Ciryl Gane cracks Alex Pereira with a vicious left hook. Credit: MMA Fighting.
The UFC heads to Madison Square Garden in New York City with a fantastic card. There are plenty of standout matchups throughout, featuring established veterans, rising contenders, and hot prospects all looking to score a highlight-reel victory this Saturday night. In the co-main event, we’ll witness a long-awaited matchup as reigning women’s Bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison takes on former champion and Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes. In the main event, two top-tier Heavyweights collide with gold on the line when dangerous striker Ciryl Gane looks to defend his title against brawling wrestler Josh Hokit.
Bilal Hasan vs. Luis Gurule
Bilal Hasan lands a brutal ground-and-pound shot on Nilson Rojas. Credit: MMA Mania.
Flyweight Bout
Bilal Hasan: 10-0-0, 8 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Luis Gurule: 11-4-0, 5 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Hasan is undefeated and holds a UFC win over Nilson Rojas (9-1-0). He’s an outstanding, flashy striker with heavy hands and a devastating arsenal of kicks. He is a 3rd-degree black belt in Taekwondo and uses his kicking game to set up everything, constantly blasting his opponent with quick, heavy kicks from range before closing the distance to let his hands go. Hasan is in perpetual motion and has fantastic range management, rarely absorbing much damage and doing a great job of entering and exiting the pocket from different angles. He regularly switches stances and won’t telegraph any of his attacks, instead remaining composed and picking his shots carefully. Training at Charlie’s Combat Club, he usually avoids taking the fight to the mat but has great takedown and submission defense. Hasan has only gone the distance once in his professional career, but he has solid cardio and can comfortably carry his power and speed across three rounds.
Luis Gurule fires a straight right hand at Jesus Aguilar. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Gurule has won one of his last five fights and has a UFC victory over Daniel Barez (17-8-0). He’s a dangerous power-puncher with an extensive wrestling background. He constantly pressures his opponents and has great output, regularly firing extended 5- or 6-punch combinations. He heavily favors his hands and tends to headhunt, regularly dipping his head before unloading powerful hooks and overhands. Training at Good Guys MMA, he’s a former collegiate wrestler with excellent takedowns, capable of executing vicious slams and suplexes. He’s comfortable on his feet, but will immediately pursue chokes if he takes top position, and has excellent get-ups if he’s taken down. Gurule has outstanding cardio and pushes a consistently heavy pace across three rounds.
#9 Uroš Medić vs. #15 Kevin Holland
Uroš Medić rains down punches after dropping Daniel Rodriguez. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Welterweight Bout
Uroš Medić: 14-3-0, 12 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Kevin Holland: 29-15-0, 13 KO/TKO, 10 Sub.
Medić has won four of his last five bouts and holds UFC victories over Geoff Neal (16-8-0), Muslim Salikhov (22-7-0), and Daniel Rodriguez (20-6-0). He’s a dangerous kickboxer with great footwork and one-shot knockout power. He’s in constant pursuit of a finish but won’t get wild or overaggressive, instead remaining technical and throwing clean, straight shots. Medić is highly unpredictable, never telegraphing his attacks and throwing everything with impressive power and speed. Training at Kings MMA, he rarely wastes energy and is highly accurate, having landed 60% of the significant strikes he’s attempted in the UFC. He won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges, but he has great takedown defense and is tough to control in the clinch. Medić has yet to see the judges’ scorecards in his professional career, and his last six outings have all ended in less than two and a half minutes.
Kevin Holland fires a vicious front kick to the head of Randy Brown. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Holland has won three of his last five outings and has UFC wins over #8-ranked Middleweight Anthony Hernandez (15-4-0), #12-ranked Welterweight Joaquin Buckley (21-9-0), and Vicente Luque (24-13-1). A wild scrapper who’s comfortable anywhere the fight goes, he’s always dangerous and can finish the fight anywhere. He’s an aggressive striker, throwing everything with serious power and in combination, and is always willing to brawl. Holland is lengthy and comfortable fighting on the inside or at range, but typically looks to crash into the pocket and unload combinations. Training at Squabble MMA, he’s a solid grappler, holding a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and landing, on average, about one takedown per fifteen minutes. He has solid top control and excellent submissions, particularly chokes, with seven of his nine submission victories coming via choke. Holland is one of the most active fighters in MMA, having fought 29 times in the UFC since 2018, and has earned ten post-fight bonuses during his tenure with the promotion.
#6 Caio Borralho vs. Yousri Belgaouri
Caio Borralho lands a cracking left hand on Reinier de Ridder. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Middleweight Bout
Caio Borralho: 18-2-0, 5 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Yousri Belgaouri: 11-3-0, 9 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Borralho has won four of his last five fights and holds UFC wins over #8-ranked Light Heavyweight Reinier de Ridder (22-4-0), Jared Cannonier (18-10-0), and Abus Magomedov (30-7-1). He’s a versatile fighter with powerful, precise striking and a slick submission game. He’s always moving on his feet, pressuring his opponent and often catching them right as they enter his range with long, heavy straights and hooks. Training with the Fighting Nerds, Borralho is highly accurate and regularly varies his targets, often landing thudding leg kicks at range before closing distance to unload combinations. He has a black belt in BJJ, a brown belt in Judo, and averages over one takedown per fifteen minutes. On the mat, he has excellent top control and is very active, always working to improve his position, find a submission, or posture up. Borralho pushes a heavy pace throughout the fight and has earned two post-fight bonuses in his last four UFC appearances.
Yousri Belgaroui lands a stunning right hand on Mansur Abdul-Malik. Credit: MMA Mania.
Belgaroui is on a six-fight win streak and has UFC victories over Azamat Bekoev (20-5-0), Mansur Abdul-Malik (9-2-1), and Djorden Santos (11-4-0). A former Glory kickboxer, he’s a lengthy, precise striker who’s dangerous at all times. He’s highly accurate and varies his targets well, regularly attacking the head, legs, and body with a variety of punches and kicks, including particularly devastating knees. Training at Teixeira MMA, Belgaroui has a sharp jab and fights behind it, remaining technical throughout and using his length to batter his opponent with constant straight punches. He has solid takedown defense and excellent ground-and-pound if the fight hits the mat, often landing vicious elbows while defending takedowns. He has outstanding footwork and distance management, regularly slipping shots, cutting angles, and returning fire. Belgaroui has secured three 3rd-round knockouts in his last four fights and can maintain a solid pace across three rounds, averaging about 83 significant strikes landed in his last two appearances.
(C) Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes
Kayla Harrison cracks Ketlen Vieira with an overhand left. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Women’s Bantamweight Title Bout
Kayla Harrison: 19-1-0, 6 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.
Amanda Nunes: 23-5-0, 13 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Harrison has won four of her last five bouts and holds UFC victories over #5-ranked Bantamweight Julianna Peña (13-6-0), Ketlen Vieira (16-6-0), and Holly Holm (15-7-0). She is a former two-time Olympic gold medalist Judoka with serious punching power. She is exceptionally powerful and explosive, especially in the clinch, where she’ll regularly use her excellent trips and throws to take the fight to the mat. She has heavy, smothering top pressure and is always working to advance position, find a submission, or do damage. Training at American Top Team, Harrison will constantly posture up and unload ground-and-pound on her opponent, either to land damage or create submission openings. She stays patient and composed on her feet, throwing everything tight and straight, often closing distance and striking in the clinch before mixing in her grappling. Nine of Harrison’s fourteen finishes have come in round one, and she pushes a heavy pace from the opening bell.
Amanda Nunes blasts Julianna Peña with a powerful uppercut. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Nunes is returning to MMA after retiring in 2023 and has UFC wins over 8 former champions. She’s a well-rounded marauder with outstanding punching power and excellent grappling. She throws every shot with devastating power, but her striking is precise and technical, and she won’t telegraph her shots. Nunes uses her reach well and regularly lands long, heavy straight punches while staying out of her opponents’ range. Training at the Lioness Studio, she has outstanding takedowns in open space and in the clinch and typically secures them quickly. She has smothering top control and can secure submissions with blinding speed, but she’s also content maintaining control and battering her opponent with ground-and-pound. Nunes is one of the most accomplished UFC fighters of all time and holds several UFC records, including the most consecutive wins in women’s history (12), the most knockouts in women’s history (7), and the longest combined title reign of all time, at 3940 days.
(C) Ciryl Gane vs. #5 Josh Hokit
Ciryl Gane lands a crushing right hook on Alexander Volkov. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Heavyweight Title Bout
Ciryl Gane: 14-2-0, 7 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Josh Hokit: 10-0-0, 6 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Gane has won three of his last five outings, with one no contest, and has UFC victories over #2-ranked Heavyweight Alexander Volkov (41-11-0), #3-ranked Heavyweight Alex Pereira (13-4-0), and #14-ranked Heavyweight Serghei Spivac (18-7-0). He is an excellent technical striker with serious power and speed in everything he throws. Training at the MMA Factory, he constantly varies his targets and regularly lands powerful kicks to the body and legs. Gane fights behind his jab, pumping it out repeatedly before punching his way into the pocket with long, heavy straights and looping hooks. He has excellent counterstriking and regularly catches his opponents with quick, powerful combinations as they attempt to return to range. He’s willing to grapple, has solid takedowns, and a decent submission game. Gane has excellent output to match his punching power, landing, on average, more than twice as many significant strikes per minute as he absorbs.
Josh Hokit stuns Curtis Blaydes with a left hook. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Hokit is undefeated and holds UFC wins over #7-ranked Heavyweight Curtis Blaydes (20-6-0), Derrick Lewis (29-14-0), and Denzel Freeman (7-2-0). He’s a hard-charging wrestler who pushes a heavy pace and loves to taunt his opponents. He will immediately pressure his opponent, fighting behind his jab and throwing every shot with fight-ending intent. Hokit will regularly sit down on his punches, dipping his head before unloading heavy straights and overhands. Training at Jackson-Wink MMA, he will usually shoot for a takedown early and is excellent in the clinch, particularly with body-lock takedowns. He’ll focus on pressure and control on the mat, maintaining a dominant position and not allowing his opponent to get back to their feet as he looks to posture up and land ground-and-pound. Hokit has gone to just one decision in his professional career and is rarely in a boring fight, having already earned four post-fight bonuses in four UFC fights.
Best Bets
Uroš Medić Moneyline: This is an excellent matchup of two exciting Welterweights. Although both are dangerous, I believe Medić is the more powerful, technical striker and will be able to overwhelm Holland and keep the fight standing, where he’s most effective. Holland has solid knockout power but tends to be a wild, aggressive striker, more inclined to brawl than to pick his shots and point-fight. Medić is by no means a point fighter, but he has very clean, technical hands and won’t look to get into a wild brawl, instead remaining tactical and hunting for the knockout blow. Holland likely has an advantage on the mat, but Medić has excellent takedown defense and I believe he will be able to deny any attempts by Holland to get the fight to the ground. I expect this fight to get off to a quick start, with both fighters meeting in the middle and pursuing a finish from the opening bell. I expect Medić to get the better of Holland on the feet, landing bigger, cleaner shots, doing more damage, and denying takedown attempts en route to a fifth straight victory.
Caio Borralho Moneyline: This is an intriguing matchup between an established contender and a rapidly rising upstart. Belgaroui has looked fantastic in his brief UFC run, but I believe this is too much of a step up in competition for him, and that he will be outmatched by Borralho's grappling skills. Borralho has largely favored his striking in his recent UFC appearances, but it would be baffling for him not to use his outstanding ground game against a former Glory kickboxer with a four-inch reach advantage. Belgaroui showed solid takedown defense against Mansur Abdul-Malik, but Borralho has a far more diverse grappling game, with not only high-level wrestling but also high-level BJJ and Judo. I still anticipate some exciting striking exchanges, but Borralho has too significant a grappling advantage to avoid bringing the fight to the ground as often as possible. I expect this fight to start quickly, with Belgaroui pressing the action early in the striking exchanges and Borralho allowing him to get comfortable on his feet before shooting in and securing a takedown. Once he has the fight on the mat, I expect him to dominate Belgaroui, doing damage and wearing down his cardio, allowing him either to keep the fight on the ground or continue to land takedowns in later rounds. Ultimately, I expect a dominant grappling performance and an impressive victory for Borralho.
Gane vs. Hokit Under 2.5 Rounds: This is a fascinating matchup between two very different Heavyweights. Gane is a highly technical, measured striker, whereas Hokit is a marauding, brawling wrestler. Despite their differences, they do have something in common: finishing their fights. In 27 combined fights, 21 did not go the distance, and they’ve produced 13 knockouts and 6 submissions. Of those 19 combined finish wins, 15 did not last longer than two and a half rounds. Rarely does either man end up in a boring fight or not pursue a finish, and I expect more of the same in this matchup, especially given the trash talk during the build-up. I expect both fighters to push the pace from the opening bell, with Gane likely hunting for a knockout on their feet while Hokit pursues takedowns to finish the fight on the ground. Regardless of who emerges as the victor, I am confident this fight will end within two and a half rounds.
