RECAP: MARIO BAUTISTA VS VINICIUS OLIVEIRA

MAIN EVENT: MARIO BAUTISTA VS VINICIUS OLIVEIRA

Great performance by Bautista. He completely dominated Oliveira with his ground game and barely gave him any opportunity to work on the feet. The most surprising part of the fight was Oliveira’s lack of a gas tank. I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw a bantamweight gas out that badly after just one round.

Bautista showed there are levels to this game, and I think he’s going to be at that top level for a long time. His grappling is phenomenal, his striking is high level, and Oliveira simply didn’t have much to offer once the fight started going Bautista’s way. He also seems completely dialed in mentally. Pre-fight, post-fight, every interview—he’s locked in on becoming a champion. I’m all in. The odds on this fight were way too close.

Bet Slip: Over 19.5 Minutes ❌ | Over 1.5 Rounds ✅

AMIR ALBAZI VS KYOJI HORIGUCHI

Kyoji Horiguchi might be one of my favorite fighters right now. At 35 years old, he’s fighting like he’s in his prime. Unreal speed, elite footwork, great movement in and out of the pocket, and real power. Several times Albazi’s legs were visibly wobbled.

Kyoji might be one of the best additions to the flyweight division in a long time. This was a disappointing performance from Albazi, who once looked like a rising contender. I’m not sure what happened—camp change, coaching change, or just time off—but after such a long layoff I expected more than 16 significant strikes. That said, Kyoji is just extremely difficult to deal with. His movement had Albazi chasing all night.

Bet Slip: Kyoji Over 50.5 Strikes ✅ | Kyoji Over 2.5 Rounds ✅ | Amir Over 32.5 Significant Strikes ❌

JAILTON ALMEIDA VS RIZVAN KUNIEV

I hate the heavyweight division. I don’t even have much to say about this fight. I was hoping Rizvan would land the knockout, but somehow Jailton managed to neither wrestle effectively nor get knocked out.

I thought Jailton would be more active after losing a previous fight despite 11 minutes of control time and only nine significant strikes. Surely he learned his lesson—but somehow he still managed to be boring on the feet.

Bet Slip: Jailton Almeida Over 17.5 Significant Strikes ✅

MICHAL OLEKSIEJCZUK VS MARC-ANDRE BARRIAULT

I completely slept on this fight. I expected a slow, low-output decision. Instead, we got an absolute barn burner. Both guys showed real toughness and grit.

Michal came out hot in the first round, throwing heavy volume and landing big shots. Barriault adjusted in the second, finding his rhythm in the clinch and doing serious damage with elbows and knees. In the end, Michal’s volume was enough to secure the win, but this was a great performance from both fighters.

Bet Slip: Michal Over 36.5 Significant Strikes ✅ | Over 2.5 Rounds ✅

JEAN MATSUMOTO VS FARID BASHARAT

If you don’t know, now you know. The bantamweight division is absolutely stacked. Two unranked fighters delivered one of the highest-level fights on the card. Both showed heart and grit, especially in the third round.

Farid ultimately did more damage and fought the cleaner fight, but Matsumoto looked impressive as well. Farid stays undefeated and earns a well-deserved shot at the top 10. He reminds me of a Mario Bautista–type fighter, but with arguably higher-level striking.

Bet Slip: Jean Over 50.5 Strikes ✅ | Over 2.5 Rounds ✅

DUSTIN JACOBY VS JULIUS WALKER 

This fight was playing out pretty much how I expected—until Dustin landed an absolute bomb that wobbled Walker and led to the TKO finish. This was a short-notice fight for both guys. Jacoby was originally scheduled to fight Jimmy Crute at UFC 324, had already cut weight, and then flew back to the States to take this fight.

Given everything working against him, I didn’t think he’d pull it off—but he did. Walker showed some promise in the grappling, but his striking clearly needs work. Big performance from Jacoby, now riding three knockouts in a row.

Bet Slip: Walker Over 2 Takedowns ✅ | Dustin Jacoby Under 42.5 Significant Strikes ✅