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Fight of the Night: #6 Rob Font (19-6-0) vs #12 Adrian Yanez (16-3-0)
The bantamweight division is home to some of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the game. To survive and thrive in this division, one must possess exceptional speed, power, and precision. Rob Font and Adrian Yanez, both elite strikers, are eager to prove themselves against any opponent. They have promised fans an exhilarating 15-minute or less fight, and with their impressive track records, I have no doubt that they will deliver. They have been scheduled perfectly on the card, as their fight will be just before the co-main and main events. Trust me when I say, you do not want to miss this epic showdown.
Top Performance of the Night: #1 Israel Adesanya (23-2-0)
Israel Adesanya is undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters to grace the Octagon. He has a knack for overcoming obstacles, no matter how daunting they may seem. This Saturday, he will face the biggest challenge of his UFC career thus far, coming off his first middleweight loss. He has been tasked with an immediate rematch against the man who holds three wins over him – Alex Pereira. Pereira delivered a devastating fifth-round knockout in November 2022, shaking up the world. The Brazilian Pereira is a UFC champion in only his fourth fight, and his storyline has been nothing short of sensational. When they met at UFC 281, Adesanya was handily defeating Poatan, and was seconds away from knocking him out when a sudden flurry of strikes turned the tide completely. This time, I believe Adesanya will not play around. He has never lost his belt before and has all the motivation to go for a finish within the 25 minutes. The Last Stylebender has the power to knock out Pereira, and regardless of whether he does, I firmly believe he will regain his belt by the end of the night, earning a nice bonus along with his paycheck.
Second Performance of the Night: #5 Gilbert Burns (21-5-0)
Gilbert “Durinho” Burns is one of the most underappreciated contenders at 170 pounds. His skills have evolved tremendously, and he has adopted a “BMF” mentality, willing to fight anyone, anywhere, at any time. He gave Khamzat Chimaev the toughest 15 minutes of his professional career, which was unexpected. Burns is on a completely different level than Jorge Masvidal, and in my opinion, is only a fight or two away from an overdue title shot. Since losing to Kamaru Usman in February 2021, Burns has secured victories over Wonderboy Thompson and Neil Magny, with a narrow loss to the phenom Chimaev. On Saturday, Burns will have the upper hand in grappling and power, which I think will be enough for him to secure a win. Gamebred is a dangerous striker, but Burns is willing to grind out a boring victory. Expect a resounding statement win from Durinho.
