UFC Macau Preview And Predictions

UFC Macau Preview And Predictions

The UFC is heading to Macau, China. It will be the promotion’s first time in the country since 2019. The layoff will be worth it. The promotion has assembled a solid fight that features a high-level main event and some of China’s best young talent.  

Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC Macau main card. You can find our prediction records below. 

James: 127-86

Garrett: 124-89

Anthony: 130-83

Jerry: 111-85

Zhang Mingyang vs. Ozzy Diaz- Light Heavyweight Bout 

James: The UFC Macau main card opens with a light heavyweight bout between Zhang Mingyang and Ozzy Diaz. Mingyang is a 26-yer-old prospect. In his only UFC bout, he landed a first-round knockout. Diaz is making his UFC debut in this fight. On the regional scene, he tallied a 9-2 UFC record. One of those losses came against Joe Pyfer on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Mingyang looks to get into striking exchanges at any cost. This appears to be because he trusts his power and chin. He does not hesitate to eat a shot to land one. That has yielded him success because he is the fight that remains standing when he trades strikes. 

Diaz is an aggressive striker who looks to finish opponents. This is done with pace and power. In a three-round fight, he will pressure opponents before breaking them down and finishing them. This is assuming he does not land a big shot before breaking them. 

The UFC Macau main card opener favors Mingyang. It should be noted that Diaz is a former middleweight. That will be tough to overcome in this fight. Mingyang will have a large size advantage. That will allow him to land much larger shots in striking exchange. That is present alongside Diaz’s concerning defense. Those signs point toward a Mingyang knockout. I will take Mingyang via knockout. 

No. 8 Volkan Oezdemir vs. No. 10 Carlos Ulberg- Light Heavyweight Bout 

James: At UFC Macau Volkan Oezdemir will fight Carlos Ulberg. This bout is important to the UFC light heavyweight rankings. Ulberg is one of the most promising prospects in the light heavyweight division. The 34-year-old is on a six-fight win streak that has vaulted him into the rankings. Now, he is being booked against a higher tier of opponents. If he continues to win, he will be working toward the title. Oezdemir is a gatekeeper for the light heavyweight division but has been a challenger for up-and-comers. In his last three fights, he sits at 2-1. 

Oezdemir is a hard-hitting boxer who hunts knockouts. His approach to striking is to use his jab to get inside and land knockouts. This has historically been a successful game plan because he is great at trading with opponents in the pocket. 

Ulberg is a dangerous striker with an impressive combination of technique and knockout power. This is accomplished with patience and range management. The goal for Ulberg is to use his size to sit on the outside until he finds an opportunity to unload with a knockout shot. This is most commonly done with counter hooks. If opponents get over-aggressive, he lands counters at an impressive rate. 

This UFC Macau preview favors Ulberg. On the outside, he should be able to use his length to land strikes. He should also throw more shots while the pair are at a distance. On the inside, Ulberg’s counters will make it difficult for Oezdemir to get aggressive. I will take Ulberg by decision. 

UFC Macau Best Bets

Wang Cong vs. Gabriella Fernandes- Women’s Flyweight Bout 

James: UFC Macau features a women’s flyweight bout between Wang Cong and Gabriella Fernandes. Wong has gained massive recognition as a potential prospect since converting from kickboxing to MMA. In her professional MMA career, she has a 6–0 record including one UFC victory. Fernandes has had a slow start to her UFC career and currently sits at 1-2 in the promotion. 

Cong’s kickboxing background is evident in her skillset. On the feet, she is a technical fighter who looks to set up big shots. If those shots land, they do serious damage. Cong does a lot of damage by using her lead hand to disguise her power shots. Those power shots can be her rear hand and kicks. Plus, she is good at throwing combinations in interior boxing exchanges. 

Fernandes physical southpaw who attempts to land big shots. This is done with big kicks and a dangerous left hand. Despite being one of the more physical fighters in the division, she can compete in high-pace kickboxing bouts. 

This UFC Macau preview is interesting. Cong and Fernandes are both outliers in the women’s flyweight division. Both fighters are massive, powerful, and suspect grapplers. In theory, they are decent matchups for one another. I will take Cong because of her superior technique and bigger toolbox. That said, Fernandes likely has more grappling upside and will be competitive on the feet. I doubt this is as one-sided as the betting odds suggest. I will take Cong by decision.

Song Kenan vs. Muslim Salikhov- Welterweight Bout 

James: At UFC Macau, Song Kenan will fight Muslim Salikhov. Song, 34, is currently 6-4 in the UFC. In his most recent stretch, he has gone 2-3. Salikhov, 40, has a 7-4 UFC record. Despite picking up a win in his most recent fight, he had his fair share of issues recently. This has largely been a result of aging. 

Kenan is a counterstriker who hopes to sit down on massive counters. This has allowed him to land massive shots and finish fights, but it also makes him low-volume. This has paired to create some great performances and underwhelming losses. 

Salikhov’s best weapons are his kicks. The Sanda practitioner can throw kicks to all three levels and throw spinning kicks. That is backed by the ability to close distance and get inside. This allows him to add solid hooks to his offensive attack. This striking skill set has overshadowed the solid wrestling that he uses to edge out close decisions. 

This UFC Macau bout is a tough fight to preview. It is simply hard to be confident in either fighter. Kenan has serious flaws in his game, while Salikhov has shown serious regression lately. That said, I prefer to side with Kenan. Salikhov’s drop in explosiveness should make it easier for Kenan to find big countershots. I will take Kenan by decision.

No. 2 Yan Xiaonan vs. No. 10 Tabatha Ricci- Women’s Strawweight Bout 

James: The UFC Macau co-main event features a women’s strawweight bout between Yan Xiaonan and Tabatha Ricci. Xiaonan is looking to bounce back from her UFC 300 to Weili Zhang. Now, she has to build back toward the title picture. Meanwhile, Ricci wants to elevate herself in that picture with Xioanan’s name. Ricci is a former top prospect who has become a contender with a 5-1 run in the strawweight division.  

Xiaonan is a great striker. At any distance, she can compete at an elite level. On the outside, she will use her land to land long shots, but she also lands in the pocket. It should also be noted that she is a strong counterstrike who will land strikes while moving backward. The issue with Xiaonan’s skill set is that she is an awful grappler. This has been a massive problem against fighters’ will to take her down.  

Ricci is a fighter with a solid set of skills. I would not claim that she is an elite fighter in any realm; however, she can compete in striking and grappling phases. This begins with her boxing skills. Ricci likes to get in the pocket and throw in combinations. That also gets her in position to attempt takedowns. In a three-round fight, her offensive wrestling can help her edge out close fights. 

The UFC Macau co-main event is an interesting bout. In the striking exchanges, Xiaonan will be the cleaner, longer, and more dangerous fighter. That said, Ricci could have grappling success and negate those advantages. Ricci’s ability to grapple offensively will determine her fate. I will put stock in Ricci’s offensive skills while also fading Xiaonan’s defense. I will take Ricci by decision.

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No. 3 Petr Yan vs. No. 5 Deiveson Figueiredo- Bantamweight Bout 

James: The UFC Macau main event features a bantamweight bout between Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo. This is one of the best fights that can be made in MMA. Both fighters have reached the absolute pinnacle of the sport. Yan is a former bantamweight champion while Figueiredo won the belt at bantamweight. It even looked like these fighters were primed for long title reigns. That title reigns fell apart for various reasons. That said, the winner will be able to earn a bantamweight title division. The stakes will be high in this bout. 

Yan is a sensational MMA fighter. This begins with his elite striking. Yan has developed a striking style that is perfect for MMA. In the first round, he can be low-volume and lose, but he quickly picks it up in the second round. Once Yan makes reads, he becomes hard to deal with. This is because he has high-level boxing that is backed with great kicks. This creates a deep bag of offensive tools that he mixes well. Plus, he can land his offensive weapons as counters. Yan’s grappling is greatly underrated after struggling against Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili. In every other matchup, he has shown sensational defensive grappling and often lands takedowns. 

Figueiredo is a dangerous fighter with the capability to finish fighters in striking or grappling exchanges. This is done with power and slick submission skills. Figueiredo works to pressure opponents and throw massive strikes. This is effective because his power has to be respected. If it is not, he will land hard and knock opponents out. If he opts to grapple, he can land takedowns and threaten submissions from various positions. 

The UFC Macau main event heavily favors Yan. This is a borderline nightmare matchup for Figueiredo. Yan has a significant edge in durability. On top of that, Yan gets better as the fight gets deeper, while Figueiredo tends to fade. In the skills, Yan’s defense, in both the striking and grappling realms, will make it hard for Figueiredo to tally the damage. I expect Yan to be conservative in the early rounds before melting Figueiredo late. I will take Yan via fourth-round knockout. 

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