UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Malott Predictions

UFC Fight Night 273: Burns vs. Malott takes place on Sunday (AEDT) at the Canada Life Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – and we’ve got our UFC predictions for all the fights below, and you can place your bets with the best betting sites Australia has to offer!

Gilbert Burns vs. Mike Malott Prediction

Gilbert Burns is coming off a four-fight losing slump as he now gets ready to headline Saturday’s event against Mike Malott, who is on a three-fight winning run.

Burns will turn 40 later this year and it’s perhaps no coincidence then that he’s currently in the midst of his worst ever run of form, including suffering a couple of T(KO) losses in his last three fights. Having said that, it needs to be balanced out with the fact that he’s been continuing to fight some of the very best the 170lb division has to offer in Belal Muhammad, Jack Della Maddalena, Sean Brady and Michael Morales. So, while his durability and speed may be in decline, Burns is still a solid, well-conditioned and vastly experienced veteran who stays competitive on the feet and effectively applies pressure despite being undersized for the division, while he also has a solid wrestling game and very good grappling ability.

The 34-year-old Malott isn’t a top contender like Burns other recent opponents, and in fact is currently unranked, but he has put together a very respectable 6-1 record since joining the UFC in 2022 and comes in off a decision win against Kevin Holland last year. Malott would perhaps be further ahead in his career if he hadn’t taken a three-year hiatus in his prime, during which time he served as Team Alpha Male’s striking coach. Malott is well-rounded, as in addition to being a steady, composed stand-up fighter with respectable power he also has decent wrestling and has used his grappling to rack up a couple of submission finishes during his UFC run. Whether by strikes or submission he’s now finished 11 of his 13 career wins inside the distance, but he’s never gone five rounds before.

While Malott has done well in the UFC so far, he hasn’t faced the toughest opposition, and he did lose by TKO when he went up against another veteran in Neil Magny a couple of years ago. If this was a few years ago I could see Burns getting the better of him too, but I do think he’s starting to run out of steam now. So, while Malott’s not as good as some of Burns other recent opponents, I’ll still take him to edge the action here in enough rounds to emerge with a decision win.

Mike Malott to win by Decision

Bet Now

Kyler Phillips vs. Charles Jourdain Prediction

Kyler Phillips has lost his last two fights, but now looks to turn things around in the co-main event against Charles Jourdain, who has finished his last two bouts by submission.

The 30-year-old Phillips is a fighter with very good athleticism who takes a high-volume approach with a versatile selection of weapons that benefits from his speed and footwork. He also has fast takedown entries and has capable grappling too, although he only has a couple of submission wins to show for it. The problem for Phillips though is that while on paper he seems to have a lot going for him, in the Octagon he can be inconsistent and it still feels like he’s a fighter who hasn’t yet been able to join the dots technically to match his athleticism and reach his full potential.

Jourdain comes into this fight with momentum on his side, although it’s worth noting he’s only 8-7-1 in his UFC run overall. Jourdain is a fighter who always pushes a high pace, delivering combination boxing work, while also blending in some kicks and the occasional knee strike. Jourdain has also demonstrated a knack for seizing on opportunistic guillotine choke submissions, with his last three wins all coming in that fashion, and more often than not can scramble to his feet if taken down. He can be hittable at times, but typically has shown a good chin, though Jean Silva became the first man to finish him via strikes a couple of years ago. More concerning however is that he doesn’t have the best record when fights go the distance, going just 2-6 on those occasions.

I’m a bit torn on this one. Jourdain’s the more convincing finisher and in better form, but Phillips does have bigger wins over the likes of Raoni Barcelos, Pedro Munhoz and Song Yadong, while also having never been finished in his career. In the end I can see this one going the full three rounds, and given Jourdain’s poor record on the scorecards I’ll lean towards Phillips to get the nod from the judges.

Kyler Phillips to win by decision

Bet Now

Mandel Nallo vs. Jai Herbert Prediction

Mandel Nallo arrives for his UFC debut after a KO win on the Contender Series to fight Jai Herbert, who has lost two of his last three fights.

The 36-year-old Nallo is an experienced fighter who had a 4-3 (+1nc) run in the Bellator promotion between 2017-2023 and has won five fights on the regional scene since then. Nallo is a tall, lanky lightweight at 6ft” with a 75″ reach, but unusually for him his opponent Herbert actually has an extra inch over him in each aspect. Nallo will attack with lengthy punches and kicks from range, and while he’s not the best wrestler, if he gets the fight to the mat he’s capable of taking the back and sinking in the rear-naked choke. Nallo has never gone the distance in his 14-3 career, and the majority of his 14 wins have come in the opening round.

Herbert is 37-years-old, and as we already established is unusually tall and rangey for a lightweight. Memorably, that helped him pose problems for Ilia Topuria at 155lbs a few years ago, with his long limbs and power helping him to drop the future champ in the first round, before the momentum shifted and he got KO’d early in the 2nd. Like Nallo he has a kickboxing style, with an emphasis on his sharp boxing and has 9 finishes via strikes from 13 career wins. He can mix in the occasional takedown too, but he’s not got much of a submission threat on the mat.

These two are quite similar in several regards, both physically and stylistically, and so I could see it being quite an even striking battle from range that goes the distance, with Herbert having the greater experience over three rounds to get the nod on the scorecards.

Jai Herbert to win by decision

Bet Now

Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Karine Silva Prediction

Jasmine Jasudavicius was TKO’d by Manon Fiorot in just 74 seconds last time out, ending a five-fight winning streak. Now she moves on to fight Karine Silva, who has lost two of her last three bouts.

The 37-year-old Jasudavicius’ swift loss last time out was disappointing, but she’d been in good form before that, beating the likes of Jessica Andrade, Mayra Bueno Silva and Ariana da Silva. Fiorot had always looked like being a challenging opponent for her on the feet though, as while she has worked to develop her striking, she still lacked the brute strength and firepower of her opponent. During her prior winning streak Jusudavicius had however shown that she could convert her solid grappling game into a more potent weapon, delivering three stoppage wins via anaconda choke, brabo choke and rear-naked choke, earning her black belt in the process. Generally speaking though she’s more used to using her wrestling, clinch-work and grappling to grind out wins over three rounds.

The 32-year-old Silva had a reputation as a well-rounded finisher when she first joined the UFC back in 2022, and sure enough she won her first three fights in the Octagon by a variety of submissions. In addition to her black belt in BJJ she’s also a quick and competent kickboxer and she can wrestle too. However, since that strong start in the UFC she’s posted a mixed bag of results, going 2-2 in the past couple of years, with all those fights going the distance. So it seems that while she’s still talented offensively, she’s not having as much success now she’s consistently facing tougher opposition, and it should also be noted she did have a few losses on the regional scene too, including two by submission.

After her last fight I’d expect Jasudavicius to be even more eager to deploy her grinding gameplan from the clinch and on the mat here, and I feel she’ll have enough of an advantage there to stifle Silva’s attacking threat and win by decision.

Jasmine Jasudavicius to win by decision

Bet Now

Thiago Moises vs. Gauge Young Prediction

Thiago Moises has been alternating between wins and losses for the past three years and will now go up against Gauge Young, who is 1-1 so far in the Octagon.

The 31-year-old Moises is a grappling specialist who is assured on the mat and has proven submission ability, while he also has serviceable striking, but doesn’t have the best takedowns. His form has been inconsistent throughout his near 8-year run in the UFC, but he generally fared better in the earlier years when he did still lose to a couple of good opponents, but also earned wins over the likes of Bobby Green, Alexander Hernandez, Michael Johnson and Kurt Holobaugh. There’s been less notable wins in the past five years however, and all four of his career defeats to either strikes (3) or submission (1) have come during this period. That includes being KO’d last time out, so his durability has now become an additional concern.

The 25-year-old Young’s recent form has been patchy too. He fought in the Contender Series back in 2024, but lost to Quillan Sallkilld, who has gone on to make his mark in the UFC since. Young rebounded with a win on the regional scene to earn a short notice debut in the UFC, but lost by decision, before earning his first win for the promotion last August. Young is a solid, durable pressure striker with decent power who backs that up with respectable wrestling too.

Moises has the advantage in the grappling department here, but I think Young’s better wrestling could help keep this fight upright where his sturdier striking should pave the way for him to win on the scorecards.

Gauge Young to win by decision

Bet Now

Dennis Buzukja vs. Marcio Barbosa Prediction

Dennis Buzukja has lost three of his four UFC fights so far and now goes up against the debuting Marcio Barbosa, who arrives via the Contender Series with a 17-2 career record.

At 28-years-old, Buzukja is still trying to prove he actually belongs at the UFC level. Buzukja actually had his first chance on the Contender Series back in 2020, but lost, and though he did get a win there a couple of years later, he still had to wait for a short-notice opportunity a year later to finally make it to the Octagon, and he’s struggled to make his mark since. He’s a striker who is somewhat capable offensively with his pressure boxing and cardio, but he lacks speed, is quite hittable and despite being willing to get into a scrap and having a tendency to load up on his punches he doesn’t have the heaviest hands.

Barbosa has been battling it out on the regional circuit for a decade, and has shown off his potent striking with 14 of his 17 wins coming via strikes, while two others came by submission. The 27-year-old has good striking ability, putting together boxing combinations nicely alongside his kicks and has proven power in his hands, though it does remain to be seen if he’ll be able to replicate that at the UFC level.

Barbosa is simply the better striker here and with Buzukja’s defense being poor I think this one ends by TKO in the 1st round.

Marcio Barbosa to win by TKO in Rd1

Bet Now

UFC Fight Night 273: Burns vs. Malott Prelims

(Predicted winners in bold)

Julien Leblanc vs. Robert Valentin
Tanner Boser vs. Gökhan Saricam
Melissa Croden vs. Darya Zheleznyakova
Mitch Raposo vs. Allan Nascimento
JJ Aldrich vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth
John Castañeda vs. Mark Vologdin
Jamie Siraj vs. John Yannis

MMA Writer

Ross Cole

Ross Cole is one of the most prolific mixed martial arts writers in the world.

Having written more than 22,000 MMA news stories for MMA Insight, which he founded in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts.

Few people know the UFC and the sport of MMA like Ross, and he has built a solid reputation for being one of the best MMA tipsters in the world.

You can read more of Ross's work at MMAInsight.com.