UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield v Barber Predictions

The co-headliner at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas pits highly touted lightweight Mateusz Gamrot against Ludovit Klein.

Plus, Dustin Jacoby meets Bruno Lopes in a battle of light heavyweight veterans, Billy Ray Goff and Ramiz Brahimaj square off in welterweight action, and Zachary Reese and Dusko Todorovic compete at middleweight.

MAIN CARD:

When: Sunday, June 1 & 3 AM SAST

Erin Blanchfield (1.40) v Maycee Barber (2.87) (Flyweight

Ranked fourth and fifth, this weekend’s headliners are hunting champion Valentina Shevchenko, who’s fresh off a title defence against Manon Fiorot.

Higher-ranked Blanchfield (13-2) has long looked like a future champion with her complete skillset. An absolute bulldozer since arriving in the UFC in 2021, she’s 7-1 inside the Octagon with three of those wins coming by submission, including tapping out former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade.

Physically strong and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, “Cold Blooded” most recently bounced back from a loss to Fiorot, her only setback in the last five years, with a decision win over former two-time strawweight queen Rose Namajunas last November to move one step closer to a championship opportunity.

Barber (14-2) is on a hot streak of note, having won six fights in a row, including stopping Amanda Ribas and outworking Andrea Lee and Katlyn Cerminara. She hasn’t fought in over a year, though, so one has to wonder whether she’ll be rusty.

Such is her potential that she’s known as “The Future.” While she’s primarily a power puncher, she has been expanding her skillset. However, Blanchfield is by far the more well-rounded fighter.

Blanchfield’s takedowns will be a big part of this fight. She has several ways to get an opponent to the ground. Add the fact that Barber has average takedown defence (53%) and Blanchfield should be able to put her on her back relatively consistently. 

The threat of the takedown alone is an advantage for the balanced Blanchfield, whose ability to mix things up should prove decisive.

Prediction: Blanchfield by decision.
Best Bet: Blanchfield by decision at 1.90.
Alternative Bet: Blanchfield at 1.40.

Mateusz Gamrot (1.61) v Ludovit Klein (2.25) (Lightweight)

A staple in the lightweight top 10, seventh-ranked Gamrot (24-3) looks to bounce back from his upset loss to Dan Hooker last August in the co-main event.

An elite grappler, “Gamer” rose through the 155-pound ranks with impressive performances against Rafael Dos Anjos, Arman Tsarukyan and Jeremy Stephens. He now intends to make an example of Klein and turn his attention back towards the top five of the division.

Klein (23-4-1), meanwhile, intends to deliver his best performance yet to secure the biggest win of his career. A well-rounded competitor with nine wins by knockout and eight by submission, he is currently on a seven-fight unbeaten streak that includes victories over Ignacio Bahamondes, Thiago Moises and Roosevelt Roberts. He now aims to vault into the rankings for the first time by taking out Gamrot.

Brahimaj has more Octagon experience than Goff but has been consistently inconsistent, alternating wins and losses in his last 11 fights. Not one to leave his fate in the hands of the judges, he has a 100% finish rate and showed he’s not just a submission artist when he picked up his first knockout victory over Mickey Gall last time out.

All told, Goff should be able to keep the fight standing where he has a clear advantage and bounce back in style.

Prediction: Goff by knockout.

Best Bet: Goff by KO/TKO/DQ at 2.40.

Alternative Bet: Under 2.5 rounds at 1.60.

Dustin Jacoby (1.50) v Bruno Lopes (2.50) (Light Heavyweight)

The sparks will fly in this light heavyweight showdown. Jacoby (20-9-1) has 13 wins by knockout, while Lopes (14-1) has 11 finishes (six knockouts and five submissions) to his name, so this one looks destined to finish inside the distance.

A veteran kickboxer, Jacoby will be making his 17th walk to the Octagon. With his power and technical acumen, “The Hanyak” is always in the fight and is coming off a knockout win over Vitor Petrino last December. However, he’s 2-4 in his last six fights and leaves a lot of openings for opponents to capitalise on.

Thus, Lopes is a juicy underdog. “Brunao” is a lot more dependable and defensively sound and has only one loss on his record. A former LFA light heavyweight champion, he’s a perfect 3-0 in the UFC and has the versatility Jacoby lacks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa74vmnEwd0

Younger, sharper and with more weapons at his disposal, Lopes is a dog worth backing.  

Prediction: Lopes by stoppage.

Best Bet: Lopes by KO/TKO/Submission/DQ at 4.00.

Alternative Bet: Lopes at 2.50.

Zachary Reese (1.40) v Dusko Todorovic (2.87) (Middleweight)

Middleweight finishers will get the main card off to an exciting start as they look to get back in the win column. Two all-action dynamos with a 92% finish rate, they’ll lay it all on the line in what promises to be a slugfest. Known as “Savage”, Reese (8-2) had built momentum with back-to-back wins over Julian Marquez and Jose Daniel Medina before he got knocked out by Azamat Bekoev in his last fight.