The UFC Light Heavyweight division is the focus of attention this weekend as the title goes on the line at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Alex Pereira is attempting to defend his belt for the fourth time when he takes on the number one contender in the shape of Magomed Akalaev.
The Co-Main Event will have just as much attention when fan favourite Justin Gaethje returns to the octagon to take on Rafael Fiziev who takes the fight on short notice.
The entire card is a mouth watering prospect for fight fans and we’ve offered our best bets below.
Pereira has cemented his spot in UFC history by not only winning a title in two separate divisions but, unlike the likes of Conor McGregor, defending as well.
His only loss in the UFC came at the hands of one of the best Middleweights of all time in Israel Adesanya, but he’s had little trouble since moving up to his more natural weight class.
Magomed Ankalaev earns his first title shot thanks to just one loss during his entire pro MMA career and that came way back in 2018.
Not everything has gone his way in his search for UFC gold as a Draw and No Contest halted what seemed an inevitable title shot in recent years.
The power that these two men possess in their hands is unmatched in the division and if either lands a clean blow, the fight will be over.
And with five rounds ahead of them, that seems the likely scenario.
A fight that was initially scheduled between Gaethje and Dan Hooker now looks a little different, and this fight fan in particular is only just getting over that fact.
The fact of the matter is that we don’t lose out too much because Rafael Fizeiv is a worthy opponent and we don’t need to go back too far to get a guide on how this fight may look.
These two won fight of the night honours in early 2023 in a brutal encounter that saw Gaethje get the nod from the judges in a very close bout.
Injury interrupted Fiziev’s ability to rebound from that loss and this is the first time we have seen him since a bad injury sidelined him.
And this is the first time we have seen Gaethje since he was brutally knocked out in the final seconds of his fight against Max Holloway.
Strap yourselves in and hold on.
Here’s how I’m playing it from a betting perspective.
Turner comes into this contest having lost three of his last four, but a closer look will reveal they were against some of the toughest in the division.
Two of them were close decision losses to Dan Hooker and Mateusz Gamrot, both of which are tough assignments to endure three rounds.
Bahamondes has won five of seven since winning a contract through the Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020.
This includes four wins by finish including a vicious head kick KO.
The punters are struggling to split the two in head to head betting which is no surprise but I’m siding with the more experienced fighter to get the job done.