After a weekend in Australia, the UFC heads back to the Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 24. The main event of UFC Fight Night is a middleweight bout between No. 5 Jared Cannonier and No. 12 Caio Borralho. The winner will move a step closer to a fight with champion Dricus Du Plessis, who submitted Israel Adesanya to retain the belt at last weekend at UFC 305.
The co-main event showcases ranked womenās strawweights Angela Hill and Tabatha Ricci, both of whom will look for a second consecutive victory.
Gerald Meerschaert III faces Edmen Shahbazyan to open the main card, and the surging Michael Morales will look to move into the welterweight rankings against veteran Neil Magny. The Ultimate Fighter Season 32 winner will be crowned in the following two fights.
Edmen Shahbazyan (13-4) vs. Gerald Meerschaert III (36-17)
Gerald Meerschaert is the ultimate journeyman. The 36-year-old has fought 53 professional fights, and since joining the UFC, he has a record of 11-9. He has never won more than three in a row and never lost more than two in a row. All 11 of his wins have come inside the distance, as did five of his nine losses. His most recent win was a rear-naked choke of Bryan Barberena, but unfortunately, GM3 is infamous for being knocked out by Khamzat Chimaev.
On the flip side, Shahbazyan was once thought to be a future middleweight title contender, but he after jumping out to a 4-0 start in the UFC, he dropped his next three fights to Derek Brunson, Jack Hermansson and Nassourdine Imavov. However, Shahbazyan is coming off of a TKO victory over AJ Dobson in his last fight. It feels like Shahbazyan is hit or miss.
Something has to give here, and Iāll go with the younger Shahbazyan to defeat GM3. And something tells me judges wonāt be necessary.
Prediction: Shahbazyan via KO/TKO, Round 2
Michael Morales (16-0) vs. 12 Neil Magny (29-12)
In his last fight, Magny produced an unexpected comeback TKO of Mike Malott. Not only that, but Magny did it in Malottās home country of Canada.
Being a gatekeeper in the UFC is nothing to be ashamed of. The 37-year-old has the most wins in UFC welterweight history and has fought the best of the best in his division. Sometimes, though, it seems as if the UFC is feeding Magny to younger opponents in an attempt to inject fresh blood into the welterweight division. That is the case here.
Michael Morales is on an absolute tear. He is 16-0 overall and 4-0 in the UFC after appearing on Dana Whiteās contender series. The oddsmakers appear to believe that this fight is a formality, as Morales is a -1000 favorite, and I canāt say I disagree.
I expect Morales to show that he belongs in the welterweight rankings with a quick finish on Saturday. That doesnāt mean Iām not rooting for an improbable underdog story, though.
Prediction: Morales via KO/TKO, Round 1
9 Angela Hill (17-13) vs. 11 Tabatha Ricci (10-2)
Despite turning 39 years old earlier this year, Angela Hill delivered one of her finest performances to date in her last outing, where she submitted Luana Pinheiro. It was her first finish since 2020 after heading to the judgesā scorecards in 12 straight fights.
Tabatha Ricci is now 5-2 in the UFC, with both of her losses coming against quality opposition in Manon Fiorot and Loopy Godinez. Her last fight was a forgettable split decision win over Tecia Pennington.
Letās be honest, this fight is absolutely going the distance. Hill has fought to a decision in 20 of her 25 UFC bouts, and Ricci has gone to the scorecards in five of seven. These women among the most durable in the division, so it will be interesting to see who can emerge with a win.
Prediction: Hill via Split Decision
5 Jared Cannonier (17-7) vs. 12 Caio Barralho (16-1, 1 NC)
After two wins on Dana Whiteās Contender Series, Caio Borralho has rattled off six consecutive victories in the UFC octagon, with the most recent being a brutal TKO of Paul Craig at UFC 301.
However, Borralho is taking a major step up in competition by facing Cannonier, a former title challenger and staple at the top of the middleweight division. Jared Cannonier is coming off of a loss against Nassourdine Imavov, a fight that was stopped prematurely by referee Jason Herzog. While Cannonier was certainly on the ropes, he remained on his feet and defended himself but wasnāt given the chance to fight back. Two outings ago, Cannonier obliterated Marvin Vettori over the course of five rounds, setting the divisionās record for most significant strikes in a fight.
I donāt see Cannonier getting finished again in this fight, but I can see Borralho outlasting him over 25 minutes. Borralho has not faced a striker of Cannonierās caliber, but he has all the pieces to be successful in this fight. He is also nine years younger than his opponent, who turned 40 in January. Cannonier will want to keep the fight on the feet, so I expect Borralho to try to utilize his ground game.
Prediction: Borralho via Unanimous Decision
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