*Joshua Van lands a cracking right hand on Brandon Royval. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

The UFC heads to the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, for a fantastic card. From start to finish, the card features excellent matchups, top-level fighters, and rising stars looking to put on a show inside the Octagon on Saturday night. In the co-main event, we’ll see a five-round contest between dominant wrestler Arman Tsarukyan and powerful knockout artist Maurício Ruffy. In the main event, we finally get the title rematch between two heated Flyweight rivals, Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

#13 Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski

*Alonzo Menifield lands a vicious right hook on Zhang Mingyang. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Light Heavyweight Bout

Alonzo Menifield: 18-6-1, 11 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Iwo Baraniewski: 9-0-0, 7 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Menifield has won three of his last five fights and holds UFC victories over Dustin Jacoby (22-10-1), Oumar Sy (12-3-0), and Zhang Mingyang (19-8-0). He is an explosive power-puncher who relentlessly pursues a finish. He constantly looks to close the distance and set up his right hand, regularly punching his way into the pocket to unload heavy overhands and hooks. Menifield favors power over volume and tends to headhunt but has heavy leg kicks that he’ll occasionally add to the end of combinations. Training at Fortis MMA, he’s unlikely to initiate grappling exchanges, but will immediately posture up and land devastating ground-and-pound if he secures top position. He’s always dangerous and has the cardio to go three rounds, but is particularly dangerous early on, having secured eleven of his fourteen finishes in the first round. Menifield has earned two Fight of the Night bonuses in his last four UFC appearances and is rarely in a boring fight.

*Iwo Baraniewski blasts Ibo Aslan with a crushing right hand. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Baraniewski is undefeated and has UFC victories over Ibo Aslan (14-4-0), Justin Tafa (7-6-0), and Austen Lane (13-8-0). He’s a powerful brawler with excellent grappling to back up his dangerous hands. He’s impressively durable and constantly comes forward to pressure his opponent, always willing to eat a shot to land one of his own. Despite his brawling tendencies, Baraniewski has solid head movement and is very accurate with his hands, throwing every shot with power and rarely missing. Training at Aligatores FC, he holds a black belt in Judo, a brown belt in BJJ, and has a lengthy amateur MMA career, with a 16-3 amateur record before turning professional in 2023. He has excellent trips and throws from the clinch and is very aggressive in top position, almost immediately looking to posture up and rain down ground and pound. Baraniewski has not seen a second round in his professional career and has finished all of his victories in under four minutes.

Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf

*Gable Steveson stuns Elisha Ellison with a straight right hand. Credit: Bloody Elbow.*

Heavyweight Bout

Gable Steveson: 4-0-0, 4 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Sean Sharaf: 4-2-0, 4 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Steveson is undefeated and has a UFC win over Elisha Ellison (5-3-0). He’s a former Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling and a two-time NCAA Div. 1 collegiate wrestling champion. He’s always coming forward, relentlessly pressuring his opponent and throwing every shot with knockout intent. Steveson has heavy kicks but won’t spend much time at range, instead closing the distance to unload inside the pocket or shoot for a takedown. He has outstanding takedowns and secures them quickly, both in open space and along the cage. Training at Jackson-Wink MMA, he has heavy top pressure and is very active on top, immediately transitioning to a dominant position to rain down vicious ground-and-pound. Steveson has not left the first round in his brief professional career and has secured all of his knockouts in four minutes or less.

*Sean Sharaf tags Steven Asplund with a stiff right hand. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Sharaf has won three of his last five bouts and is seeking his first UFC win. He’s a hard-charging brawler with serious punching power. He comes out guns blazing from the opening bell, immediately pressuring his opponent and letting his hands go. Sharaf does a good job of controlling the center of the cage, forcing his opponent to the outside while relentlessly coming forward. He heavily favors his hands and has solid output, throwing everything in combination and regularly mixing in heavy body shots. Training at Xtreme Couture, he has solid takedowns and will immediately posture up to unload ground-and-pound shots the instant the fight hits the mat. Sharaf always pushes a heavy pace and is most dangerous early on, with all of his professional victories coming via first-round knockout.

Patrício Pitbull vs. Dooho Choi

*Patrício Pitbull fires a powerful uppercut at Dan Ige. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Featherweight Bout

Patrício Pitbull: 37-9-0, 13 KO/TKO, 11 Sub.

Dooho Choi: 17-4-1, 14 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Pitbull has won two of his last five outings and holds a UFC victory over Dan Ige (19-12-0). He’s a powerful, technical fighter with outstanding distance management and counterstriking skills. He does an excellent job of holding the center of the cage and forcing his opponent to the outside, not utilizing much elusive movement but always pressing forward. Pitbull has outstanding head movement and footwork, regularly slipping punches and landing devastating counters. Training at Pitbull Brothers, he throws everything with power but won’t get sloppy or telegraph his strikes, often blitzing forward with looping hooks before quickly returning to range. He’s comfortable on his feet but is also an excellent grappler with solid wrestling and a wide variety of dangerous submissions. Pitbull is a former Bellator Lightweight and Featherweight champion and is the Bellator record holder for the most fights, wins, title fights, wins in title fights, and finishes.

*Dooho Choi takes Nate Landwehr off his feet to secure a takedown. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Choi has won three of his last five fights, with one draw, and has UFC victories over Nate Landwehr (18-8-0), Bill Algeo (18-9-0), and Daniel Santos (14-3-0). He’s a precise, powerful striker with excellent grappling. He’s patient on his feet and has excellent range management, always remaining elusive and defensively sound. Choi fights behind his jab and delivers clean, sharp strikes, throwing everything with power without getting sloppy or telegraphing. Training with Busan Team M.A.D., he improves as fights progress and varies his targets well, with particularly vicious body shots. He’s averaging over one takedown per fifteen minutes and will smother his opponents with pressure and ground-and-pound from top position. Choi has earned six bonuses in ten UFC fights and is a Hall of Famer, with his fight with Cub Swanson inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC’s Hall of Fame in 2022.

#2 Arman Tsarukyan vs. #10 Maurício Ruffy

*Arman Tsarukan rains down brutal ground-and-pound shots onto Dan Hooker. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Lightweight Bout

Arman Tsarukyan: 23-3-0, 9 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.

Maurício Ruffy: 14-2-0, 13 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Tsarukyan is on a five-fight win streak and has UFC wins over #3-ranked Lightweight Charles Oliveira (37-11-0), Beneil Dariush (23-8-1), and Dan Hooker (24-15-0). He’s a well-rounded fighter with serious punching power and outstanding, smothering wrestling. He has fast hands and throws everything in combination, regularly mixing heavy body and head kicks into his offense. Training at American Top Team, Tsarukyan has a solid chin and a flashy arsenal of kicks, often firing spinning attacks or axe kicks. He is a dominant grappler with excellent timing and entries on his takedowns, usually getting to his opponents’ hips with impressive speed before securing a powerful takedown. He’s very efficient in top position, maintaining control and not allowing his opponent up while constantly landing brutal ground-and-pound shots, especially elbows. Tsarukyan, on average, lands twice as many significant strikes per minute as he absorbs and is always dangerous.

*Maurício Ruffy cracks Rafael Fiziev with a straight right hand. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Ruffy has won four of his last five bouts and holds UFC victories over #12-ranked Lightweight Rafael Fiziev (14-5-0), Michael Chandler (23-11-0), and King Green (36-17-1). A lethal, elusive striker, he’s always dangerous and constantly hunting a knockout. He’s highly accurate and favors power over volume, often throwing single, high-impact shots with knockout intent. Ruffy has fantastic distance control and head movement, typically staying at range and picking his opponents apart with brutal leg kicks before letting his hands go. Training at Freestyle MMA, he throws everything with impressive speed and is always unpredictable, regularly attempting unorthodox strikes without telegraphing them. He varies his shots well and constantly looks to draw his opponents into his range so he can land counterstrikes. Ten of Ruffy’s thirteen knockouts have come in round one, and he’s most dangerous early on, remaining aggressive throughout but slowing as the fight continues.

(C) Joshua Van vs. #1 Alexandre Pantoja

*Joshua Van batters Tatsuro Taira with powerful ground-and-pound. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Flyweight Bout

Joshua Van: 17-2-0, 9 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Alexandre Pantoja: 30-6-0, 8 KO/TKO, 12 Sub.

Van is on a seven-fight win streak and has UFC victories over #3-ranked Flyweight Brandon Royval (18-9-0), #4-ranked Flyweight Tatsuro Taira (18-2-0), and his current opponent, Alexandre Pantoja. He’s a dangerous striker who constantly comes forward and lets his hands go. He fights behind his jab and favors volume over power, throwing everything in combination without loading up or telegraphing. Van has outstanding head movement and distance management, regularly slipping punches before unloading combinations. Training at 4oz Fight Club, he does an exceptional job of varying his shots, entering the pocket at different angles, and constantly attacking his opponent’s body and legs. He’s willing to grapple, has solid takedown defense, and averages about one takedown per fifteen minutes. Van has the highest significant strikes landed per minute in UFC Flyweight history, at 8.43, and has outlanded nearly all of his UFC opponents.

*Alexandre Pantoja viciously chokes out Kai Asakura. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Pantoja has won four of his last five outings and holds UFC victories over #2-ranked Flyweight Manel Kape (23-7-0), #3-ranked Flyweight Brandon Royval (18-9-0), and #9-ranked Flyweight Brandon Moreno (24-10-2). He’s a fast starter and dangerous everywhere, with serious power in his hands and outstanding grappling. He starts every round guns blazing, pressuring his opponent and unloading quick, heavy combinations. Pantoja has powerful kicks and regularly mixes them into his punch combinations, constantly battering his opponent’s legs, body, and head. Training at American Top Team, he has outstanding takedowns, typically landing them quickly and securing a dominant position on the mat. He is extremely tough to get away from on the ground, using smothering top control to wear down his opponents while constantly looking for submissions. Pantoja has firmly established himself as one of the greatest Flyweights of all time and holds various UFC Flyweight records, including the most wins (14), most finishes (8), and most submission wins (6).

Best Bets

Iwo Baraniewski by KO/TKO: This is an outstanding matchup between two exciting Light Heavyweight strikers. Both are dangerous and known for their knockout power, but I believe Baraniewski’s durability and well-roundedness will be the deciding factor. In his brief UFC tenure, Baraniewski has already been in some wild brawls and shown an impressive chin, whereas Menifield has been knocked out in three of his last six UFC appearances. Baraniewski also holds a black belt in Judo, and although he hasn’t grappled much in the UFC, I believe he has a significant advantage over Menifield if the fight hits the mat. I expect this fight to get off to a quick start, with both men meeting in the middle and letting their hands go from the opening bell. As the fight continues, I expect Baraniewski to get the better of the striking exchanges while controlling the center of the Octagon, allowing him to dictate the range and create openings to land takedowns. Ultimately, I expect plenty of wild exchanges, but I don’t think it will take long before Baraniewski lands the knockout blow and secures another impressive victory.

Dooho Choi Moneyline: This is an intriguing matchup between two experienced Featherweights. Although Choi doesn’t have Pitbull’s pedigree, I believe he holds a significant speed and power advantage that will shut down Pitbull’s offense. Choi has looked outstanding since returning from a three-year layoff and has scored three consecutive knockout wins. Although highly technically skilled, Pitbull has looked slow since joining the UFC and tends to wait too long to find the perfect shot, something he cannot afford to do against Choi. I expect Choi to pressure him from the opening bell, forcing him to fight at a high pace and not allowing him to cautiously pick his shots. As the fight continues and Choi stays on the gas pedal, I expect Pitbull to slow down, allowing Choi to fully open up with his hands and completely control their exchanges. Pitbull has proven durable, though, and isn’t an easy out for anyone. I am confident that Choi will walk away with the win, regardless of how he does so.

Alexandre Pantoja Moneyline: This fight is a highly anticipated rematch after a first meeting that ended in an unfortunate injury. Both fighters are among the best in the Flyweight division, but I believe Pantoja’s grappling and championship experience will be a major difference-maker. Van has looked outstanding both on his run-up to the title and since he won it, but he has only truly been tested on the mat by Tatsuro Taira, who isn’t nearly as well-rounded or dangerous as Pantoja. Being forced into constant danger on the feet and on the mat is very taxing on your cardio, especially when you aren’t used to it, and Van has just one actual title fight to Pantoja’s five (excluding their first fight). I expect Pantoja to push a heavy pace from the start, constantly pressuring Van and threatening with big power shots and repeated takedown attempts. As the fight continues, I expect Pantoja to wear down Van and start to control him on the mat, doing damage with ground-and-pound and further draining his energy. I anticipate a very exciting, back-and-forth fight, but I believe Pantoja will be able to match Van’s pace on the feet, control him on the mat, and earn back his Flyweight title.

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