Carlos Ulberg will be in search of gold this weekend and, in turn, become the second New Zealand-born champion in the UFC.
His winning streak will extend into double figures should he beat Jiri Prochazka in the main event, but there are plenty of fights to look forward to.
Here are my thoughts and best betting plays.
A former two division champion in RIZIN as well as a UFC champion of the light heavyweight division, Jiri Prochazka has climbed the mountain once more to fight for the vacant belt.
He has just two losses in the UFC and both came to the same man: Alex Pereira.
Back to back knockout wins over Jamahal Hill and a comprehensive beatdown of Khalil Rountree has earned him the right to fight for gold again.
Carlos Ulberg won a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series but lost his first fight in the octagon.
Since then he has won nine consecutive fights including Dominick Reyes and former champion Jan Blachowicz.
He is patient when he needs to be, comes out of the elite Citi Kickboxing team and is a structurally sound boxer.
Both of these men possess the ability to end the fight with one shot but both have proven that they can take a punch and have good chins.
These two fighters are separating in age by just over a week which is crazy to think considering Paulo Costa made his UFC debut in 2017.
Azamat Murzakanov is an undefeated fighter which includes six straight wins in the UFC since 2022.
In that same time Costa has gone 2-2 in the UFC but both losses have been against former champions and have gone the distance.
Costa has fought against the very best for many years and although Azamat Murzakanov has some momentum behind him, I can’t back him at such a short quote.
The market has this wrong in my opinion.
The fun doesn’t stop here as we see the big heavyweights do battle.
Curtis Blaydes has been at the top of the division for the majority of his UFC career but has fallen short of winning the ultimate prize.
He fought for the title against Tom Aspinall in July 2024 but lost via knockout in the very first round.
His exceptional wrestling skills has afforded him an advantage over many of his opponents over the years and he has a vicious ground and pound once the fight goes to the canvas.
Josh Hokit is a 29 year-old undefeated fighter who won a contract through DWCS in August 2025 and has two first round knockout wins since.
While never playing an NFL game he was on the roster at the 49ers and Cardinals as a young athlete before starting his pro MMA career in Bellator.
He is a very dangerous striker but this is a massive step up for him against a very dangerous and experienced opponent.