Tag: Fight Night

UFC Fight Night Edmonton Preview – Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi

Posted on by Ryan Knuppel

The UFC returns to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for a stacked Fight Night card this Saturday, featuring a thrilling main event between former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and rising contender Amir Albazi. It’s been five years since the UFC last visited the “City of Champions,” and the event promises an electric night of action at Rogers Place.

Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi

The main event showcases Brandon Moreno, the former flyweight king, looking to bounce back after consecutive split decision losses, including a tough defeat to Brandon Royval earlier this year. Moreno has taken some well-deserved time off after a grueling stretch of high-profile matchups, and this fight offers him a chance to get back into the title picture.

His opponent, Amir Albazi, is undefeated in his UFC career with a perfect 5-0 record inside the Octagon. Albazi, known as “The Prince,” was climbing the ranks before needing neck surgery, but now he’s back and ready to challenge Moreno. This matchup features two of the most well-rounded flyweights, with both fighters possessing elite striking and grappling skills, setting up what should be an exciting five-round contest.

Check out the BetUS review for more information on betting this event!

Co-Main Event: Rose Namajunas vs. Erin Blanchfield

The co-main event features a critical clash in the women’s flyweight division as Rose Namajunas faces Erin Blanchfield. Namajunas, a two-time strawweight champion, is on a two-fight win streak and has her sights set on earning a title shot in her new weight class. Blanchfield, meanwhile, is one of the top young prospects in the UFC, with a 6-1 record in the promotion. A win for either woman could propel them into a title opportunity against newly crowned champion Valentina Shevchenko.

Heavyweight Battle: Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz

Heavyweight fan favorite Derrick Lewis will take on rising talent Jhonata Diniz in a fight that promises fireworks. Lewis, who holds the record for the most knockouts in UFC history, is coming off a big win over Rodrigo Nascimento and will be looking to build momentum. Diniz, a Dana White’s Contender Series graduate, is undefeated at 8-0 and will be aiming to prove himself against the seasoned veteran.

Exciting Matchups Throughout the Card

The rest of the UFC Fight Night Edmonton card features several intriguing bouts:

  • Marc-Andre Barriault will face Dustin Stoltzfus in a middleweight bout. Both fighters are eager to turn their fortunes around after recent struggles, making this a must-win for each of them.
  • Charles Jourdain takes on Victor Henry in a bantamweight showdown. Jourdain is looking to bounce back from a couple of tough losses, while Henry aims to build on his recent victory over Rani Yahya.
  • Mike Malott meets Trevin Giles in a welterweight contest to kick off the main card. Malott is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Neil Magny and will be hoping to get back in the win column in front of Canadian fans.

Don’t Miss the Action!

UFC Fight Night Edmonton is set to be a thrilling night of fights, with the main event between Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi leading the charge. Be sure to catch all the action live on ESPN+ this Saturday, with the prelims starting at 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT and the main card kicking off at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT.

Bet on UFC Fight Night at BetUS!

UFC Fight Night Betting Preview: Kai Kara-France vs Amir Albazi

Posted on by Ryan Knuppel

Another installment of UFC Fight Night from the APEX is on the docket for this weekend in Las Vegas, and there are a few exciting matchups to watch and bet on. 

Read further for a quick breakdown and betting preview of the main event between Kai Kara-France (24-10) and Amir Albazi (16-1). 

The Main Event of the Evening

This bout, in which this event was built around, is coming out of the most slept-on division in the UFC. The flyweights are a bunch of killers that fight at a very high level. 

After losing his first title shot to Brandon Moreno last year, Kai Kara-France is set to headline his first event this weekend with a huge chance to make sure his name stays at the top of the flyweight division. 

Kara-France’s dance partner, Amir Albazi, is a lesser-known fighter coming from Baghdad, Iraq and has a ton of world-class talent. Let’s breakdown this fight stylistically. 

Between the two, Kara-France is going to be the physically smaller man in the cage on Saturday night, but the kid packs a punch. He has sparked guys like Cody Garbrandt and Rogerio Bontorin. He also put on an incredible performance against the dominant Askar Askarov, seemingly bringing his UFC career to an end.

Albazi is the new kid in town getting his first big opportunity in the UFC. After two finishes in 2022, this is the fight that needed to be made. “The Prince” has some very good striking ability with a few tricky shots he likes to find in the fight–like a nasty uppercut that might be the key to winning this one. But his best skill he has in his back pocket is his wrestling ability. 

Kara-France vs. Albazi Betting Picks

BetOnline has this fight at pick ‘em odds with both fighters at -110 value. This seems like the best way to have this matchup, knowing both of these guys have plenty of paths to victory. 

Albazi has great grappling skills and power in his hands, but you can’t look over Kara-France. Kara-France has proved over the years that he can fight with anyone in the division. Let’s not forget how much success he was having against Brandon Moreno before getting stopped by that brutal liver kick. 

The official prediction for this main event bout is that Kara-France gets his hand raised at the end of the night. Most likely a fight of the night-worthy unanimous decision, but I can also see him getting a finish late in the fight while Albazi starts losing cardio. 

What it comes down: I have way too much confidence in City Kickboxing, the gym that Kara-France trains at. Their team is a proven championship-level group of men and women that train like champions every day. Eugene Bareman is one of the best head coaches in the world and they will have a great gameplan. 

Kara-France will be able to stuff takedowns, and land the bigger shots throughout. Most importantly, he has the cardio to fight all 25 minutes and we don’t know if Albazi does. 

Another Betting Pick

There are a few other interesting fights on this card to look at on BetOnline this week. The co-main event between Alex Caceres (-180) and Daniel Pineda (+155) is going to be crazy. The wacky style of Caceres going up against a killer like Pineda will surely have fans on the edge of their seats.

Caceres throws more of the traditional martial arts techniques and uses a lot of kicks to keep his distance from his opponents and control the pace of the fight. Pineda is someone that can match Caceres skill-for-skill and even has the experience advantage over the UFC veteran.

Pineda has 19 submissions in his career. Caceres struggles with his submission defense against guys that are physically stronger than him. I think that Pineda is probably the best underdog bet to make on this whole card.