UFC Fight Night 272 takes place tomorrow night in Las Vegas and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights below.
Main Card
Renato Moicano vs. Chris Duncan
Renato Moicano looks to rebound after his four‑fight streak was broken in a short‑notice title shot against Islam Makhachev last year, followed by another defeats against Beneil Dariush. Now Moicano headlines this event opposite the in–form Chris Duncan, who comes in off a four‑fight winning run.
The 36-year-old Moicano is a skilled offensive grappler with a knack for taking the back and finishing with chokes, having notched up 10 submission wins in his career. He’ll also stay active with ground-and-pound too rather than just try to grind out a result. On the feet he’s technical with his kickboxing from range, but is lacking in terms of stopping power. Moicano’s chin has been a concern at times, particularly during a two year period in which Jose Aldo, The Korean Zombie and Rafael Fiziev all stopped him via punches, but he’s not been finished via strikes in the five years since then.
The 32-year-old Duncan is an ex-Bellator fighter who earned his UFC contract with a KO win on the Contender Series and has put together a 6-1 run since. Originally Duncan set out his stall as a tough, heavy‑handed battler who would willingly absorb strikes in order to land his own. However, during his time in the UFC he’s broadened his horizon’s nicely, mixing in takedowns and showing off solid offensive grappling that’s resulted in three submissions in his last four fights.
Moicano still has the superior grappling here, but Duncan is the harder-hitting striker and importantly also has better durability too, so I think he can apply pressure on the feet here and emerge with a 2nd round stoppage victory via strikes.
Pick: Chris Duncan wins by TKO in Rd2.
Virna Jandiroba vs. Tabatha Ricci
Virna Jandiroba saw her five‑fight winning streak end with an unsuccessful attempt to claim the vacant strawweight title last year. Now she fights Tabatha Ricci, who earned a TKO win in her only fight in 2025.
Despite being 37-years-old, Jandiroba continues to be a tough and tenacious fighter to deal with. Her striking remains limited, lacking in power and finesse, but she has good takedowns and is a strong grappler who does a good job of controlling fights on top. She does have 14 submission wins on her record, but she’s actually only tapped out one opponent in the past five years and these days tends to focus more on just grinding out wins. It’s also worth noting that Jandiroba has still never been finished in her career.
The 31-year-old Ricci will give up a few inches in height and reach here, but she is physically strong for her size, as well as being quick, and reasonably well‑rounded. She has solid boxing and good footwork, but though her latest win was by TKO it’s worth keeping in mind that was only her 2nd career win via strikes. Ricci has a judo base and so is happy to clinch and look for takedowns from their. She’s a respectable grappler too, though she only has three submission finishes. However, Ricci has gone 7–2 in fights that have make it to the final bell.
I think Ricci’s speed and athleticism will give her the edge on the feet here, but I lean towards Jandiroba’s dogged determination and stifling grappling control to gain the upper-hand overall to win by decision.
Pick: Virna Jandiroba wins by decision.
Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Brendson Ribeiro
Abdul‑Rakhman Yakhyaev burst onto the UFC with a 33‑second submission win in his debut and now faces Brendson Ribeiro, who is coming off two straight TKO losses.
The 25-year-old Yakhyaev is 8‑0 with seven finishes so far. He’s a fast-starter who blends pressure-heavy striking with strong wrestling, and has dangerous submissions and ground-and-pound on the mat. So far that’s led to four submission wins and three by strikes, but while he’s certainly marked himself out as an exciting prospect to watch, he now needs to prove it against a better level of opposition than the relatively weak line-up that he’s faced so far.
The 29-year-old Ribeiro has only been able to muster a 2-4 record in the UFC so far. He’s big, has quite a diverse arsenal of strikes that he delivers with real power, and does carry a submission threat too. As such, when he wins he tends to do so inside the distance. However, on the other hand his tendency to channel his aggression recklessly and burn through his energy reserves, together with having a vulnerable chin has been his downfall, with three of his UFC losses coming via strikes, while even on the regional circuit he’d also suffered a few defeats, leaving him with just a 17-9 record overall.
This match-up seems to favor Yakhyaev in most regards and I think his pressure and wrestling should expose Ribeiro’s defensive issues, leading to a first‑round ground‑and‑pound finish.
Pick: Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev wins by TKO in Rd1.
Ethyn Ewing vs. Rafael Estevam
Ethyn Ewing took his career record to 9–2 with a decision win in his UFC debut last November and now faces the undefeated Rafael Estevam, who is 14–0 after stringing together three wins in the Octagon so far.
The 26-year-old Ewing made his UFC debut on just a few days notice only a week after he’d picked up a KO win on the regional scene. And Ewing’s performance that night exceeded expectations, managing to beat Malcom Wellmaker on the scorecards. Ewing is a striker who applies pressure well while still staying sound defensively, showing off assured boxing and he works head kicks in nicely too. Most of his wins have come via strikes, but he can throw in an occasional takedown too. However, while he did well fending off Wellmaker, his takedown defense hasn’t always held up so well in the past.
The 29-year-old Estevam moves up to 135lb for this fight after weight-cutting issues proved problematic down at flyweight. That’s not ideal since he was undefeated in 10 years competing in his former weight-class, but while he might not have the same size advantage up a division, it could help improve his cardio. Estevam is a capable striker, but he’s always hunting for opportunities to use his wrestling and land repeated takedowns. He can work for strikes and submissions on the mat, but he’s shown a knack for applying control to grind out results at this level.
Ewing is a fighter who seems to rise to the occasion, but I think Estevam’s relentless wrestling could prove tricky to deal with, resulting in a decision win for the Brazilian.
Pick: Rafael Estavem wins by decision.
Tommy McMillen vs. Manolo Zecchini
Tommy McMillen improved his record to 9–0 after a gritty win on the Contender Series and now makes his UFC debut against Manolo Zecchini, who returns two years after he was KO’d in his first UFC appearance.
The 28-year-old McMillen didn’t find much of a challenge on the regional scene, sweeping aside most of his foes in less than a round. His Contender Series bout was a different story though as he had a rough first round, which gave him a chance to show he could battle through adversity to win by majority decision. At 6 feet tall, he’ll enjoy a 3″ height and 5″ reach advantage over Zecchini and is a good athelte. McMillen brings a respectable all-round game with solid striking and clinch-work, capable wrestling, and five submission wins, including three guillotine-choke finishes in a row a couple of years ago.
The 29-year-old Zecchini made his way to the UFC thanks to an 11–3 record on the Italian fight circuit, including nine finishes via strikes, but his Octagon debut ended with a body‑kick KO and a subsequent long injury layoff. Zecchini is an aggressive striker with brawling instincts who likes to unleash big punches, kicks, and knees. That’s all well and good when it’s working for him, but his striking defense and ability to stop takedowns is questionable striking and he has been stopped a couple of times in the past.
Zecchini’s lengthy layoff means that ring rust is a real concern for him here, and with McMillen already being the bigger and more well-rounded fighter I think that will lead him to a submission finish in the 2nd round.
Pick: Tommy McMillen wins by submission in R2.
José Delano vs. Robert Ruchała
Jose Delano arrives in the UFC from the Contender Series with a 16–3 record, while Robert Ruchala looks to rebound from a decision loss in his first UFC fight that took his record to 11–2.
The 29-year-old Delano has gained good experience fighting for the likes of LFA and Shoot Brazil, developing a good set of skills in all areas. Delana shows real composure in the way he puts his diverse selection of strikes together at all ranges, while he also wrestles competently, and has five submission wins. And while he does have three losses on a his record, two of those came over 10 years ago.
The 27-year-old Ruchala came into the promotion with some credibility as a former KSW champion, and faced an immediate challenge from William Gomis in his UFC debut and lost by decision. Ruchala prefers to strike from range with his kickboxing and has a tendency to go for spinning attacks too. However, he does have a bit of an awkward style and isn’t the most technical operator on the feet. His grappling is a plus point though, which is hampered a bit by not having the most convincing wrestling to get the fight to the mat.
Delano feels like the more refined, well-developed fighter here and I think his advantages in the striking and wrestling departments will be enough to win by decision.
Pick: Jose Delgado wins by decision.
Prelims (Predicted winners in bold)
Guilherme Pat vs. Thomas Petersen
Alessandro Costa vs. Stewart Nicoll
Lando Vannata vs. Darrius Flowers
Alice Pereira vs. Hailey Cowan
Azamat Bekoev vs. Tresean Gore
Dione Barbosa vs. Melissa Gatto
