It was a disappointing main event last weekend in Las Vegas with the injury to Conor McGregor but we forge ahead with another beauty of a card in Oklahoma City.
Two former UFC champions will do battle at Middleweight in the main event as Dricus Du Plessis and Karamu face off inside the octagon for the first time.
There are plenty of fun fights right across the card and our thoughts and betting plays can be found below.
The number two ranked UFC Middleweight Dricus Du Plessis is searching for another title shot and he can put himself right back in the picture with a win on Sunday.
The South African won the title against Sean Strickland in Toronto back in January 2024, and went on to defend the belt twice.
He submitted Israel Adesanya in Perth and then won a unanimous decision in his second fight against Strickland in Sydney six months later.
He lost few admirers in defeat against Khamzat Chimaev this time last year but he faces a very experienced opponent in the form of Kamaru Usman.
Having won and successfully defended the UFC welterweight title five times, Usman lost back to back fights against Leon Edwards before moving up a division.
An impressive showing against Khamzat Chimaev, albeit a loss by majority decision, had many believing he could challenge for the title at some point and that was backed up with evidence as he beat Joaquin Buckley this time last year.
Both of these men are excellent wrestlers so I’m predicting this fight to take place on the feet for the majority of the five rounds and I’m predicting someone gets a finish at some point.
Best Bet: Fight Does Not Go The Distance
Jared Cannonier made his UFC debut at Heavyweight back in and went 1-1 in his first two fights before making the move down a division.
He then went 2-3 at Light Heavyweight but those losses came against Glover Teixeira, Jan Blachowicz and Dominick Reyes, all of which fought for UFC gold at some point in their careers.
Despite this Cannonier moved down again to Middleweight and won eight of his next nine fights in the division.
It has not gone to plan recently and he heads into this co-main event with just one win in his last four walks to the octagon.
Chris Duncan earns a shot against a high ranked opponent thanks to four straight wins including brutal knockout wins over Eryk Anders and Marco Tulio.
The 30-year-old has just two losses in his 14 fight pro MMA career and both of those were by decision.
He’s a rising star in the division and he runs into Cannonier at just the right time.
Best Bet: Chris Duncan By KO/TKO or Submission
Chase Hopper started his MMA career while still at high school and made his professional debut at just 19 years of age.
He then made his first entrance in the UFC octagon in 2019 at 20 and won eight of his first 11 fights but enters this fight having lost his last two.
His opponent is 33 year-old Mitch Ramirez who has a professional record of 8-3 and has been finished in both his fights in the UFC.
We are all very much aware of Chae Hooper’s excellent grappling skills but despite having some defeats, his striking has dramatically improved in the last few years.
This looks a very winnable fight for Hooper who will have more experience at the top level against his opponent for possibly the first time ever.
Best Bet: Chase Hooper To Win @ $1.26
