Any time you get a chance to see a championship bout in the UFC, you’re in for a fun night. Two title fights? Well, that’s really a night to remember. The UFC comes to Glendale, Arizona for an amazing night of fights with two championships on the line.
One of the best in the game today, the middleweight champ will look to defend his title against a familiar opponent who truly believes he won their first meeting. Plus, a rematch of a flyweight championship bout that proved to be an instant classic will threaten to steal the show and one of the top welterweights in the world will take on a guy who knows a thing or two about pulling an upset.
Welterweight bout: Leon Edwards vs. Nate Diaz
The UFC’s welterweight division has been dominated for a long time by champion Kamaru Usman, but that doesn’t mean it’s not also loaded with talent. Third-ranked Edwards hasn’t lost a fight since 2015, and that was against Usman. Since then, he has won eight in a row and, while he’s coming off of a no contest due to an eye poke, he’s as hot as anyone in the sport. With an 18-3 record and an incredibly strong grappling game, Edwards is a tough out for anyone and is used to being the heavy favorite.
But Nate Diaz knows a thing or two about pulling an upset. Known best for his incredible win over Conor McGregor back in 2016, Diaz has been one of the toughest fighters the UFC has to offer for almost 15 years. He’s a warrior with more than 30 fights under his belt, to the tune of a 20-12 record with 11 wins by submission. His grappling game is always dangerous but Diaz loves a good scrap as well. You can almost always throw gameplans out the window when it comes to fighting Diaz, so expect this one to be a lot of fun wherever it takes place.
My pick: Edwards via decision
Flyweight Championship bout: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno
You know how this normally works by now. I take a closer look at both fighters and what they’ve done up to this point ahead of their upcoming bout. Not this fight. This fight is special. Six months ago these two guys put on an unbelievable show and one of the single greatest fights of all-time. Unfortunately, due to a groin kick and a deducted point, that fight ended in a draw.
Now we get to see them go at it all over again, with the Flyweight Championship once again up for grabs. Figueiredo has been an incredibly impressive champion, stopping four straight opponents with only one of them even making it out of the first round. Moreno has been equally impressive, winning three in a row prior to that draw in December. If this fight is even half as entertaining as their first meeting, we are in for a treat.
My pick: Figueiredo via 4th round knockout
Middleweight Championship bout: Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori
The UFC has always had some big stars to really push the sport to the next level. Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Brock Lesnar, Jon Jones and now Israel Adesanya. But of course, those stars are only worth anything because of the challengers who push them.
That’s where Marvin Vettori comes in. At just 27-years-old, Vettori has already racked up a 17-4 record and his last loss came all the way back in 2018. That loss came against Adesanya. Yes, these two have already faced off in the octagon and if you ask Vettori, he’ll say he won that fight. Now, after having won five in a row since, he wants a chance to prove it and claim the middleweight crown in the process.
But stars are stars for a reason. Adesanya sports an unbelievable 20-1 record and that one loss came against current light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in a superfight that could have seen Adesanya crowned a two-division champion. In the middleweight division, he remains undefeated with wins over guys like Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, Yoel Romero and the aforementioned Anderson Silva. And of course, another one of those wins came over Vettori. There seems to be some bad blood between these two so look for each of them to try and put their opponent away early. If that is the case, and Vettori really is willing to stand and trade strikes with Adesanya, get ready to see one of the best in the world do what he does.
My pick: Adesanya via 3rd round knockout
UFC 263 will be held Saturday night, June 12 at 10 PM ET. Fight fans can order the pay per view through ESPN+ and receive a special offer: $89.98 for UFC 263 and an ESPN+ annual plan. ESPN+ subscribers can order the pay per view for $69.99.