 and has earned various UFC Lightweight records, including the most significant strikes landed (2007) and the most total strikes landed (2255) all-time.

*Terrance McKinney rains down ground-and-pound onto Kyle Nelson. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

McKinney has won three of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Farés Ziam (18-5-0), Kyle Nelson (17-7-1), and Matt Frevola (11-6-1). He’s a wild scrapper who comes out guns blazing, always hunting for a quick finish. He’s always coming forward, pressuring his opponent, and firing every shot with knockout intent. McKinney is just as dangerous on the mat and is highly aggressive in top position, constantly looking to posture up or secure a submission. Training at Fusion X-Cel, he has excellent chokes and can find them with blinding speed, regularly using them to defend takedowns or immediately getting ahold of his opponent's neck when the fight goes to the ground. He has never been to a decision in his professional career, reaching the third round only once in 26 fights. McKinney has already put his name in the UFC Lightweight record books, holding the records for the fastest finish and knockout (0:07) and the shortest average fight time (2:16).

#4 Brandon Royval vs. #5 Lone’er Kavanagh

*Brandon Royval attempts to secure a choke on Tatsuro Taira. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Flyweight Bout

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

Lone’er Kavanagh: 10-1-0, 4 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Royval has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #3-ranked Flyweight Tatsuro Taira (18-2-0), #9-ranked Flyweight Brandon Moreno (23-10-2), and Kai Kara-France (25-12-0). 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 earned the most Fight of the Night bonuses in UFC Flyweight history (5) and always leaves everything in the cage. Royval is dangerous in any position on the ground and is always working to improve position or secure a submission. 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 highly durable, with an excellent ability to recover from damage. Royval has set multiple Flyweight records in his six-year UFC tenure, including the most significant strikes attempted in a fight (510), the most total strikes attempted (556) and landed (281) in a fight, and the most head strikes landed in a fight (248).

*Lone’er Kavanagh stuns Brandon Moreno with a heavy right hand. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Kavanagh has won four of his last five bouts, with UFC victories over #9-ranked Flyweight Brandon Moreno (23-10-2), Jose Ochoa (9-2-0), and Felipe dos Santos (8-3-0). He’s a lifelong kickboxer with excellent technical striking and solid grappling. He’s very measured, picks his shots, and often looks to draw his opponent into his range to land counterstrikes. Kavanagh is very quick and elusive, regularly darting into the pocket to land damage, then returning to range unscathed. Training at Great Britain Top Team, he has strong takedowns, can land them in open space or in the clinch, and has solid takedown defense as well. He’s very aggressive in top position, focusing on posturing up and landing ground and pound rather than improving his position or securing a submission. Kavanagh, although very technical, is willing to hang inside the pocket and exchange blows and can be drawn into brawls.

#4 Cory Sandhagen vs. #5 Mario Bautista

*Cory Sandhagen lands a devastating ground-and-pound blow on Deiveson Figueiredo. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Bantamweight Bout

Cory Sandhagen: 18-6-0, 8 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Mario Bautista: 17-3-0, 3 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.

Sandhagen has won three of his last five outings and has UFC victories over #6-ranked Bantamweight Song Yadong (22-8-1), #11-ranked Bantamweight Deiveson Figueiredo (25-7-1), and his current opponent, Mario Bautista. He is a top-level striker, constantly moving and setting traps for his opponent. He can land damage from range with his arsenal of kicks or on the inside with devastating knees and elbows. Training with Elevation Fight Team, Sandhagen has excellent cardio and can push a heavy pace across five rounds while remaining technical and keeping his strikes straight and tight. He’s constantly switching stances and never telegraphs his shots, often mixing in kicks at the end of punch combinations. He’s willing to grapple, will pursue takedowns, has solid top control, and rarely puts himself in bad positions on the ground. Sandhagen has only lost to current or former champions in his UFC tenure and will go toe-to-toe with anybody.

*Mario Bautista fires a vicious elbow at a grounded Vinicius Oliveira. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Bautista has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over José Aldo (32-10-0), Vinicius Oliveira (24-4-0), and Ricky Simón (22-7-1). He’s a technical, well-rounded fighter with an outstanding gas tank. He throws everything in combination with impressive speed and power, and regularly mixes in shots to the body and legs. Training at the MMA Lab, Bautista does a great job varying his angles and entries into the pocket, and he’s very defensively sound, keeping his head off the centerline and his guard high. He’s averaging nearly two takedowns per 15 minutes and is very strong in the clinch, often controlling his opponent along the cage and draining their stamina. He’s as quick on the ground as on his feet, transitioning and passing efficiently and effectively. Bautista can comfortably push a heavy pace throughout an entire fight, remaining dangerous at all times and never getting wild or sloppy.

#5 Benoît Saint Denis vs. #9 Paddy Pimblett

*Benoît Saint Denis batters Dan Hooker with brutal ground-and-pound. Credit: Yahoo Sports.*

Lightweight Bout

Benoît Saint Denis: 17-3-0, 6 KO/TKO, 11 Sub.

Paddy Pimblett: 23-4-0, 7 KO/TKO, 10 Sub.

Saint Denis has won four of his last five bouts and holds UFC victories over #10-ranked Lightweight Maurício Ruffy (12-2-0), #11-ranked Lightweight Dan Hooker (24-14-0), and Beneil Dariush (23-8-1). A versatile combatant, he has powerful striking and outstanding grappling skills. A decorated veteran and former French SAS paratrooper, he’s incredibly tough and capable of enduring impressive damage. He throws everything with fight-ending intent and is always in pursuit of a finish. Saint Denis is an excellent grappler with extensive experience, holding a black belt in Judo and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Training at CYFIT, he has great takedowns and heavy top control, constantly looking to posture up in top position to do damage or secure a submission. Saint Denis always pushes a heavy pace and has reached the third round only once in his UFC tenure.

*Paddy Pimblett rocks Jared Gordon with a sharp right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Pimblett has won four of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Michael Chandler (23-11-0), Jared Gordon (21-9-0), and King Green (35-17-1). He’s a well-rounded scrapper with a fantastic submission game. He throws every shot with power, regularly unloading looping hooks or blitzing forward while firing heavy power shots. Training at Next Generation MMA, he has a good chin and is willing to exchange inside the pocket. He has solid takedowns and transitions quickly on the mat, often finding himself in full mount or on his opponent’s back with impressive speed. He has smothering top control and is very active in top position, constantly raining down ground-and-pound shots until he creates an opening for a submission. All of Pimblett’s submission victories have come via some form of choke, and he’ll pursue them at any time, often attempting flying triangles while standing.

Conor McGregor vs. #4 (LW) Max Holloway

*Conor McGregor lands a cracking left hand on Dustin Poirier. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Welterweight Bout

Conor McGregor: 22-6-0, 19 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Max Holloway: 27-9-0, 12 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

McGregor has won two of his last five fights and is returning to the UFC for the first time in five years. He’s a former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight champion and a devastating striker. He has clean, technical boxing skills, excellent range management, and will constantly look to set up his left hand. McGregor has a solid arsenal of kicks but tends to favor his hands and will often look to counterstrike. Training at SBG Ireland, he favors power over volume and has produced five knockout wins in the UFC with fewer than 25 significant strikes landed. He has a black belt in BJJ but rarely, if ever, looks to bring the fight to the mat and largely uses his grappling skills defensively. McGregor has earned various UFC records, including the most consecutive post-fight bonuses (8), the fastest win in a UFC title fight (0:13), and the first-ever simultaneous multi-division champion in UFC history.

*Max Holloway stuns Justin Gaethje with a powerful left hand. Credit: Bleacher Report.*

Holloway has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over UFC Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje (28-5-0), #5-ranked Featherweight Arnold Allen (20-4-0), and Yair Rodríguez (21-5-0). He’s a fantastic striker capable of throwing unbelievable volume. He pushes a heavy pace and remains technical throughout, fighting behind his jab and never wasting energy. Holloway has excellent distance management and footwork, remaining elusive while constantly landing shots and doing damage. Training at Gracie Technics, he has a solid submission game and has defended 81% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC, but rarely initiates grappling exchanges. He’ll constantly look to counterstrike, slipping his opponent’s attacks before landing his own. Holloway holds various UFC records, including but not limited to: most significant strikes landed all-time (3681), most significant strikes landed in a single bout (445), and the most total fight time (8:52:43).

Best Bets

Terrance McKinney by KO/TKO: This is a fascinating matchup of two dangerous Lightweights. This is a very tough matchup to predict based on pure striking, as I believe they match up pretty closely. With this in mind, you have to look at the measurables, where McKinney has the advantage; he has the longer reach, he’s the younger man, is more accurate with his strikes, and is much more of a threat on the mat. Of Green’s 12 UFC losses, five have come via first-round knockout, and McKinney is by far at his most dangerous in the first round. Green has shown decent grappling skills in the UFC but rarely brings the fight to the mat, whereas McKinney is more than willing to shoot for takedowns and do damage on the mat. I expect this fight to get off to a quick start, with both men meeting in the middle of the Octagon and letting their hands go. I don’t expect this fight to last very long, and I believe McKinney will find the knockout blow early on and secure another impressive victory.

Cory Sandhagen Moneyline: This is an outstanding rematch between two top-ranked Bantamweights. It’s been 7 years since their first meeting, and although both fighters have evolved significantly, I still expect a similar outcome. Despite a nearly spotless UFC record, Bautista has not faced the same level of competition as Sandhagen, who has faced six former or current UFC champions during his tenure in the promotion. I also believe Sandhagen still has significantly better striking than Bautista and a much wider variety of attacks. They match up similarly in grappling, but Sandhagen has faced better grapplers than Bautista and has the skills to either keep the fight standing or control Bautista on the mat. I expect this to be a very technical fight from the opening bell, with action on both the feet and the mat. Regardless of where the fight goes or how long it lasts, I am confident that Sandhagen will emerge the victor when the dust settles.

Max Holloway Moneyline: The main event is another rematch, but one that’s been far longer in the making and far more shocking. Their first bout was in 2013, and this will be McGregor’s first UFC appearance since 2021. Regardless of whether ring rust is real, I believe Holloway is simply too skilled and can set a pace McGregor won’t be able to match. Even in his prime, McGregor was never known for volume striking or engaging in wild, five-round wars, both of which are Holloway’s specialties. Holloway also has the boxing to match McGregor and a five-inch reach advantage, which will limit McGregor’s ability to get inside the pocket and use his striking effectively. I expect this fight to get off to a quick start and be fought at a high pace, with both fighters letting their hands go and pursuing a knockout. The longer the fight goes on, the more it benefits Holloway. Regardless of when this fight ends, I believe Holloway will find a way to win and spoil McGregor’s return.

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