After a week off, the UFC is back from the Las Vegas APEX Saturday night.
The main event is a welterweight bout between Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady, and the co-main event features women’s flyweight contenders Jessica Andrade and Natalia Silva.
Here’s how we predict these marquee matchups will play out:
6 Jessica Andrade (26-12) vs. 8 Natalia Silva (17-5-1)
Silva carries a perfect 5-0 UFC record into her fight with Andrade, a seasoned veteran and former champion. In her last outing, the 27-year-old took home a decision win over ninth-ranked Viviane Araujo. Two of her five wins in the UFC octagon have come by stoppage, including a spinning back kick against Tereza Bleda in 2022.
The surging Silva will take a major step up in competition when she faces Andrade. Though Andrade has spent over a decade fighting in the UFC, she’s only 32. On the outside, this seems like a classic case of a gatekeeper being served up as a sacrificial lamb for a rising prospect. After all, Andrade dropped three consecutive fights in 2023 before winning her last two outings and is likely past her prime. But I don’t see it that way.
As the younger fighter, Silva has the speed advantage and is a volume striker. However, her last loss came against Marina Rodriguez, the woman whom Andrade defeated in her last outing at UFC 300. Andrade is one of the few fighters in the women’s flyweight division that possesses one-punch knockout power, and Silva’s chin hasn’t been tested yet. Ten months ago, Andrade knocked out fellow contender Mackenzie Dern at UFC 295.
Andrade has been in the octagon with the best of the best, including five former champions and nearly every top contender. She is one of the most active fighters in the organization, fighting five times in 2023. But she’ll be well rested for Saturday’s fight after a five-month layoff.
If there’s a finish in this fight, I don’t see it coming from Silva. She’ll need to win a decision, which she is more than capable of doing. But I’m picking the +215 underdog to pull the upset here.
Prediction: Andrade via KO/TKO, Round 2
6 Gilbert Burns (22-7) vs. 8 Sean Brady (16-1)
Sean Brady was written off by many after his loss to current welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad at UFC 280. At the time, Brady was an undefeated prospect and a sizeable favorite in the matchup. Muhammad neutralized the threat of Brady’s wrestling, forcing him to stand and trade, where Muhammad proved to be the better fighter. In hindsight, there’s no shame in this loss. Muhammad has outstruck some of the best fighters in the division, including former champion Leon Edwards, who was widely regarded as the most technical striker in the UFC.
Brady took a year off and returned in December 2023, where he submitted Kelvin Gastelum.
Burns, who also holds a loss to Muhammad, is coming off of a TKO loss to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 299. Burns controlled the entire fight until the final two minutes, landing seven takedowns and bagging the first two rounds on the judges’ scorecards. All he had to do was survive the third round, but he couldn’t do it.
Burns is now 38 years old and doesn’t have a clear path back to the title. He has been through grueling battles with warriors like Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman.
The wrestling prowess and cardio of Burns should be good enough for him to avoid being finished, but I believe the underrated striking of Brady could be the difference in the fight.
Prediction: Brady via Unanimous Decision
In the Shadows Sports 
Leave a comment