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This weekend sees the UFC return to Brazil for the first time since March 2020, as the promotion will present its first pay-per-view of 2023.
UFC 283 features two title bouts at the top of the card, with both the light heavyweight and flyweight crowns on the line, and also features a pretty solid undercard.
Without further ado, here are the predicted outcomes for UFC 283: Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill.
#1. UFC light heavyweight title: Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill
It’s probably safe to say that this fight is one of the strangest title bouts in UFC history. Essentially, the light heavyweight title vacated by Jiri Prochazka should’ve gone to either Magomed Ankalaev or Jan Blachowicz, who met in December.
However, when that bout turned out to be disappointing and ended in a draw, Dana White simply made a judgment call. Rather than rematch the two men for the title, he instead signed former champion Glover Teixeira to fight prospect Jamahal Hill, and declared that the new title fight instead.
Based on the finishing rate of these two fighters, it feels highly likely that this will be a more entertaining bout than Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev. But who will come out on top?
It’s probably fair to say that the favorite should be Teixeira. The former champion is now 43 years old, but he’s never looked over the hill, even in his wild loss to Prochazka last year.
More to the point, he’s had six months to recover from that loss, which saw him take an insane amount of damage.
At his best, Teixeira is hugely dangerous in all areas. A world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, his top game is phenomenal, and he loves nothing more than to smash an opponent from mount to set up a fight-ending choke.
On the feet, meanwhile, he’s slightly plodding, but does pack plenty of power into his punches. He has knocked out numerous fighters on the feet, most notably Rashad Evans and Ryan Bader.
So can Hill win this fight at all? It’s hard to say. On one hand, he does have plenty stacked against him.
At 11-1-1, ‘Sweet Dreams’ has a fraction of the experience that Teixeira brings. In fact, his MMA debut came over three years after Teixeira had first fought Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title. When Teixeira made his debut, back in 2002, Hill was just 11 years old.
To add to this, while he’s proven to be dangerous, his one loss to Paul Craig in 2021 came on the ground, and saw Hill look badly outclassed by a grappler nowhere near Teixeira’s level.
Despite that, the younger fighter might have a chance here purely because of his speed. He’s miles quicker than Teixeira, and the Brazilian has been outstruck before.
Not only did he suffer bad KOs at the hands of Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson, but he also ate tons of combinations from Corey Anderson, who was able to take advantage of his lack of speed.
Essentially, though, Hill has to play this fight perfectly to win. He can’t let Teixeira get hold of him, otherwise he’ll find himself on the ground and will probably lose. He’ll have to keep his distance, draw the veteran in, and hope he can catch him with something big on the counter.
Teixeira, on the other hand, can win this fight in so many different ways that he really ought to be favored, assuming he doesn’t get reckless and hasn’t fossilized overnight.
With that in mind, the pick has to be the Brazilian.
The Pick: Teixeira via second-round submission
#2. UFC flyweight title: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno
The second title fight on this weekend’s pay-per-view will see UFC history made, as Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno will face off for the fourth time with the flyweight title on the line.
We’ve seen trilogy bouts for titles in the octagon on numerous times in the past, but never four clashes. More to the point, with one win each and a draw separating them, whoever takes this one can probably claim to have won the rivalry for good.
Which fighter will come out on top? It’s a difficult one to pick.
On one hand, based on their previous meetings, it’s hard not to favor Figueiredo. ‘The God of War’ would’ve won the first bout were it not for a point deduction, and he clearly won their third clash a year ago.
At his best, the Brazilian doesn’t really have any weaknesses. He hits with incredible power for a 125lber, he’s capable of submitting opponents from any area, and his cardio is usually good.
However, when he lost to Moreno in June 2021, he did so by rear-naked choke, the first time he’d ever been finished in his MMA career. It was a terrible showing from ‘The God of War’, who later blamed a massive weight cut for his problems.
That should be worrying for him here. He clearly cuts a great deal of weight to make 125 pounds and has a size advantage over most of his opponents. However, he’s now 35 years old, and making that weight is definitely becoming trickier for him.
Moreno, on the other hand, might’ve lost to Figueiredo in their most recent bout, but he bounced back last summer and looked better than ever in his TKO win over Kai Kara-France, which netted him an interim title.
‘The Assassin Baby’ is a rawer fighter than Figueiredo, but he’s also dangerous in all areas, and he’s extremely durable too, having never been finished in his 28-bout MMA career.
If both men come into this one at their best, then Figueiredo should have enough to win, as he’s better than Moreno in all areas in terms of pure skill. However, the Mexican will not go down without a fight, and if ‘The God of War’ tires late on due to the weight cut, then Moreno will definitely look to take advantage.
Essentially, then, Friday’s weigh-ins should tell us a lot about this one. If Figueiredo comes in looking drained, then the smart money could be on Moreno.
However, for now, it’s impossible to predict that, and the fighting skills are the only thing to go on. With that considered, the pick is ‘The God of War’.
The Pick: Figueiredo via decision
#3. UFC 283: The Main Card
In a key welterweight bout, Gilbert Burns takes on Neil Magny. It’s almost hard not to feel bad for Burns, who probably deserves a bigger-name opponent than Magny on merit. However, while he’s a great fighter, he simply doesn’t have a marketable personality.
With that said, personalities don’t matter in the octagon, and if ‘Durinho’ is fit and healthy, Magny should be in trouble here. ‘The Haitian Sensation’ is a strong fighter in his own right, but unless he can keep Burns at the end of his jab, then he’s likely to be outclassed, particularly if the Brazilian can take him down.
Magny is a live underdog here, but it seems doubtful that he’ll be able to jab at Burns for three rounds straight, and so the pick is ‘Durinho’ via second-round submission.
In a flyweight clash, Jessica Andrade takes on Lauren Murphy. Both of these women have fought for UFC gold before, being outclassed by Valentina Shevchenko. Both women also possess plenty of skills and don’t really have too many weaknesses, but the big difference is in punching power.
Murphy hits hard, but Andrade is on another level when it comes to being able to stop her foes, and she’s ruthless and has a nasty killer instinct, too. Therefore, the pick is ‘Bate Estaca’ via first-round KO.
Finally, Paul Craig takes on Johnny Walker in a light heavyweight bout. This should come down to whether Craig can survive the inevitable early rush from Walker.
Walker has put plenty of foes away with his wild and explosive strikes, and ‘Bearjew’ doesn’t have the best chin, having been knocked out by the likes of Alonzo Menifield in the past. However, Walker also looks limited as a fight goes on, while Craig is notorious for being able to submit opponents in crazy comebacks.
Despite that, Walker does have the kind of crazy athleticism that’s given Craig trouble in the past, and the Scotsman will also be stepping into hostile territory against a Brazilian favorite. The pick, then, is Walker via KO.
#4. UFC 283: The Prelims
Picks in bold
UFC light heavyweight bout: Shogun Rua vs. Ihor Potieria
UFC middleweight bout: Gregory Rodrigues vs. Brunno Ferreira
UFC lightweight bout: Thiago Moises vs. Melquizael Costa
UFC welterweight bout: Mounir Lazzez vs. Gabriel Bonfim
UFC heavyweight bout: Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Jailton Almeida
UFC lightweight bout: Terrance McKinney vs. Ismael Bonfim
UFC welterweight bout: Warlley Alves vs. Nicolas Dalby
UFC featherweight bout: Josiane Nunes vs. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos
UFC bantamweight bout: Luan Lacerda vs. Cody Stamann
UFC bantamweight bout: Salmon Oliveira vs. Daniel Marcos
