Flyweights
C.J. Vergara (11-4-1, 2-2 UFC) vs. Vinicius Salvador (14-5, 0-1 UFC)He may not have the athletic upside to make a run towards the title, but Vergara is quickly carving out a niche as a must-watch flyweight. Vergara earned his UFC contract in 2021 with a quick knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series, but that was a bit of false advertising, as the Texan usually finds his most success winning a brutal war of attrition; it is that latter trend that has held true in the four fights since. Tatsuro Taira proved that Vergara can be tapped out on the mat, but he has been impossible to knock out and relentless in trying to march down his opponents and make something happen. That has gotten him two wins in the UFC thus far, each against more athletic Brazilians. A narrow victory over Kleydson Rodrigues served as proof of concept that Vergara’s approach could work in the UFC, and his March encounter with Daniel da Silva resulted in an amazing affair that saw him come back from the brink of defeat to score a comeback win in the second round. That makes it a bit amusing that Vergara is back once again fighting another inefficient but talented Brazilian in Salvador, who is looking to rebound from a disappointing UFC debut. Salvador is a long fighter who can make some impressive things happen through his creativity, but that disjointed dynamism becomes frustrating against an opponent who refuses to go away. His DWCS victory over Shannon Ross was a barnburner, but Salvador underachieved in his March fight against Victor Altamirano, who was able to march forward and lean on his durability to earn a clear decision. Salvador could always uncork something that ends this in highlight-reel fashion, but this very much looks to be a similar matchup to a fight that he just lost and a fight that Vergara historically wins, making the Texan the clear favorite. The pick is Vergara via decision.
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Bonfim vs. Giles
Rogerio de Lima vs. Lewis
Kopylov vs. Ribeiro
Matthews vs. Flowers
Vergara vs. Salvador
Semelsberger vs. Medic
Maverick vs. Cachoeira