UFC Fight Night 251 takes place on Sunday (AEDT) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, United States 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!
UFC Fight Night 251 Predictions
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Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues Prediction
Jared Cannonier suffered back-to-back defeats last year and now fights Gregory Rodrigues, who has emerged victorious in his last three fights.
A month shy of his 41st birthday, Cannonier’s recent losses have dashed his title hopes and suggest that age is catching up to him, but at the same time it’s worth remembering that he was fighting two quality, in-form fighters in Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho. Cannonier is still a good athlete for his age, but he doesn’t have quite the same speed or gas tank these days, and fights at a very measured pace. He remains strong though and has good power in his punches, while he also delivers punishing leg kicks too, though perhaps not with the frequency he used to. Meanwhile, Cannonier doesn’t often take the fight to the mat and lacks a submission game, but he does have good ground-and-pound.
The 32-year-old Rodrigues has a very good grappling game and is a capable wrestler too, but he also has a lot of natural power in his punches, and that’s lured him into spending a lot of his time in fights looking to knock his opponent out. He’s become an improved boxer over time, applies pressure well and he has good speed to go along with his heavy hands, which has led to five finishes via strikes from 7 UFC victories so far. He does eat a fair amount of strikes however, and though he’s generally quite durable he has been KO’d a couple of times in his career.
Rodrigues has began to find a better balance between striking and mat work in recent times which could bode well for him here, and together with his overall pressure and higher striking output I think he gets a decision win here.
Prediction: Gregory Rodriguez to win by decision.
Calvin Kattar vs. Yousseff Zalal Prediction
Calvin Kattar is currently enduring his toughest spell in the Octagon so far after three losses in a row and will now attempt to turn things around against the in-form Youssef Zalal, who has racked up three submission wins in a row since returning to the UFC last year.
There’s no shame in Kattar losing to Josh Emmett, Arnold Allen and Aljamain Sterling, but nonetheless when you also consider he had an 18-month layoff due to ACL surgery prior to his last fight, there’s now a lot of pressure on the soon-to-turn 37-year-old to prove he remains worthy of his No.10 spot on the featherweight rankings. An experienced campaigner, Kattar has a solid boxing-based style, respectable power and has proven to be able to push a good pace, even in five-round fights. Kattar has decent takedown defense, but is fairly limited once on the mat, though he’s only been finished once by submission in his career. He’s also very hard to stop on the feet via strikes, but can be too tough for his own good at times as Max Holloway showed when he gave him one of the all-time most brutal beatdowns over five rounds a few years ago.
The 28-year-old Zalal’s 2nd stint in the UFC is going considerably better than his first, which saw him start off promisingly enough with three decision wins in 2020, before going on to suffer three losses and a draw. After a year-and-a-half out of the promotion, he’s since made a strong return with a trio of wins. On the feet Zalal is a capable kickboxer who puts an emphasis on the kicking side of his game and moves well, but he does lack finishing power. Zalal has solid wrestling though, which helps him to bring his grappling ability into play, and that’s where he’s been at his most impressive of late and presents his best chance of a stoppage win. It’s also worth noting that he’s never been finished himself inside the distance, and is one of only two fighters to have made it to the final bell against current 145lb king Ilia Topuria in the UFC.
Zalal has age and momentum on his side here, but he also has the broader skill-set too. I think he can be somewhat competitive with the past-his-prime Kattar on the feet here, but I think he’ll call on his wrestling and grappling to really gain the upper-hand and win via decision.
Prediction: Yousseff Zalal to win by decision.
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Dylan Budka Prediction
With just two wins in his last seven fights, Edmen Shahbazyan can ill-afford another defeat on Saturday night, and the same could be said for his opponent Dylan Budka, who has suffered back-to-back losses in the UFC so far.
Shahbazyan is still only 27, but you’d have hoped that by this stage he would have ironed out more of the flaws in his game. He remains a real threat early in his fights as he can be an imposing striker who pieces together combinations with good power and he can quickly ramp up his aggression if he starts gaining the upper-hand in search of a finish. He can also work for the occasional takedown if the opportunity presents itself and land solid ground-and-pound. The problem however is that despite trying to be a bit more composed and patient these days, Shahbazyan still has a tendency to run out of steam by the mid-way point of the fight, which leaves him vulnerable to being finished, including being TKO’d three times in the past five years and submitted in his most recent fight.
The 25-year-old Budka has an underwhelming 7-4 career record and goes by the less-than-flattering nickname, ‘Mindless Hulk’. Budka doesn’t really offer up a whole lot on the feet and instead prefers to close the distance and press for frequent takedown opportunities. He has good determination in that regard, repeatedly using his wrestling to wear down his opponents, but while he can also find the occasional submission he’s not known as much of a finisher and is generally more of a grinder.
If Budka can impose his wrestling game on Shahbazyan early in this fight then that could really work out well for him in the later rounds, but I think Edmen will be fresh enough at that stage to keep the fight upright and take advantage of his clear striking advantage to deliver a first round TKO finish.
Prediction: Edmen Shahbazyan to win by TKO in Rd1.
Ismael Bonfim vs. Nazim Sadykhov Prediction
Ismael Bonfim has gone 2-1 in the UFC and now fights Nazim Sadykhov, who has picked up two wins and a draw so far.
Despite being 29-year-old, Bonfim pro-fighting career actually dates back as far as 2011 when he was just 16. So he has a lot of experience and is a good technical boxer who attacks in volume with fast hands and respectable power, while also being mindful of his defense. He also made an immediate impact in his UFC debut a couple of years ago when he KO’d Terrence McKinney with a flying knee. Bonfim can also wrestle and has a few submission wins on his record, but has also been tapped out four times in his career. That was mostly early in his career however, and Bonfim has actually only lost once in the last 10 years.
The 30-year-old Sadykhov is also primarily a striker with good technique and footwork, and he’s set his stall out as a finisher, with the majority of his wins coming via strikes, along with a couple of submission victories. That being said, he did have to go the full three rounds last time out against Viacheslav Borschev and was forced to settle for a majority draw.
This seems like a fairly well matched fight stylistically, but I feel Bonfim should prove to be the superior operator overall to help seal a decision victory.
Prediction: Ismael Bonfim to win by decision.
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Andre Petroski Prediction
Rodolfo Vieira and Andre Petroski both head into their fight this weekend off of back-to-back wins at 185lbs.
The 35-year-old Vieira is a highly decorated grappler who has taken full advantage of his elite BJJ skills during his MMA career, with nine of his 10 victories coming via either rear-naked choke or arm-triangle submissions. Vieira is also a capable wrestler too in order to help get the fight where he wants it, but on the feet he’s much less convincing, with his striking being functional at best. Vieira’s cardio has been a big issue for him, including a shock submission loss to Anthony Hernandez in 2021, which saw him become too exhausted in the 2nd round to defend himself effectively. He has been able to put that behind him with solid results since, but it’s still a potential concern.
The 33-year-old Petroski has a good wrestling base and has developed a respectable grappling game to go along with it. He’s also worked to improve upon his striking too, and so heading into his 10th UFC fight he’s now a capable all-rounder. There were some durability concerns not so long ago though as he was TKO’d in back-to-back fights in late 2023 and early 2024 that dented his confidence in the striking department, but he’s got back on track again now and holds a 7-2 UFC record overall.
Petroski would be wise to try to keep this fight standing for the most part, but even though he might have a slight edge there it’s still not his strong suit. And meanwhile, if Vieira can get the fight to the mat then he has the kind of skill level in the grappling department to give anyone a hard time. And I’ll say he does just that, with Vieira seizing upon a submission finish at some point in the first half of the fight before his cardio becomes too compromised.
Prediction: Rodolfo Vieira to win by submission in Rd2.
Connor Matthews vs. Jose Delagdo Prediction
Two Contender Series recruits collide in the main card opener, with Conor Matthews having suffered a TKO loss in his promotional debut last year, while Jose Delgado will be making his first appearance in the UFC after claiming a KO victory on the show last summer.
The 32-year-old Matthews faces a 3″ height and reach disadvantage here. And that’s a concern as though he is a willing enough striker and will try to press the action and utilize his kickboxing, he’s much too hittable at times and doesn’t have a whole lot in the way of finishing power either to discourage his opponents. Matthews can work for takedowns though and he’s found more success troubling opponents on the mat and finding stoppage wins via submission. It remains to be seen if he can do that beyond just the regional scene though.
Delgado is the younger man at 26, but while he’s still in a work-in-progress he does have a fairly solid all-round skill-set. He adopts a high-volume striking style and mixes up his attacks well with punches, kicks and nice knees. He’s a flawed but capable wrestler and can grapple too. So far in his career he’s proven to be a finisher, with all 8 of his career wins coming inside the distance, split evenly between strikes and submissions.
Delgado is still a bit rough around the edges in all aspects of his game, but it feels like he’s good enough to get the better of the less convincing Matthews here, particularly on the feet with his higher output and better power, leading to a 2nd round TKO finish.
Prediction: Jose Delago to win by TKO in Rd2
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UFC Fight Night 251 Prelims
(Predicted winners in bold)
Angela Hill vs. Ketlen Souza
Jared Gordon vs. Kauê Fernandes
Rafael Estevam vs. Jesús Santos Aguilar
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Khaos Williams
Vince Morales vs. Elijah Smith
Valter Walker vs. Don’Tale Mayes
Julia Avila vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti
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