UFC 260 - Full Card Breakdown & Predictions
When is UFC 260? Sunday 28th March, 2021 - 00:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 260? UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 260? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC 260 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC 260? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
STIPE MIOCIC VS FRANCIS NGANNOU
The old stalwart and winningest UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic (20-3) returns for another rematch. His trilogy with Daniel Cormier took over two years to complete after Cormier knocked him out in 2018 at UFC 226, avenging the loss with his own finish at UFC 241 and then putting a cap on Cormier’s glittering career with a unanimous decision win back in August. Three wars that were broken up with a terrible eye injury and lockdown all coming after going five rounds with Francis Ngannou eating some of his titanic Cameroonian bombs but ultimately outclassing him and handing him a humble slap of reality with a unanimous decision.
That loss has had the biggest impact on Ngannou’s (15-3) fight career. His journey to the octagon is an unbelievable story and he arrived late to MMA but what he lacked in technique he made up with extraordinary power. He had an aura of invincibility especially after sending legend Alistair Overeem into the shadow realm with horrifying knockout. Miocic ate some shots and out grappled Ngannou exposing his gas tank and that dented his confidence in his next fight, too afraid to pull the trigger against Derrick Lewis and eventually losing a lacklustre decision. However, he has got back to what made him the most feared man in the sport by going on to melt Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
PREDICTION
Miocic is clearly the better fighter. He is more skilled, more experienced and proven that he has the fight IQ and ability to nullify the strength of Ngannou using his wrestling to sap his energy and avoid his hands.
However, there is no greater equalizer than Ngannou’s power. Miocic did eat a clean punch from Ngannou however, accumulating the damage he took in that fight with the three battles with Cormier, there is no way his chin is the same. Combine that with the fact the best possible preparation for this fight was that humbling lesson three years ago.
Crucially, what that lesson and his subsequent fights will have taught Ngannou is that he does not need to become a wrestler with Tony Ferguson cardio but instead rely on that widowmaking right hand and try to land it clean at all costs especially against somebody who is levels above in every area.
As we saw in the Rozenstruik fight, there was no technique involved, rushing forward, squared up, holding his chin high against a technically better striker and accomplished kickboxer but he knew he just needed to land once and that is what happened in 20 seconds.
That said, Miocic is good enough to mirror his first performance especially after three training camps for Cormier and outclass Ngannou everywhere, subduing him in the clinch and even getting a late knockout but we can also see Ngannou burst out the gate with a jaw-dropping knockout in the first minute. Don’t blink.
Prediction: Ngannou via KO/TKO
Value Bet: Miocic via KO/TKO
TYRON WOODLEY VS VICENTE LUQUE
What happened to Tyron Woodley (19-6-1), has he got exposed or has he just dropped off with time? After his fourth title defence and annihilation of Darren Till he was tracking Georges St Pierre as one of the best welterweights of all time. He went into his fifth title defence against Kamaru Usman with one of the best takedown defences in the game and the explosive power to knock anyone out, but Usman ragdolled the life out of him for five rounds. Putting it down as a blip, he then met Gilbert Burns but the same outcome – a complete five-round schooling followed by another handed out by Colby Covington who eventually claimed a TKO due to a rib injury in the fifth round.
Vicente Luque (19-7-1) has been awarded with a prime co-main spot on the pay-per-view card as the Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega fight fell through. He deserves a big name after only losing to Stephen Thompson in his last nine fights. ‘Wonderboy’ snapped a six-fight streak with a vintage technical masterclass but Luque rebounded in typical bulldozing fashion last year by knocking out Niko Price and Randy Brown with a merciless finish after a thunderous knee to the dome.
PREDICTION
Despite Woodley’s last three opponents being absolute grappling beasts, based on how limp his performances were, we have to go with Luque. Woodley when he was the champion would outclass Luque, patiently countering with his blistering power backed up by his wrestling.
However, Luque has all the form and his granite chin has continued to hold up in wars against dangerous strikers. He is made of concrete and as Woodley is also super durable with good defence, we expect a decision with Luque’s aggression swaying the judges.
Luque is the heavy favourite but despite Woodley’s poor form, he is worth a punt with this stylistic match-up. This is only three rounds and he knows Luque is not going to try and wrestle him for 15 minutes. He can concentrate on his striking and if just a glimpse of the old Woodley shows up and that trademarked explosion of punches rushing forward appears, Luque could be in trouble.
Prediction: Luque via Decision
Value Bet: Woodley via Decision
SEAN O’MALLEY VS THOMAS ALMEIDA
The Sean O’Malley (12-1) hype train was thoroughly derailed by Marlon Vera back in August. The Ecuadorian disabled the leg of O’Malley and followed him to the ground to land a couple brutal elbows to complete the finish. This devastating loss came after flawless performances including a striking clinic, knocking out Jose Quinonez and that one-punch walk-off knockout over Eddie Wineland.
Thomas Almeida (22-4) was carrying an abundance of hype himself after his first four UFC fights which included savage knockouts over Yves Jabouin, Brad Pickett and Anthony Birchak to boast his perfect record to 21-0. However, Cody Garbrandt snapped the streak and his jaw before going on to win the bantamweight title. Almeida responded perfectly by knocking out Albert Morales, but he went on to lose a unanimous decision to Jimmie Rivera and get knocked out by Rob Font. He was out for nearly three years and returned at featherweight but met an in-form Jonathan Martinez losing a unanimous decision and now he is in the dark realm of losing four of his last five.
Prediction
Almeida drops back down to bantamweight and we are not quite sure what he has done to annoy the UFC brass as taking on O’Malley after three losses in a row is a tough task. Fickle fans may write O’Malley off especially after not taking the loss on the chin, but he is clearly an elite striker and he was only getting better before the Vera loss.
His speed, technique and power on the feet has got to be a worry for Almeida. The Brazilian can clearly crack himself, but you need to be full of confidence to bring it to O’Malley which he has lost. If he can open up with calf kicks to test O’Malley’s injuries, he can plant a seed of doubt in his mind and find an opening, but he needs to be assertive and not let O’Malley dictate the range and pace like he usually does.
Almeida is also dangerous on the ground and O’Malley has very underrated jiu-jitsu, but we are unlikely to see any grappling here which will only favour O’Malley. He has a point to prove now which could bring out the best in him and it is a great time to fight Almeida.
Prediction: O’Malley via KO/TKO
GILLIAN ROBERTSON VS MIRANDA MAVERICK
Gillian Robertson (9-5) remains as active as ever and she would love to get another three fights in this year like she did in 2019 and 2020. In each year she started with two wins but lost the third. In 2019, she submitted Veronica Macedo and TKO’d Sarah Frota but got mauled and finished by Maycee Barber. She then submitted Cortney Casey and outpointed Poliana Botelho but she is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Taila Santos in December.
Miranda Maverick (8-2) is riding a decent four-fight winning streak and is coming off an odd but successful UFC debut. After submitting Heather Walker-Leahy for Shogun Fights and then submitting DeAnna Bennett and outpointing Pearl Gonzalez for Invicta she met Liana Jojua for her debut back in October. She was looking great on the feet before landing a beautiful elbow up the middle which caused a serious gash to Jojua’s nose forcing the doctor to call an end to the fight.
PREDICTION
The worrying sign for Robertson is that all her losses have come to superior grapplers and Maverick is a strong wrestler with a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Robertson is a black belt herself but when her opponents are good enough to stifle her submission attacks, she struggles.
Maverick will also have a clear advantage on the feet so if she can use her grappling skills to keep the fight where she wants it, we back her to win a decision with her damage and output on the feet convincing the judges. However, Robertson will be relentless with her takedown attempts so you cannot count her out.
Prediction: Maverick via Decision
Value Bet: Robertson via Decision
KHAMA WORTHY VS JAMIE MULLARKEY
It felt like Khama Worthy (16-7) forgot how to lose since getting sparked by Kyle Nelson for the Canadian BTC promotion in 2017. He went on to compile a seven-fight win streak including three knockouts and two submissions. One of those knockouts was against Devonte Smith for his UFC debut and he followed that up by cinching Luis Pena up in a guillotine back in June. However, he was finally derailed three months later by Ottman Azaitar who stood in his tracks and knocked him out in the first round.
Jamie Mullarkey (12-4) has lost both of his UFC fights so far, but he made a big splash on his debut with Brad Riddell. It was a war going toe-to-toe with the kiwi kickboxer. He lost a unanimous decision in the end but showed a lot of heart and warrior spirit. He then met Fares Ziam a year later back in October and lost another unanimous decision and he would love nothing more than to rediscover the form that got him to the octagon when he knocked out and finished four opponents in a row.
PREDICTION
Worthy is a lot better than his record suggests as his early losses included the likes of Paul Felder, Billy Quarantillo and Kyle Nelson. He has certainly not tried to pad his record leading up the UFC and the same can be said for Mullarkey who lost to Alexander Volkanovski in 2017.
This is a tough fight for both fighters coming off a loss, but it will be a treat for the fans as they are very aggressive and exciting fighters. They match-up almost identically physically, but stylistically we can expect Mullarkey to look for more takedowns as Worthy will look to punish the Aussie’s chin as he steps into range.
Mullarkey will start strong but he will need to pace himself better than his previous fights if he wants to grind Worthy down. Worthy also got taken down three times by Pena which will wet the appetite of Mullarkey, but he needs to make it count with effective ground-and-pound.
Worthy will be very dangerous with a submission in the locker and has that knockout threat whenever there is space. Mullarkey is the underdog but we can easily see him capitalise on Worthy’s 58% takedown defence, but he has to avoid the hands on the feet and the guillotine on the ground for three rounds which is a tough ask.
Prediction: Worthy via KO/TKO
Value Bet: Mullarkey via Decision
ALONZO MENIFIELD VS FABIO CHERANT
It seems COVID-19 is desperate for Alonzo Menifield (9-2) and William Knight not to slug it out as it forced Menifield out the first scheduling at UFC Fight Night 186 and now a positive test has forced Knight out just a couple days before the fight. Fortunately, Menifield will still make it to the cage as a willing opponent has stepped up and he just wants to get back in the win column after suffering his first two losses. After running through his first nine opponents (eight knockouts and one submission) but lost a unanimous decision to Devin Clark and is coming off a brutal knockout courtesy of Ovince Saint Preux.
Fabio ‘The Water Buffalo’ Cherant (7-1) is that willing opponent and he is turning up to cause an upset. His only loss was to Aleksa Camur in 2019 who was unbeaten at the time and he responded to the knockout with a brilliant anaconda choke on Erick Murray for LFA. He fought again last year earning a unanimous decision over Yu Ji for CES and returned to LFA last month earning another unanimous decision over Myron Dennis where he claimed the vacant light heavyweight title.
PREDICTION
We know what to expect from Menifield and that will be to ignite his explosiveness to spark a knockout, but he has his hands full here despite Cherant taking this fight on such short notice.
Cherant has five submission finishes in the book and zero knockouts but he can strike. He is a crafty counter striker and can cause Menifield problems from his southpaw stance as long as he is patient and can drag this fight out of the first round. His best bet however is getting this fight to the mat where he can wear Menifield out exposing that gas tank while looking for a submission.
We are backing Menifield who has a long training camp behind him. He will be confident of overwhelming 'The Water Buffalo' in the striking exchanges with a significant power advantage and he will also not be giving up a height and reach which will only help him cover the distance quicker as he unleashes that dynamite.
Prediction: Menifield via KO/TKO
JARED GOODEN VS ABUBAKAR NURMAGOMEDOV
Jared Gooden (17-5) had a fair bit of hype behind him leading up to his debut winning 10 of his last 12 fights finishing eight of them (five knockouts and three submissions). However, he was paired up with Alan Jouban and although the veteran had not fought for over 19 months, he put on a great performance out striking Gooden to a unanimous decision.
Abubakar Nurmagomedov (15-3-1) is also coming off a debut loss and it was 28 months ago. He earnt the debut after his run in the Professional Fighters League welterweight tournament in 2018 where he got submitted by Pavel Kusch, earnt a unanimous decision over Jonatan Westin and fought to a draw with Bojan Velickovic. He went on to meet David Zawada for his debut and ended up getting submitted in the first round so is now without a win since August 2018.
PREDICTION
This is decent matchmaking as both men have a lot of promise but need a UFC win. They are both very-well rounded and more than capable of a knockout or finish. Gooden will boast a five-inch reach advantage but Nurmagomedov has that Dagestani wrestling and Sambo base.
If Gooden can put that reach to use, he has the power to land the knockout, but we are backing Nurmagomedov’s wrestling to grind his way to a decision, but this could go either way.
Prediction: Nurmagomedov via Decision
MODESTAS BUKAUSKAS VS MICHAL OLEKSIEJCZUK
Modestas Bukauskas (11-3) is coming off his first loss in eight fights and it was a devastating knockout at the hands of Jimmy Crute. It came after his very impressive UFC debut three months prior last year when he notched his fifth knockout in a row after elbowing Andreas Michailidis out of the octagon door.
Fellow knockout artist, Michal Oleksiejczuk (14-4(1)) is also coming off a loss to Crute. He met him over a year ago and the Aussie exploited the holes in his ground game by securing a kimura in the first round. This came after Ovince Saint Preux (OSP) also displaying his superior submission game with a vintage Von Flue choke. These losses snapped a blistering 12-fight unbeaten run, but they were to two of the most dangerous grapplers in the division.
PREDICTION
It is hard to see this fight being anything other than fireworks. They both have ferocious power in their hands and they do not need to make much contact to put someone to sleep. Bukauskas does not quite have the submission prowess as Crute and OSP so he is likely to back himself on the feet and this is when the fireworks will ignite.
They both have the power and the technique to land a knockout at any point of the fight, but we give Oleksiejczuk the slight edge considering his proven experience at a higher level and the damage Bukauskas took in his last outing.
Prediction: Oleksiejczuk via KO/TKO
SHANE YOUNG VS OMAR MORALES
Shane Young (13-5) got embarrassed in his last outing on Fight Island. He welcomed Ludovit Kelin for his debut and also offered a welcome in the form of a traditional New Zealand haka at the weigh ins. An intimidating war dance right in Klein’s face for him only to get viciously knocked out in the first round. He is now 2-2 in the UFC only managing to fight once a year since his debut loss to Alexander Volkanovski. He knocked out Rolando Dy and outpointed Austin Arnett in between the losses and now hopefully he can be more active this year.
Omar Morales (10-1) got two fights in last year and started it off with a victory over Gabriel Benitez to really amp up his hype. That second UFC win and unanimous decision made it 10 in a row which led to a clash at featherweight with fellow prospect Giga Chikadze. Unfortunately for him, he lost a unanimous decision and is now desperate to get back on the winning trail.
PREDICTION
This should be a violent battle on the feet. They can both grapple with submissions in the locker, but we expect them both to get to work on the feet with powerful combinations.
Their defence will be key here as they both tend to eat a lot of shots (Young 5.15 significant strikes per minute and Morales 2.99). We fully expect this to be an exciting scrap and we are giving Morales the edge with his technique. A late knockout could be there with an accumulation of damage, but a decision is most likely.
Prediction: Morales via Decision
MARC-ANDRE BARRIAULT VS ABU AZAITAR
Marc-Andre Barriault’s (14-4(1)) last fight came with an outpouring of relief. He took on Oskar Piechota having lost all three of his UFC fights prior. He lost a unanimous decision to Andrew Sanchez on his debut, a split to Krzysztof Jotko and then another unanimous to Jun Yong Park and it seemed the writing was on the wall before receiving another opportunity back in June. He showed amazing character securing a second-round knockout only for it to be later overturned to a ‘no contest’ after testing positive for Ostarine. It turns out he took a tainted supplement, and he has served a six-ban but nonetheless it was an absolutely gutting turn of events for the Canadian.
One half of the famous Moroccan duo, Abu Azaitar (14-2) finally returns to the octagon after nearly three years out. A lot of that time was spent serving his own drugs ban testing positive in numerous tests which adds fuel to the fire of his brother Ottman’s Fight Island bag fiasco. Whatever happened, it is great to them both fight soon and for Abu he is protecting a magnificent 10-fight unbeaten streak. He only has one UFC fight under the belt which was a unanimous decision over Vitor Miranda, but he is hoping to make up for lost time and put on a show at the APEX.
PREDICTION
This is a great match-up between two powerhouses. Azaitar is relatively undersized for the division but he makes up for it with the power in his hands and he will also boast a two-inch reach advantage despite giving up four inches in height.
Barriault is also a powerful striker but he is expected to leverage his weight and size and clinch up with Azaitar to wear him down. All the pressure is on him to get his first official UFC win so he is more likely to avoid Azaitar’s hands if he can.
Azaitar got taken down three times by Miranda so that could be a route to victory for Barriault. If he can wear Azaitar down for the first half of the fight, he can finish stronger as the fresher man but only if he can avoid the hands. A knockout either way is also likely but if Azaitar can maintain space and avoid the clinch, he should get the job done on the feet.