Not since Khabib vs Conor have we seen such a genuine rivalry in the form of former training partners Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland and the two will do battle in the octagon for the UFC Middleweight title this weekend.
The UFC Flyweight belt will also be on the line in the co-main event between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira but there are plenty of quality fights to look forward to.
I have completed my homework on the entire main card and my betting plays are below.
Since the day Chimaev walked into the octagon for the first time, fight fans and pundits have envisioned him being a UFC champion and he realised those predictions in August last year.
Undefeated in 15 professional MMA fights, Khamzat has finished all but three of his opponents but three of his last five fights have gone to a decision including his five round championship fight against Dricus Du Plessis to win the belt.
We have never seen a wrestler with such an aggressive style in the UFC in its history and if things are not going to plan on the feet, like they weren’t against Kamaru Usman, he easily transitions to his grappling.
Sean Strickland shocked the world when he beat Israel Adesanya to claim UFC gold as one of the biggest outsiders in UFC title fight history.
He immediately lost the belt in a very close split decision loss to DDP, and again two fights later but bounced back with a TKO win over Anthony Hernandez in February to earn another shot at the title.
A very tall and upright stance, pressure to continuously come forward behind a vicious and relentless jab and excellent takedown defence make him a difficult opponent for anyone.
But there are levels to this wrestling game and Chimaev is at the top of that class.
For the first time in UFC history, two Asian born fighters will do battle for UFC gold in the co-main event.
It’s easy to suggest that Joshua Van is lucky to be flyweight champion as he won the belt due to an unfortunate injury to Alexandre Pantoja but his fighting resume speaks for itself and you don’t get the opportunity without the body of work.
He entered the UFC in 2023 and was immediately very active and his title fight was his 10th fight in the promotion in under three years.
Van is in search of his seventh consecutive win and first title defence.
Tatsuro Taira entered the UFC before Van and won his first six fights in the UFC before suffering his first ever pro MMA loss against Brandon Royval via a split decision in 2024.
He earned this title shot off the back of two second round finishes since that defeat but he never faced Pantoja.
And he’s never faced a boxer that has such power as Joshua Van.
I would have these odds flipped, and with that in mind, my better play is with the champ.
One of my favourite topics in the UFC is who is the best fighter to have never won a UFC title and Alexander Volkov must be in the conversation.
He has been at the top of the heavyweight rankings for the best part of a decade but has just fallen short of winning the belt.
He has wins over Alistair Overeem, Sergei Pavlovich and Jailton Almeida and lost a split decision against Cirl Gane in 2024.
There may not be a fighter with as much hype and confidence as Waldo Cortez Acosta at the moment.
He entered the UFC in 2022 and he has now won eight of his last nine fights.
His only loss was against Pavlovich via decision in 2025.
At six foot seven, Volkov is a difficult opponent for any heavyweight but his ability to control the fight on the canvas is very much underrated and he has a black belt in BJJ.
And he hits hard!
Sean Brady was eyeing off a title shot having beaten former champion Leon Edwards in London this time last year but those plans were put on hold when he was knocked out by Michael Morales to close out 2025.
He has won all but two of his 20 pro MMA fights since 2014 and a win on Sunday will assure he is right back in the title picture.
Buckley put together six wins in a row including Colby Covington, Wonderboy and Vicente Luque before his title run was halted by Kamaru Usman in June 2025.
At his best he is a vicious striker, evident by his 21 victories, 15 of which have been by KO/TKO.
Three times he has fought four times in one calendar year but I love the fact that his fights are being spaced out in recent times in order to pick the right opponent, something I believe he has done well with this match up.
One for the old school fight fans to open the main event and two fan favourites!
Bobby Green is having his 54th pro MMA fight after making his UFC debut way back in 2013.
Back to back losses to Ruddy and Piblett put the writing on the wall for the stalwart but he has bounced back with two consecutive wins to revitalise his career somewhat.
Jeremy Stephens is also in the twilight of his career but has found a way to stay relevant in the sport after signing a contract to fight in his hometown in May 2025.
The fact of the matter is that he has just one single win in his last 10 fights which makes it impossible to back him in this fight.
I don’t think the judges will be needed though.