The UFC is heading to Paris, France, and we have an amazing card in store. Headlined by top Middleweight contenders Caio Borralho and Naddourdine Imavov, we will have an awesome night of fights in store.
Today, I will break down my 3 favorite bets for this weekend’s fight card. Let’s get into it!
This is going to be an amazing fight, and it will be the 2nd fight on the entire card. Gustafsson is a fresh prospect with just a 1-0 record in the UFC, but we saw him dominate a veteran in Khaos Williams in his one fight. Rinat is 5-0-1 in his UFC tenure, and this will be the first time he is an underdog in his UFC career so far.
Both of these guys fight extremely aggressively, however, in different ways. Rinat relies on clinch work and grappling, while Gustafsson is going to throw caution to the wind and look for a KO.
I was very impressed with Gustafsson in his UFC debut. His hands looked very clean, and he has serious KO power. I think Gustafsson is going to get the best of Rinat in this one, hurting him early and keeping pressure on someone who hasn’t been tested much.
MY PICK: Andreas Gustafsson -115
This is the Co-Main event and the first of two Fighting Nerds (Brazil) vs France fights. Ruffy has been extremely impressive in his UFC run so far, with some of the slickest striking I have seen in a while.
He is 3-0 in the UFC with a Flying Knee KO and Spinning Heel Kick KO on his resume. This fight will be his hardest test yet with a well-rounded fighter in BSD. BSD is 6-3 in the UFC and has struggled lately with his high-level fights, including losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano.
I think this fight is going to come down to Ruffy staying off his back. Ruffy is a better striker in my opinion, and I think that is really going to separate this fight. I think this should solidify Ruffy as a threat to the Lightweight crown and possibly put him in contention for the belt.
MY PICK: Mauricio Ruffy -185
For the Main event, we have a banger of a fight between two very scary prospects at Middleweight. Imavov is 8-2 in the UFC, with his last loss coming to Sean Strickland back in 2023. Since then, he has won 4 straight, including a win against Israel Adesanya his last time out.
He now fights Borralho in what is possibly a Middleweight title eliminator. Caio i s7-0 in the UFC and hasn’t lost a fight since 2015. His last win against Jared Cannonier cemented him as a serious problem in the division.
I think this fight will mostly play out on the feet, and I give Caio the advantage in that department. If he can avoid being taken down, I think his striking will separate him. Imavov is a powerful striker and is more orthodox than Borralho, but I think Caio gets the job done and completes the Fighting Nerds sweep.
MY PICK: Caio Borralho -130