It is officially fight week for the first UFC numbered event of the new year, as UFC 283 will take place this Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There are currently 15 fights scheduled for the event, including two UFC title fights with gold on the line.
For the main event of this card, Glover Texeira and Jamahal Hill will face off for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight championship. The championship picture in that division has been in complete disarray since Jiri Prochazka vacated the belt due to injury late last year, so hopefully this matchup will finally determine a new champion.
In the first matchup that was booked to crown a new champ for the division, Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz fought to a twenty-five minute split draw in the main event of UFC 282 last month. The result meant neither fighter won the vacant title that night, which paved the way for them to book Texeira and Hill in the main event this weekend in the immediate aftermath.
While that fight will certainly be entertaining, the co-main event of this event might actually be the more exciting fight of the two, as Deiveson Figueiredo defends the UFC Flyweight championship against interim champion Brandon Moreno. This will be the fourth time (consecutively in the case of Figueiredo) that these two men have faced off inside the octagon, and they have managed to perfectly split the first three fights in the series 1–1–1.
Some other quick news and notes for this card that might be relevant to know:
All 15 fights on the UFC 283 card will feature at least one fighter who is from and/or represents Brazil inside the octagon. While it’s not uncommon for the promotion to try to load up their international cards with talent who are from the local region, it’s a bit more rare to see one that is so thoroughly filled up from top to bottom.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will be making his final walk to the UFC octagon this weekend when he faces Ihor Potieria on Saturday night. Rua has already stated that regardless of the outcome, this will be the last fight of his legendary MMA career. Rua is currently 27–13–1 in his career and has gone 11–11–1 during his time with the UFC.
If Jamahal Hill is able to win the UFC Light Heavyweight title this weekend, he would become the first alum of Dana White’s Contender Series to win championship gold with the promotion. Hill will be the third alumni from the show to have a chance to win a UFC title, joining Taila Santos and Alex Perez, who both came up short in their respective title opportunities.
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During an appearance on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Deiveson Figueiredo discussed potential plans to move up to bantamweight in the near future. According to the interview, the move is dependent on whether or not his mentor Henry Cejudo wins the UFC Bantamweight title in his presumptive upcoming fight against current champion Aljamain Sterling. A move up in weight would not be surprising, as Figueiredo has previously struggled to make 125 pounds.
The Bonfim brothers, who were both signed last year following DWCS wins, will both be making their respective debuts with the UFC on this card. 13–0 Gabriel Bonfim will face off against Mounir Lazzez in his debut, while 18–3 Ismael Bonfim will be fighting Terrance McKinney. Both of these fights should be absolute bangers and I would highly recommend trying to catch these fights during the preliminary portions of the card.
As of now, there are two fighters on this card who are considered short notice replacements that were added after original matchups were announced: Brunno Ferreira and Melquizael Costa. Ferreira is stepping in to replace Brad Tavares against Gregory Rodgriues, while Costa will be replacing Guram Kutateladze against Thiago Moises. Both fighters will be making their promotional debuts on this card.
The biggest betting favorite on this weekend’s card is Jailton Almeida, whose Moneyline is currently hovering in the range of -900 and -1000 depending on which sportsbook you are using. Almeida has been an absolute wrecking ball so far during his time with the UFC and DWCS, while also jumping back-and-forth between Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight in the process. Heading into this matchup against Shamil Abdurakhimov, Almeida has said he intends to stay at heavyweight and focus his efforts there for the foreseeable future.
With 15 fights currently scheduled, there are a lot of great matchups to look forward to this weekend and this should be one of the more exciting cards in recent months. Be sure to check back here throughout the week for UFC 283 betting ideas, some picks and predictions, and much more to get you ready for this weekend!