UFC Fight Night 274 takes place tomorrow night in Las Vegas and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights below.

Main Card

Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal

Aljamain Sterling is 2-1 since moving to featherweight, most recently earning a decision over Brian Ortega. He now faces Youssef Zalal, who has returned to the UFC to rack up a five‑fight winning streak.

Sterling’s win over Ortega perhaps looks better on paper than it was in reality, given that Ortega’s disastrous weight cut the day before left him barely functional in their fight. Still, Sterling’s body of work is strong as a former 135lb champ with numerous big-name wins over the years. At 36, he remains a very well-rounded, athletic fighter who is at his best when he’s flowing into his very good wrestling and skilled grappling to control the action and threaten with submissions. He’s a smooth technical striker too, with good volume and cardio, but he lacks finishing power, with just three TKO finishes to his name. By utilizing his full MMA game, while not taking many risks, Sterling has proven to be adept at doing enough to win on the scorecards, accounting for 13 of his 25 career victories.

Zalal had a mediocre first UFC run between 2020 and 2022 that saw him go 2-3-1, though that did include taking future double-champ Ilia Topuria to the scorecards. Zalal continued to work on his game on the regional circuit and then returned to the Octagon in 2024 looking sharper and more self-assured, leading to a solid winning streak that’s culminated in wins over established veterans Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett. The 29-year-old Zalal has a good kicking game, fast hand-speed and footwork, and is defensively sound too. Like Sterling he lacks stopping power, but on the other hand he’s proven to be durable, having never been finished in his career. His grappling is his biggest strength though, including securing four submission wins during this current streak, and he’s a capable wrestler as well.

Zalal is is building real momentum now in his prime years and is the bigger of the two here as well, and so in a fight that’s otherwise closely matched stylistically I can see him just having enough of an edge to win by a narrow margin on the scorecards.

Pick: Youssef Zalal wins by decision.

Norma Dumont vs. Joselyne Edwards

No.3 ranked bantamweight Norma Dumont comes in off six victories to fight the No.11 placed Joselyne Edwards, who is on a four-fight winning streak.

The 35-year-old Dumont has slowly but surely built a 9-2 UFC record across spells at both featherweight and bantamweight. Her last three wins have come at 135lbs, earning some of the biggets wins of her career against Germaine de Randamie, Irene Aldana, and Ketlen Vieira. Dumont is a strong, physical grinder who excels in the clinch and uses solid offensive wrestling from there to secure top control. Despite also having a respectable striking game, finishing ability has never been Dumont’s calling card, with no knockout wins to her name and only two submissions. So her gameplan is built around going the distance, and that’s proven to be successful, winning 11 of her 12 career fights that have gone to the judges.

Edwards brings a different approach as the 30-year-old is a long-limbed, athletic, striker with a 3-inch reach advantage that she’ll use to unleash fast punches and kicks. She has 7 career finishes via strikes, including serving up both KO and TKO finishes during her current four-fight winning run in the UFC. That being said, Edwards initially only went 4-4 at the start of her time in the Octagon as other aspects of her game were underdeveloped, with a particular weakness to takedowns. That’s not been completely shored up since, but she has made improvements and also has picked up a couple of submission wins lately.

Edwards will try to win this with speed and volume, but stylistically Dumont is built to counter that with her clinch pressure, wrestling, and top control, which should enable her to grind out another decision victory.

Pick: Norma Dumont wins by decision.

Rafa García vs. Alexander Hernandez

Rafa Garcia picked up two wins last year and now fights Alexander Hernandez, who is on a four‑fight winning run.

A former Combate Americas champion, Garcia has gone 6-4 in the UFC so far. The 31-year-old a gritty all-rounder with good cardio whose biggest threat is his grappler, with eight career submissions and solid wrestling to go along with it. On the feet he takes the fight to his opponent with high‑volume striking, but he lacks real power and can be hit. It’s a set of skills that has seen him beaten well-past-their-best veterans like Clay Guida and Vinc Pichel, but he’s generally fallen short against opponents challenging for a place on the rankings.

The 33-year-old Hernandez has spent much of his time in the UFC failing to live up to expectations, and just a couple of years he was just 6-7 in the promotion. However, just when it looked like he was stuck in a rut he’s finally started to gain some momentum and string a series of wins together. He’s always been a physical specimen and his boxing is aided by good power that’s been evident lately with his last two wins coming via TKO. He’ll add in kicks too and will look to work in some takedowns too. He has had issues with overexerting himself at times, and has been TKO’d three times, but on the whole he is quite durable and he’s won two-thirds of his fights that have gone the distance.

Garcia’s hard pace could be a potential issue for Hernandez, but beyond that I think it’s Hernandez whose better speed and power will make an impact in the opening couple of rounds, leading him to a decision win.

Pick: Alexander Hernandez wins by decision.

Davey Grant vs. Juan Adrián Luna Martinetti

Davey Grant picked up a win and a loss last year and now welcomes Contender Series newcomer Juan Adrian Luna Martinetti, who debuts with a 17-1 record.

At 40-years-old Grant is still giving a good account of himself in the Octagon as though he was submitted early by Charles Jourdain in his last fight, he had won two fights prior to that and is still quite robust, having never been finished by strikes in his career. He is slowing down a bit, but was never the fastest of most athletic of strikers in the first place. Nevertheless, he remains an active threat offensively with his impactful boxing, solid kicks, and the occasional spinning attack, and has three KO wins in the UFC. Meanwhile he can also wrestle and grapple too, though it should be noted that all but one of his seven submission wins came before he arrived in the UFC, while four of his five submission losses were in the Octagon.

The 30-year-old Martinetti has enjoyed a good run in the regional scene over the past dozen years or so, but there’s a real lack of notable opposition on his record. However, his Contender Series fight proved to be an entertaining, high‑paced brawl that he won, showing his resilience, cardio, and determination. He’ll look to throws high‑volume combination and works well in the clinch, but despite his aggression he actually only has four T(KO) wins. His wrestling isn’t all that convincing, but his grappling has earned him six submissions wins and he has solid ground‑and‑pound.

This is a big step up for Martinetti, and while he’s getting to the age where decline is almost inevitable, I still think Grant’s experience and striking could still carry him to a decision win here.

Pick: Davey Grant wins by decision.

Montel Jackson vs. Raoni Barcelos

Montel Jackson saw his five‑fight winning streak snapped in a split‑decision loss to Deiveson Figueiredo last time out, and now faces Raoni Barcelos, who is on-form with four victories in a row.

The 33-year-old Jackson is huge for the 135lb division and as such will enjoy a 3-inch height and vast 8.5-inch reach advantage here. He’s a patient, technical boxer with real power, even holding the UFC bantamweight record for knockdowns (11) as well as having stopped three UFC opponents in the first round via strikes. Jackson is mindful defensively too and can mix in a takedown or two, but though he’s never been finished, there has been times where he’s been outwrestled.

Approaching 39-years-old, Barcelos appeared to have been running out of steam a few years ago when he went through a period with just one win in five fights. However, in the past three years he’s bounce back strongly, even beating highly regarded prospect Payton Talbett along with some established veterans too. So, while he’s no longer in his peak years he’s still surprisingly athletic and energetic for his age, and has always had a seasoned all-round skill-set. He has good volume on the feet and sets up his strikes well, and keeps opponents on their toes due to the fact that he also transitions easily from stand-up to wrestling. Barcelos is also an assured grappler and is comfortable in scrambling situations and working for ground-and-pound, though he actually only has three submission wins on his record. He’s hard to finish, with only one loss each by strikes and submissions, and has a 10-3 record when fights go to a decision.

This is a compelling match-up and Jackson’s size, power, and solid defensive give him a real chance here, but, I think Barcelos has the pace and versatility to mix things up on the feet and mat to outwork his opponent and claim a decision victory.

Pick: Raoni Barcelos wins by decision.

Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann

Marcus Buchecha looks for his first UFC win at the third attempt when he faces Ryan Spann, who went 1-1 last year.

The 36-year-old Buchecha is a legendary BJJ figure who switched to competing in heavyweight MMA back in 2021, going 5-1 in ONE FC before joining the UFC in 2025. He’s struggled so far in the Octagon though, losing to Martin Buday and drawing with Kennedy Nzechukwu. His elite grappling is a major asset, but is hard to implement at this level because his limited wrestling makes it difficult to get the fight where he wants it, while his striking offers little threat, and his cardio tends to fade over three rounds.

The 34-year-old Spann was always a big light-heavyweight, so his frame enabled him to move up comfortably to heavyweight last year, where he’s had mixed results so far, getting knocked out in his divisional debut before earning a submission win. He’s a fighter who has always leaned somewhat on his athleticism and physical attributes on the feet, making use of his power and reach, but he tends to have more success using his wrestling to get the fight to the mat, where he’s been able to deliver 14 submission victories over the years. His biggest issue remains poor decision-making and defensive lapses though, and so he has 11 career losses, with 8 of those coming via either strikes or submission.

Spann could blunder his way into a Buchecha submission here, but I do think it’s more likely that he just forces this into a stand-up fight and manages to get the better of him in the striking exchanges over three rounds to win by decision.

Pick: Ryan Spann wins by decision.



Prelims (Predicted winners in bold)

Rodolfo Vieiravs. Eric McConico
Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Michelle Montague
Jackson McVey vs. Sedriques Dumas
Jafel Filho vs.Cody Durden
Francis Marshall vs. Lucas Brennan
Max Griffin vs. Victor Valenzuela
Talita Alencar vs. Julia Polastri