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This weekend sees UFC 283 go down from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As the first pay-per-view of 2023, it promises to be a good one.
UFC 283 features two major title bouts at the top of the card, but there are also a number of exceptional fights on the undercard, featuring some top fighters.
With some of these fighters looking to push into title contention, and others looking to simply make the most of a big opportunity, it should be well worth watching them.
Here are five undercard fighters to keep an eye on at UFC 283.
#5. Jailton Almeida – UFC heavyweight contender
UFC 283 sees a number of high-level veterans and contenders in action, but it also features a handful of top prospects. The best of them all is undoubtedly Jailton Almeida.
Capable of fighting at both 205 pounds and as a heavyweight – as he’s set to this weekend – the Brazilian has proven himself to be a hugely skilled fighter already.
After winning on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, Almeida made his octagon debut by stopping Danilo Marques. He’s followed that with two submission victories.
‘Malhadinho’ is clearly more of a grappler, having won 11 of his 17 career victories by submission. In fact, all of his octagon wins have come on the ground, as he’s dangerous with strikes there, too.
However, he’s clearly got the athleticism and explosiveness to be able to fight in all areas. Hiven he’s up against wrestler Shamil Abdurakhimov this weekend, we might see his stand-up game unleashed.
If Almeida can win this fight, he should move into the heavyweight division’s top 15. From there, the sky could be the limit.
#4. Gregory Rodrigues – UFC middleweight contender
There are a number of fighters in the UFC right now who aren’t title contenders, but they’re so exciting to watch that their bouts become can’t miss affairs anyway.
Brazilian middleweight Gregory Rodrigues is almost certainly one of those fighters. ‘Robocop’ has been with the promotion since the summer of 2021, and in that time, he’s never failed to deliver crazy action inside the octagon.
Rodrigues does have a good record – 4-1 in the UFC and 13-4 overall – but it’s probably fair to suggest that his striking, no pun intended, is a little robotic at times.
That’s not to say that he isn’t effective, but he does have a tendency to get hit a lot, as we saw when he suffered a bad cut in his recent win over Chidi Njokuani.
Will he deliver the goods this weekend? It’s hard to say whether he’ll win, purely because so little is known about his opponent, fellow Brazilian Brunno Ferreira.
However, judging on his previous outings, whether he wins or loses doesn’t matter – ‘Robocop’ is likely to produce another exciting fight. That alone makes him a man to watch come the weekend.
#3. Johnny Walker – UFC light heavyweight contender
One fighter who will definitely be worth watching this weekend in Rio de Janeiro is Johnny Walker. The light heavyweight contender isn’t as hot as he was back in 2019, but he’s now back on the winning track and could be ready to make another run at the top.
The last time we saw Walker in action was in September, when he submitted Ion Cutelaba late in the first round.
It was the first UFC win for the Brazilian since his 2020 win over Ryan Spann, and it was the first suggestion that he might be rounding his game out and moving away from being purely a wild striker.
Walker would be best to avoid the ground in his upcoming fight, though, as opponent Paul Craig is a grappling whiz who has the ability to submit seemingly any foe he comes up against.
However, the Scotsman is definitely more vulnerable standing, meaning that Walker will probably be confident of finding a way to land something nasty on the feet and knock him out.
Either way, it’s doubtful that this one will go the distance, given both men have a combined four decisions between them in 23 visits to the octagon. That means that we could be in for fireworks, and it feels likely that Walker will be the one who provides them.
#2. Shogun Rua – former UFC light heavyweight champion
While it’s arguable that he shouldn’t be fighting at all at this stage, there’s no denying that former UFC light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua is a man to watch this weekend.
That’s because, according to most reports, his bout with Ihor Potieria is likely to be his final one in the octagon, as he plans to hang up his gloves after two decades of action.
While he’s become somewhat of a punchline in recent years, suffering terrible losses to the likes of Paul Craig and Ovince Saint Preux, Shogun should be remembered as a true great of the 205-pound division.
He remains one of the few fighters to claim titles in both PRIDE and the UFC, and beat a who’s who of his generation of fighters, including Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida and Rampage Jackson.
Can Shogun pick up one final win over Potieria this weekend? The native of Ukraine is almost certainly the Brazilian’s least heralded opponent in years, with an octagon record of 0-1. But at 41, the former champion is incredibly vulnerable.
Win or lose, though, the final bout in the career of this legend should be well worth watching, making him a fighter to keep a close eye on this weekend.
#1. Gilbert Burns – UFC welterweight contender
Outside of the two title fights, the fighter most worth watching at UFC 283 this weekend is undoubtedly former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns.
‘Durinho’ hasn’t fought since his war with Khamzat Chimaev last March, a fight that was widely recognized as one of the very best of 2022.
Sure, Burns came out on the losing end of things, but it’s arguable that his excellent performance actually made him a bigger star with the fans than ever before.
The big question now, of course, is whether the Brazilian can get back on the winning track when he faces Neil Magny this weekend.
Magny isn’t as tricky an opponent as Chimaev, but ‘The Haitian Sensation’ has dangerous skills in all areas. If Burns isn’t at his best, then it could be a long night for the former title challenger.
However, assuming ‘Durinho’ can bounce back from his loss to Chimaev, he should be able to find a way to finish Magny. If he can do that, then he’d be right back into title contention, especially as a potentially fresh opponent for Leon Edwards if he can overcome Kamaru Usman in their upcoming rematch.
With that in mind, there’s no disputing that on this weekend’s undercard, ‘Durinho’ will be the man under the most spotlight.
