*Islam Makhachev lands a vicious uppercut on Dustin Poirier. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

The UFC heads to the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a fantastic card. Every matchup throughout the night features top-notch contenders, rising prospects, and established veterans, all looking for a highlight-reel victory. In the co-main event, reigning women’s Strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern looks to defend her title against surging submission ace Gillian Robertson. In the main event, Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev seeks another title defense and a chance to break the UFC record for consecutive victories, but must get past dangerous striker Ian Machado Garry. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics

*Edson Barboza catches Sodiq Yusuff with a spinning kick. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Lightweight Bout

Edson Barboza: 24-14-0, 14 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Esteban Ribovics: 15-3-0, 7 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.

Barboza has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #12-ranked Lightweight Dan Hooker (24-14-0), Beneil Dariush (23-8-1), and Sodiq Yusuff (13-5-0). He is a true veteran and among the most respected, dangerous strikers in the UFC. He has some of the most devastating kicks in the promotion, with multiple finishes via leg and spinning kicks. Barboza never telegraphs or overextends, remaining technical throughout and always throwing in combination. Training at American Top Team, he throws everything with impressive speed and power, regularly adding heavy kicks to the end of his combinations. He rarely takes the fight to the mat but has defended 73% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. Barboza has earned various accolades over his 16 years in the UFC, including the second most Fight of the Night bonuses of all time, with 10, and the fourth most knockdowns of all time, with 16.

*Esteban Ribovics tags Elves Brener with a thudding head kick. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Ribovics has won three of his last five bouts and holds UFC victories over Terrance McKinney (18-9-0), Daniel Zellhuber (15-4-0), and Elves Brener (16-6-0). He’s a heavy-handed scrapper, coming out guns blazing and pushing a heavy pace from bell to bell. He’s constantly looking to close the distance and unload brutal hooks inside the pocket. Ribovics tends to brawl more as the fight goes on, often starting rounds technically and taking more risks as they progress. Training at Kill Cliff FC, he has solid defensive grappling and has proven capable of surviving in deep waters on the mat. Although he won’t typically initiate grappling scenarios, he has heavy ground-and-pound and submission skills, particularly shoulder locks. Ribovics is always dangerous, especially early on, with five of his seven knockouts coming in the first round.

Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus

*Mansur Abdul-Malik submits Antonio Trocoli with a vicious standing guillotine. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Middleweight Bout

Mansur Abdul-Malik: 9-1-1, 7 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Dustin Stoltzfus: 16-8-0, 3 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.

Abdul-Malik has won three of his last five outings, with one draw, and has UFC victories over Duško Todorović (13-7-0), Nick Klein (6-3-0), and Antonio Trocoli (12-7-0). He’s a powerful, explosive fighter with heavy hands and excellent wrestling. He throws every shot with power, fighting in a low, squatted stance and ready to blitz forward with huge, lunging strikes at any moment. Abdul-Malik is dangerous early on but can be a slow starter, often opening up more as the fight continues. Training at MMA Masters, he has great takedowns, usually securing them quickly before unleashing a barrage of vicious, thudding ground-and-pound on his opponent. He’s very aggressive in top position, immediately pursuing a finish, and has solid chokes to back up his ground-and-pound. Abdul-Malik has never gone to a decision in his professional career and can produce a highlight-reel knockout at any time.

*Dustin Stoltzfus cracks Kelvin Gastelum with a right hand. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Stoltzfus has won two of his last five fights and owns UFC wins over Punahele Soriano (13-4-0), Marc-André Barriault (17-11-0), and Dwight Grant (11-6-0). He’s a solid wrestler with impressive power who’s always willing to engage in the pocket. He’s always coming forward, willing to hang in the pocket and brawl. Stoltzfus throws everything with power, rarely throwing straight shots and regularly unloading heavy hooks and overhands. He’s averaging over two takedowns per fifteen minutes and regularly executes vicious slams. Training at Xtreme Couture, he’s always working from top position, constantly pursuing submissions or posturing up to do damage. Stoltzfus has a wide range of martial arts experience and holds a black belt in Luta Livre, a purple belt in BJJ, and a red belt in Tang Soo Do.

Jalin Turner vs. Kauê Fernandes

*Jalin Turner lands a cracking right hook on Edson Barboza. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Lightweight Bout

Jalin Turner: 15-9-0, 11 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Kauê Fernandes: 11-2-0, 6 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Turner has won two of his last five bouts and holds UFC victories over #10-ranked Welterweight Uroš Medić (14-3-0), King Green (36-17-1), and Edson Barboza (24-14-0). He’s a dangerous, lengthy striker with serious punching power and lethal submissions. He fights behind his jab and uses his size well, constantly firing long, straight punches and catching his opponents as they enter his range. He can throw with both power and volume and regularly strings together extended combinations finished with heavy kicks. Training at Carlson Gracie Riverside, Turner is averaging about one takedown per fifteen minutes and holds a brown belt in BJJ. He will land devastating ground-and-pound from top position and has excellent chokes. Turner has earned all of his professional victories via finish and secured twelve of them in the very first round.

*Kauê Fernandes fires a kick to the legs of a grounded Guram Kutateladze. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Fernandes has won four of his last five outings and has UFC wins over Guram Kutateladze (13-5-0), Harry Hardwick (13-5-1), and Mohammad Yahya (12-7-0). He’s an outstanding striker with heavy hands and vicious kicks. He’s in perpetual motion, always circling along the outside of the cage while landing long, lunging kicks and punches. Fernandes throws everything with knockout power but is impressively accurate and rarely wastes energy. He will constantly batter his opponent with brutal leg kicks and can do serious damage in a hurry. Training at Nova União, he’s a solid grappler with great takedown defense but won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges. Fernandes is extremely dangerous early on and has produced five first-round finishes in under a minute and a half.

(C) Mackenzie Dern vs. #4 Gillian Robertson

*Mackenzie Dern forces Nina Nunes to tap to a brutal armbar. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Women’s Strawweight Title Bout

Mackenzie Dern: 16-5-0, 0 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Gillian Robertson: 17-8-0, 3 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.

Dern has won three of her last five fights and owns UFC victories over #2-ranked Strawweight Virna Jandiroba (23-4-0), #11-ranked Strawweight Loopy Godínez (14-6-0), and Amanda Ribas (12-7-0). She’s a 3rd-degree BJJ black belt and among the most credentialed grapplers in the UFC. She throws every shot in combination and with bad intentions, regularly blitzing forward to unload power shots. Dern is constantly looking to close the distance to let her hands go, shoot for a takedown, or clinch up. Training at RVCA, she’s comfortable both off her back and in top position, and she’s always aggressive on the mat, constantly pursuing submissions and throwing ground-and-pound. She has outstanding sweeps and scrambles and can secure a submission from seemingly anywhere in nearly any position. Dern has scored a UFC-record 5 submission wins in the Strawweight division and has earned 7 post-fight bonuses during her tenure in the promotion.

*Gillian Robertson submits Piera Rodriguez with a vicious armbar. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Robertson is on a five-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #8-ranked Strawweight Piera Rodriguez (12-2-0), #14-ranked Strawweight Amanda Lemos (15-7-1), and Marina Rodriguez (17-6-2). She’s a true submission artist with excellent wrestling and BJJ skills. She’s patient on her feet, looking for openings to land shots while controlling the center and forcing her opponent onto their back foot. Robertson usually won’t waste much time before pursuing a takedown and will gladly shoot repeatedly to bring the fight to the mat. She has landed at least one takedown in eleven consecutive fights and is very active in top position, constantly advancing position and setting up submissions. Training at The Goat Shed, she maintains smothering top pressure and regularly mixes in punishing ground-and-pound while pursuing submissions. Robertson holds various UFC women’s records, including the most submission wins and the most finishes at women’s Flyweight, and is tied for the most finishes in UFC women’s history.

(C) Islam Makhachev vs. #2 Ian Machado Garry

*Islam Makhachev rains down groud-and-pound shots onto Jack Della Maddalena. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Welterweight Title Bout

Islam Makhachev: 28-1-0, 5 KO/TKO, 13 Sub.

Ian Machado Garry: 17-1-0, 7 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Makhachev is on a sixteen-fight win streak and has UFC victories over Featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski (28-4-0), #2-ranked Lightweight Arman Tsarukyan (23-3-0), and #3-ranked Lightweight Charles Oliveira (37-11-0). He is a dominant wrestler who wastes little time taking the fight to the mat to find a finish. Training at Eagles MMA, he’s dangerous on the mat but also willing to stay on his feet and let his hands go. Makhachev has serious knockout power, educated hands, and an excellent chin, always willing to hang in the pocket and exchange. He averages over three takedowns per fifteen minutes and applies smothering top pressure, controlling his opponent while constantly hunting for a submission. He rarely sees the judges’ scorecards, having scored finishes in eight of his last ten wins. Makhachev holds several records in the Lightweight division, including the longest win streak, the most title wins, and the most title defenses.

*Ian* *Garry lands a stiff jab on Belal Muhammad. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Garry has won four of his last five bouts and owns UFC wins over #1-ranked Welterweight Carlos Prates (24-7-0), #7-ranked Welterweight Belal Muhammad (24-6-0), and #8-ranked Middleweight Michael Page (25-3-0). He’s a precise, technical striker with solid grappling skills. He’s highly accurate, throwing everything with speed and power while staying composed and rarely wasting energy. Garry has excellent distance management and excels at controlling range, quickly darting in and out of the pocket and preventing his opponents from landing long combinations. He constantly varies his strikes and angles, remaining unpredictable and elusive throughout. Training at Chute Boxe DL, he holds a black belt in Judo and is willing to grapple, regularly mixing in takedowns and clinches to wear down his opponent and control the pace. Garry benefits from a slower, more technical fight and is not looking to be pulled into a knockdown, drag-out brawl.

Best Bets

Mansur-Abdul Malik Moneyline: This is an exciting matchup between two consistent finishers. Although both fighters are dangerous, I believe Abdul-Malik has a significant power advantage and should be able to match Stoltzfus on the mat. I don’t expect either fighter to be overly cautious, but Stoltzfus’s grappling tendencies could slow the pace, which makes me hesitant to bet on a finish. Regardless, I expect plenty of entertaining exchanges on the feet, with Abdul-Malik getting the better of them by using his reach to back Stoltzfus up and land big shots. As the fight continues, I expect more sequences in the clinch along the cage or on the mat, likely initiated by Stoltzfus but ultimately controlled by Abdul-Malik. Regardless of how or when this fight ends, I expect it to be an impressive, dominant victory for Abdul-Malik.

Mackenzie Dern Moneyline: This is an intriguing matchup between two experienced grapplers. Both fighters are known for their submission skills, but I believe Dern is far more dangerous on the mat and has the chin and power to control the striking exchanges. Neither is a particularly technical striker, but Dern lands significant strikes at a higher rate per minute (3.47 vs. 2.71) and has faced higher-level competition than Robertson. Robertson likely has a wrestling advantage, but as we’ve seen repeatedly in Dern’s fights, she’s not only a submission threat from her back but also has outstanding reversals and sweeps. I believe she’ll find her way to top position in most grappling exchanges against Robertson. I expect this fight to get off to a quick start, with both fighters meeting in the middle and letting their hands go until one inevitably shoots a takedown. Once the fight hits the mat, I expect Dern to take over, wearing down Robertson with constant submission attempts and ground-and-pound. The longer the fight goes, the more I expect Robertson to fade, and I believe Dern will ultimately earn her first title defense.

Islam Makhachev by Submission: This is a matchup of two outstanding Welterweights that I’ve been looking forward to. Garry’s significant height advantage presents an interesting puzzle for Makhachev to solve, but I believe Makhachev’s power and outstanding wrestling will be the difference maker. Garry is primarily known for his kickboxing skills, but since moving his training to Chute Boxe, he has shown a tendency to initiate grappling exchanges and spend less time at range, which I believe will be to his detriment in this matchup. I expect Makhachev to close the distance from the opening bell, getting inside to land power shots and shoot for takedowns. Once Makhachev gets the fight to the ground, I don’t expect Garry to have much of an answer. The longer Makhachev maintains control on the ground, the more damage he’ll do and the worse it will get for Garry. I’m confident that before the final bell, Makhachev will secure a dominant position and force Garry to submit, adding another fight to his lengthy win streak.

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