Two former UFC champions are set to fight in Austin this week and neither of them will be part of the main event. This card has the potential to be one of the best fight nights of 2023. Here are our UFC Austin predictions, including the best bets to make on prelims and the rest of the card this Saturday night.
UFC Austin Predictions: This Main Card Will Be Explosive!
Dariush vs Tsarukyan Prediction
Tsarukyan to win via decision
Beneil Dariush is fourth in the division rankings. The American fighter scored eight wins in a row before losing to former lightweight champion Brazilian Charles Oliveira (technical knockout) in June 2023. Before that, he most recently defeated Mateusz Gamrot (unanimous decision) and his compatriot Tony Ferguson (unanimous decision).
The 32-year-old Dariush has 22 wins (five by knockout, nine by decision, eight by submission) and five defeats. The fighter has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Arman Tsarukyan ranks eighth in the division rankings. He won in his last two matches. In December 2022, he defeated Russian Damir Ismagulov (unanimous decision), and then Brazilian Joaquim Silva (technical knockout). However, before that, he lost to Gamrot (unanimous decision).
The 27-year-old Tsarukyan has 20 wins (eight by knockout, seven by decision, five by submission) and three losses. In addition to MMA, he has experience competing in Muay Thai tournaments.
Jalin Turner is ranked 12th in the division rankings. Before signing with the UFC, he competed in Bellator, World Series of Fighting, King of the Cage, and Tachi Palace Fights, but did not achieve any major success. The Tarantula has lost his last two fights, losing in March 2023 to Mateusz Gamrot (split decision) and then Dan Hooker (split decision).
The 28-year-old American has 18 victories (ten by knockout, one by decision, seven by submission) and eight defeats. Turner has a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Bobby Green is ranked 13th in the division rankings. The American is a former King of the Cage lightweight and junior welterweight champion. He has also competed in Tachi Palace Fights, Strikeforce, and Affliction. He won his last two fights, defeating former UFC champion Tony Ferguson (submission) in June 2023 and Grant Dawson (knockout).
The 37-year-old Green has 31 victories (ten by knockout, 11 by decision, ten by submission) and 14 defeats. He holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Turner is the clear favorite here but we can’t fully agree for our UFC Austin predictions. Green is an older fighter, but this does not prevent him from achieving victories over strong opponents. His experience in the UFC is key and he has fought some of the greatest fighters to ever step into the octagon.
Font vs Figueiredo Prediction
Fight will not reach distance
Rob Font is ranked eighth in the division rankings. The fighter from Massachusetts is a former champion of the not-so-strong CES MMA promotion. The American has won only one victory in his last four fights. In his last fight, he lost in August 2023 to Cory Sandhagen (unanimous decision).
The 36-year-old Font has a record of 20 wins (nine by knockout, seven by decision, four by submission) and seven defeats. Rob is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Deiveson Figueiredo is ranked second in the division rankings. He held the UFC Flyweight Championship belt twice in his career. The fighter from Brazil was unable to defend his title in June 2021 in a fight with Mexican Brandon Moreno (submission). In January 2022, he took revenge (unanimous), but a year later he lost again to the fighter from Mexico (technical knockout).
The 35-year-old Figueiredo has 21 wins (nine by knockout, four by decision, eight by submission) and three losses. Deiveson has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Bookmakers consider Font to be the clear favorite for the upcoming fight but we cannot agree with them for our UFC Austin predictions. Figueredo is definitely not going miss any opportunities if his opponent makes a mistake. The fighters have 30 early victories combined. Both are veterans and not in their best shape, so we wouldn’t bet on Font to win with confidence. We would rather bet on an early finish.
Brady vs Gastelum Prediction
Fight will not reach distance
Sean Brady is ranked ninth in the division rankings. The Philadelphia native is a former Cage Fury Fighting Championships champion. After this, the fighter signed a contract with the UFC in 2019. Brady lost to his compatriot Belal Muhammad (technical knockout) in his last fight in October 2022. This defeat was his first in the UFC.
The 31-year-old American has 15 wins (three by knockout, eight by decision, four by submission) and one defeat. Sean is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Kelvin Gastelum is ranked 11th in the division rankings. Before signing a contract with the UFC, the American won The Ultimate Fighter tournament. He also performed in little-known promotions – the Mexican Latin American Warriors and the American Rage in the Cage. In his last fight in April 2023, he defeated Chris Curtis (unanimous decision).
The 32-year-old Gastelum has 21 victories (seven by knockout, eight by decision, six by submission) and eight defeats. In addition to MMA, Kelvin was also involved in wrestling. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Bookmakers found it difficult to name a clear favorite for the upcoming match. In their opinion, Brady will have a slight advantage and we generally agree with them for our UFC Austin predictions. Both fighters are on about the same level and have similar fighting styles. In this situation, it is worth betting that the fight will not last the entire distance. The rivals have 20 early victories combined.
UFC Austin Prelims Predictions: A Former Champion in the Prelims?
Tate vs Avila Prediction
Avila to win via decision
Miesha Tate is ranked 12th in the division rankings. Cupcake is a former UFC and Strikeforce champion. The American lost her last two fights. In November 2022, she lost to Kathleen Vieira (unanimous decision) and then to Lauren Murphy (unanimous decision).
The 37-year-old Tate has 20 wins (four by knockout, eight by decision, eight by submission) and nine losses. Miesha holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Julia Avila is ranked 13th in the division rankings. She is a former champion of the little-known HD MMA promotion. In her last fight in June 2021, the American defeated Julija Stoliarenko (unanimous decision) from Lithuania. However, before that, she lost to her compatriot Sijara Eubanks (unanimous).
The 35-year-old Avila has nine wins and two losses. Julia has a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Bookmakers consider Avila the favorite for the upcoming fight and we generally agree with them for our UFC Austin predictions. It is clear that Julija is in good physical shape and is quite capable of achieving victory. Miesha Tate left the UFC in 2016 to fight in Bare Knuckle and only returned in 2021, losing two of her last three. She has not fought in a year and a half again.
UFC Austin Full Card Predictions: The Best of The Rest
For some reason, we often witness the best cards in November and December and matchmakers definitely outdid themselves with this one. The bouts are truly perfect and this is one of the rare cases when we can make solid UFC predictions for almost every bout. Therefore, we picked two more for you.
Guida vs Silva Prediction
Silva via KO/TKO/Submission
Clay Guida is a former Strikeforce champion. Before signing with the UFC in 2006, the Illinois fighter also competed in the WEC, King of the Cage and Shooto. The Carpenter lost to Mexican Rafa Garcia in his last fight in April 2023 (unanimous decision). However, before that, he defeated his compatriot Scott Holtzman (separate).
The 41-year-old Guida has 38 victories (seven by knockout, 14 by decision, 16 by submission) and 23 losses.
Joaquim Silva trained in BJJ and Muay Thai before joining MMA. Before signing a contract with the UFC, he performed in little-known local promotions like The Hill Fighters, Reto de Campeones, and Shooto. However, he did not achieve much success. The Brazilian expectedly lost to Russian Arman Tsarukyan (technical knockout) in his last fight in June 2023.
The 34-year-old Silva has 14 wins (eight by knockout, three by decision, three by submission) and five defeats. The Latin American has black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.
Bookmakers absolutely do not believe in Guida’s victory and we share the same opinion for our UFC Austin predictions. Silva lost to the strong Tsarukyan but this time the Brazilian will have to win easily against one of the oldest fighters on the roster. We also expect an early finish.
Soriano vs Stoltzfus Prediction
Match will not reach the distance
Punahele Soriano, before signing a contract with the UFC, performed in Legacy Fighting Alliance, Titan FC, but did not achieve much success. The fighter from Hawaii lost to Russian Roman Kopylov (technical knockout) in his last fight in January 2023. However, before that, he defeated the South African Dalcha Lungiambula (knockout).
The 31-year-old Soriano has eight wins (five by knockout, one by decision, two by submission) and three losses. Punahele has a black belt in judo.
Dustin Stoltzfus is a former We Love MMA champion. The American also performed for Fair FC, Age of Cage. He signed a contract with the UFC in the summer of 2020. In the last fight, the fighter from Pennsylvania lost to Abusupiyan Magomedov (technical knockout) from Germany.
The 32-year-old Stoltzfus has 11 wins (two by knockout, five by decision, three by submission) and five losses. Dustin has a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Bookmakers consider Soriano to be the clear favorite for the upcoming fight but we do not completely agree with them for our UFC Austin predictions. Stoltzfus is not a timid fighter and, there is no doubt that he will give a real fight to his opponent. In this situation, it is worth betting that the fight will not last the entire distance. The fighters have 12 early victories combined.
Vlad is a former amateur MMA fighter. After a series of injuries, he found a different way to connect with the sport and its fanbase - through writing. He's been covering everything-UFC for over 5 years on various platforms and has been part of the team at NYFights since early 2022.
