Islam Makhachev’s incredible winning streak will be put on the line, along with his UFC welterweight belt, when he takes on Ian Garry on Sunday morning in Philly.
The Women’s Strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern will be in search of her first title defence against Gillian Robertson in the co-main event but there are plenty of fun fights right throughout the card.
Our thoughts and best bets can be found below.
The UFC welterweight champion and number one pound-for-pound fighter in the sport Islam Makhachev returns to the octagon chasing more records.
A win in Philly would be his 17th consecutive UFC victory and break Anderson Silva’s record as well as making him just the third person to have won and defended belts in two separate weight classes.
A title fight for Ian Garry was talked about since he first entered the UFC back in 2021, and after seven straight wins that premonition seemed inevitable.
He then lost to Shavkat Rakhmonov which halted his progress but bounced back with two wins.
It is concerning that his last six straight fights have gone the distance because he faces an opponent that will inevitably score points with control on the ground.
Someone will need to flatline Islam to beat him and that man is not Ian Garry in my opinion.
Prediction: Islam Makhachev in round 4,5 or by points
It took a while to get her shot but Mackenzie Dern finally claimed UFC gold in October last year with a decision win over Virna Jandiroba.
After a period when she lost four of six fights, Dern evolved as a fighter to climb back to the top and made the most of her opportunity.
She’s an elite grappler and BJJ black belt but she has always struggled to get the fight to the canvas with her takedowns.
And for the first time in a while she faces an opponent who is more than comfortable in the grappling exchanges that may take place and has better offensive wrestling skills (2.76 takedowns every 15 minutes).
Gillian Robertson is a crafty striker who is extremely well rounded and at the current odds available I’m sniffing out an upset.
Prediction: Gillian Robertson To Win @ $3.05
Mansur Abdul-Malik’s unbeaten streak came to an end at the hands of (or knee) of Yousri Belgaroui in March but he is a dangerous opponent for anyone in this Middleweight division.
An overturned decision against Cody Brundage was the only blemish on his record previous to that loss which includes nine finishes from his nine wins.
Dustin Stoltzfus is fighting for his UFC career with a record of 18-6 and comes into this fight on a two fight losing streak.
Prediction: Mansur Abdul-Malik By KO/TKO