UFC On ESPN 68 takes place tomorrow night in Las Vegas and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights below.
Main Card
Erin Blanchfield vs. Maycee Barber
After seven wins in a row, Erin Blanchfield was on the road to bantamweight title contention last year until she came off second-best against Manon Fiorot. She’s since got back in the win column with a win over Rose Namajunas however, and now takes on Maycee Barber, who is on a six-fight unbeaten stretch.
There’s more than meets the eye to the 26-year-old Blanchfield as she’s a doggedly determined competitor who even when facing real adversity while being outstruck by Fiorot a couple of fights ago never hesitated to continue putting herself in the firing line in the hopes of making something happen. It was a fight that showed she does lack some athleticism, power and technical finesse on the feet, but in other match-ups she’s proven to be at least a decently capable, willing and durable striker with good cardio. There’s no doubt that it’s Blanchfield’s grappling game that’s her biggest strength though as she controls her opponents well, can threaten with submissions and has surprisingly ruthless ground-and-pound. And she’s a respectable wrestler too with good persistence.
Barber made it to the UFC while still in her early 20’s with a nickname that boldly declared her to be ‘The Future’, but while she started brightly with three TKO wins, a couple of decision losses stuck inbetween an ACL injury that kept her out for a year followed to pump the brakes on her hype train. Barber proved to have the strength of character to put that behind her though and has now compiled a sizeable winning streak over the past four years, though her momentum has suffered from health issues that have kept her out of action for over 12 months. Barber has improved over time, but she is still a fighter who tends to lean on her physical strength and toughness to get the better of opponents. Barber likes to press the action, can unleash explosive bursts of punches in the pocket and likes to work dirty boxing from the clinch too. Barber can also wrestle and has hard ground-and-pound, but her takedown defense isn’t as strong as you might expect.
We’ve seen in the past that Blanchfield isn’t intimidated by fighters with a bullying mentality, and if Barber applies pressure or looks to brawl it may offer more chances for Blanchfield to go for takedowns. It’s not a guarantee that she’ll be able to work the fight to the mat, but if she does she is certainly the more skilled operator there, and while just controlling the fight from there is an option, I think Blanchfield will find a second round submission finish.
Pick: Erin Blanchfield wins by submission in Rd2.
Mateusz Gamrot vs. Ľudovít Klein
Mateusz Gamrot came out on the wrong end of a split-decision against Dan Hooker last summer to snap a three-fight winning run, and now he returns to fight L’udivoit Klein, who is unbeaten in seven fights over the past three years.
The 34-year-old Gamrot has consistently found himself paired up against challenging opponents during his time in the UFC, and has always given a good account of himself while claiming some big scalps along the way like Arman Tsarukyan, Rafael Fiziev and Jalin Turner. Gamrot is a very consistent, well-rounded fighter who always shows up ready to work hard from start to finish wherever the fight goes. On the feet he likes to stay active with solid fundamentals, applying frequent pressure with in-and-out movement and swarming combinations. His volume and activity makes up for his lack of power and flair, and added to that his opponents also have to be mindful of the fact that he can swoop for takedowns at any moment. Gamrot is a very assured wrestler who has good control, is comfortable scrambling too and doesn’t run out of steam. And while he may not be the biggest finisher around, Gamrot has also never been stopped in his career, and has a style that’s well suited to winning on the scorecards.
The lightweight rankings have so far alluded the 30-year-old Klein despite his long run of wins in recent years, which points to the fact that he’s not yet faced the same level of opposition that Gamrot is used to going up against. And while Klein earned the nickname ‘Mr Highlight’ which willing all but one of his first 16 victories via either strikes or submission prior to joining the UFC, he’s since become more accustomed to going the distance, with his current run including five decision wins and a draw. With all that being said, Klein is an athletic striker who works well on the outside with solid kicks, accurate punches and good movement, but while he does wield power he’s not always the most active offensively. Meanwhile, Klein is able to wrestle and fend off takedowns too, while on the mat he has earned eight submission finishes. That being said, it’s worth pointing out the last of those was actually eight years ago, and his last defeat four years was actually a submission defeat to Nate Landwehr.
It’s good to see Klein getting a ranked opponent, but this is a big step-up and tough stylistic match-up against a well-rounded opponent. As such I don’t see it working out for him, as I think Gamrot can stay competitive with his work-rate on the feet, but will also make full use of his wrestling advantage to gain the upper-hand here and emerge with a decision win.
Pick: Mateusz Gamrot wins by decision.
Dustin Jacoby vs. Bruno Lopes
Dustin Jacoby will be grateful for his KO victory late last year, which helped him get back on track after losing four of his previous five fights. Next he faces Bruno Lopes, who made a successful start to his UFC career with a decision win in January, and holds a 14-1 record overall.
The 37-year-old Jacoby is no stranger to setbacks in his career as his first stint in the UFC and subsequent brief spell in Bellator both came and went without earning a victory. And meanwhile though he earned valuable experience competing for Glory in kickboxing competitions, his indifferent 10-8 record then led to him refocusing on MMA. And to his credit Jacoby seized an opportunity to return to the UFC in 2020 via the Contender Series with both hands, going on a seven-fight unbeaten run before his more recent slump in form. At this stage in his career there are signs that Jacoby may be slowing down, but he’s still a sturdy striking with a solid physical presence who throws his punches with genuine power and can land thudding low kicks too. A quick KO loss to Dominick Reyes a year ago was concerning, but in general Jacoby has proven to be durable during his career.
The 32-year-old Lopes caught the attention of the UFC in 2023 while a champion in the LFA promotion, but when handed a spot on the Contender Series he suffered a KO loss to Brendson Ribeiro in the first round. That remains his only loss to date as he’s since gone on to pick up another win in the LFA promotion, claim a TKO victory in his next Contender Series fight and emerge victorious his UFC debut. Lopes has reasonable technique and accuracy in the striking department, though his lack of speed and tendency to be quite slow-paced isn’t ideal. Meanwhile, on the mat Lopes has more to offer than Jacoby in the grappling department, but his less than convincing opportunities could limit his opportunities to get the fight there in the first place.
I think Lopes still has some work to do to prove he’s going to stick around in the UFC, and feel that this is the kind of fight where Jacoby can still use his solid striking and activity to win by decision.
Pick: Dustin Jacoby wins by decision.
Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Billy Ray Goff
This fight was put together on short notice after their original opponents fell through and sees Ramiz Brajimaj looking to break out of a long-running pattern of ‘win-one, lose-one’ when he goes up against Contender Series fighter Billy Goff, who is 1-1 in the UFC so far.
The 32-year-old Brahimaj has had to battle through injuries and other health issues during his 3-3 run in the Octagon, but did manage to fight twice last year. Brahimaj is a fighter who excels on the mat with effective chokes, and that has led to all but one of his 11 career victories have come via submission. The problem for Brahimaj is that his wrestling isn’t good enough to ensure he can take opponents down, and while he is a capable striker he’s not as dangerous there as he is in the grappling department. As such, when he’s unable to find a submission finish he’s struggled to find another avenue to victory, including losing all four of his fights that went to the scorecards.
The 26-year-old Goff is an offensively-minded kickboxer who will continually seek to apply forward pressure while unleashing high-volume strikes, showing a willingness to eat some strikes to land his own. So far that hasn’t worked out too badly for him and he’s stopping 7 of his 9 career wins inside the distance by T(KO). Goff hasn’t proven to be much of a threat on the mat, but he will strategically mix in a takedown from time to time and if put down he’ll look to work back upright.
I think Goff will be able to keep the fight upright right and has enough firepower and toughness in the striking department to lead him to a 2nd round TKO finish.
Pick: Billy Goff wins by decision.
Zachary Reese vs. Duško Todorović
Zachary Reese began 2025 with a 1st round KO defeat, but he did get a couple of wins under his belt last year. Now Reese prepares to fight Dusko Todorovic, who will feel under pressure after his last two fights ended in back-to-back 1st round TKO defeats.
The 31-year-old Reese is a large 185lb’er that’ll afford him an extra 3″ in height and reach over Todorovic. Reese has an offensive mentality wherever the fight goes, including working long-range kicks and hard straight punches on the feet. He can also take opportunities to work for a takedown or pounce on a submission attempt, and even off his back he’ll still look for opportunities to attack in one form or another. Reese’s takedown defense isn’t the best though, and his willingness to work off his back for strikes and submissions didn’t pay off last time out as he was knocked out by ground-and-pound. Reese has only fought beyond the first round once in his 8-2 career, with both of his losses coming during his time in the UFC by KO.
Todorovic is also 31-years-old and he’s a significant offensive threat with his hard-hitting offense, both at striking range and from the clinch. 11 of his 12 career wins have come inside the distance, with the majority being via strikes, aside from three submission finishes right at the start of his career. He was undefeated when he arrived in the UFC, but a tendency to leave himself open to being hit at times, together with a questionable chin has led him to stopped by strikes in the opening round four times in the promotion so far (though one was due to a knee injury).
Given their past records a finish certainly seems the most likely outcome here, and it’s hard to overlook Todorovic’s durability concerns in this instance, so I’ll take Reese to deliver a TKO stoppage in the 2nd round.
Pick: Zachary Reese wins by TKO in Rd2.
Prelims (Predicted winners in bold)
Jafel Filho vs. Allan Nascimento
Ketlen Vieira vs. Macy Chiasson
Trevin Giles vs. Andreas Gustafsson
Kurt Holobaugh vs. Jordan Leavitt
MarQuel Mederos vs. Bolaji Oki
Rayanne dos Santos vs. Alice Ardelean
