We're on the eve of one of the biggest UFC shows of the year in the form of UFC 263.
Saturday's show is headlined by a pair of title rematches as well as the return of Nate Diaz.
Fightful has you covered on all of your betting needs heading into this weekend's pay-per-view.
Israel Adesanya (C) (20-1) vs. (No. 3) Marvin Vettori (17-4)
Odds (via Bet Online): Adesanya (-260), Vettori (+210)
Breakdown - A rematch over three years in the making. Back at UFC on FOX 29 in April 2018, Adesanya was on the right side of a split-decision over Vettori. However, it's the Italian born contender who hasn't loss since their 2018 encounter while Adesanya lost to light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 when trying to become the UFC's fifth double champion in the promotion's history.
The 31-year old Adesanya went on an absolute tear following his win over Vettori, defeating the likes of Brad Tavares, Derek Brunson, Anderson Silva and Kelvin Gastelum before capturing the undisputed middleweight championship against long-time champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 243. Adesanya would go on to defend his title twice by defeating Yoel Romero before brutally knocking out the previously undefeated Paulo Costa at UFC 253 before losing to the aforementioned Blachowicz, earlier this year but remains undefeated at his natural weight class of 185-pounds.
Across the octagon from Adesanya on Saturday night will be the 27-year old rising contender Marvin Vettori. Since his loss to Adesanya, the Italy-native has rattled off five straight wins over Cezar Ferreira, Andrew Sanchez, Karl Roberson, Jack Hermansson and most recently, Kevin Holland at UFC Vegas 23 this past April. It could be argued that Vettori has given Adesanya his biggest test at 185-pounds by taking him to a split-decision while nobody else in the division has been able to truly test the Nigerian outside of Kelvin Gastelum.
Pick - Vettori (+210)
Deiveson Figueiredo (C) (20-1) vs. (No. 1) Brandon Moreno (18-5)
Odds (via Bet Online): Figueiredo (-220), Moreno (+180)
Breakdown - Just a mere six months removed from their 2020 Fight Of The Year contender at UFC 256, Deiveson Figueiredo will once again defend his UFC flyweight championship against Brandon Moreno.
The 33-year old Figueiredo ran through every single fighter put in front of him since his lone career loss in the form of a unanimous decision against Jussier Formiga in March 2019. "Daico" defeated Alexandre Pantoja and Tim Elliott before getting his first title shot against Joseph Benavidez at UFC Fight Night: Norfolk in February 2020, where he won via vicious second-round TKO but didn't secure the title due to missing weight the day prior. The rematch against Benavidze was the rebooked for a UFC Fight Island card where he knocked down and quickly submitted Benavidez to finally capture UFC gold. The Brazilian champion then quickly dispatched Alex Perez at UFC 255 before fighting to a draw against the aforementioned Moreno at UFC 256.
Moreno, 27, will look to become the UFC's first Mexican-born champion on Saturday night and much like his opposition, Moreno has ran through any and all competition for the last couple of years. Since a brief two-fight skid in 2018, the Mexican-native has been unstoppable, rattling off wins against Miakel Perez, Kai Kara-France, Jussier Formiga and Brandon Royval before his first encounter with Figueiredo.
Pick - Moreno (+180)
(No. 3) Leon Edwards (18-3) vs. Nate Diaz (20-12)
Odds (via Bet Online): Edwards (-550), Diaz (+400)
Breakdown - In one of the more odd non-short notice fight bookings of recent memory, a top three contender will be facing an un-ranked opponent who's 1-2 in his last three outings and hasn't fought since well before COVID-19 was even a thought. Nevertheless, nobody will complain about seeing Nate Diaz inside of a UFC octagon.
The 29-year old Edwards is one of the most quiet top contenders in the entire sport of MMA. "Rocky" hasn't lost since 2015, where he was on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against now dominant champion Kamaru Usman. Since his shortcoming against the now-champion, Edwards has torched his oppositions, defeating names such as Dominic Waters, Albert Tumenov, Vicente Luque, Bryan Barberena, Peter Sobotta, Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson, Rafael Dos Anjos and most recently was seemingly en-route to a lopsided decision victory over Belal Muhammad but due to an incidental eye poke, the fight was stopped mid-way through the second round which caused the fight to end via a no contest.
The fan-favorite Stockton, California-native Nate Diaz will look to once again shock the world against one of the promotion's top contenders when he stands across the octagon from the aforementioned Edwards. The 36-year old hasn't competed since UFC 244 in November 2019, where he got brutalized by Jorge Masvidal in the UFC's first ever BMF championship match. Before the Masvidal bout, Diaz was able to secure a decision victory over Anthony Pettis, which was his first bout since falling short against Conor McGregor in the pair's rematch following Diaz's second-round submission victory months prior.
Pick - Edwards (-550)
Rest Of Card Predictions
- (No. 9) Demian Maia (28-10) vs. (No. 12) Belal Muhammad (18-3)
Odds (via Bet Online): Muhammad (-220), Maia (+180)
Pick - Maia (+180)
- (No. 14) Paul Craig (14-4) vs. (No. 15) Jamahal Hill (8-0)
Odds (via Bet Online): Hill (-300), Craig (+240)
Pick - Craig (+240)
- (No. 13) Drew Dober (23-10) vs. Brad Riddell (9-1)
Odds (via Bet Online): Dober (-150), Riddell (+125)
Pick - Riddell (+125)
- Eryk Anders (13-5) vs. Darren Stewart (12-6)
Odds (via Bet Online): Anders (-150), Stewart (+125)
Pick - Anders (-150)
- (No. 3) Lauren Murphy (14-4) vs. (No. 6) Joanne Calderwood (15-5)
Odds (via Bet Online): Calderwood (-140), Murphy (+120)
Pick - Murphy (+120)
- (No. 14) Movsaer Evloev (14-0) vs. (No. 15) Hakeem Dawodu (12-1)
Odds (via Bet Online): Evloev (-240), Dawodu (+200)
Pick - Evloev (-240)
- (No. 11) Pannie Kianzad (15-5) vs. Alexis Davis (20-10)
Odds (via Bet Online): Kianzad (-200), Davis (+170)
Pick - Kianzad (-200)
- Matt Frevola (8-2) vs. Terrance McKinney (+210)
Odds (via Bet Online): Frevola (-260), McKinney (+210)
Pick - McKinney (+210)
- Chase Hooper (10-1) vs. Steven Peterson (18-9)
Odds (via Bet Online): Peterson (-120), Hooper (+100)
Pick - Peterson (-120)
- Fares Ziam (11-3) vs. Luigi Vendramini (9-1)
Odds (via Bet Online): Ziam (-135), Vendramini (+115)
Pick - Vendramini (+115)
- Carlos Felipe (10-1) vs. Jake Collier (12-5)
Odds (via Bet Online): Felipe (-175), Collier (+150)
Pick - Felipe (-175)
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