Two former UFC title holders will go head-to-head this weekend when former men’s bantamweight champion Petr Yan takes on former two-time men’s flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event of UFC Fight Night at the Galaxy Arena in Cotai, Macau on Saturday morning. 6 a.m. ET on ESPN+, with preliminaries at 3 a.m. on ESPN+).

Yan, who held the bantamweight belt from July 2020 to March 2021, is ranked No. 5 in ESPN’s division rankings. He defeated Song Yadong by unanimous decision in March, ending a three-fight losing streak.

Figueiredo, ranked No. 7 in ESPN’s bantamweight rankings, is a former two-time flyweight champion who moved up a division in December 2023. He is undefeated since moving up to 135 pounds.

Brett Okamoto spoke with Syndicate MMA coach John Wood to get his take on the UFC main event. ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds insight and analysis on the main event and other intriguing bets he likes on the card.

Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Men’s Bantamweight: Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

John Wood, Syndicate MMA coach

How Yan wins: Yan is an opponent on a different level than Figueiredo has experienced in this division. He may get knocked down once or twice in this fight, but he should be able to get back up. He has to get up again. Apply pressure and eventually he will wear Figueiredo down and should get the chance to lock him up. Figueiredo has a jaunty style, which Yan should have success against. Yan must continue to make progress and stick to the fundamental principles. Sometimes he can be too aggressive, which will get him taken down. So keep in mind how aggressively he throws his shots.

How Figueiredo wins: Take out Yan and control him. Take him down, defeat him in battle, control him and maybe subdue him, even though I don’t think he will. Be prepared to do that for five rounds and make a decision. Turn it into a positional battle. Historically, though, he hasn’t had the cardio to do that. His attack looked better, but Yan is a much better striker. I think Figueiredo might be able to stay next to Yan for a few rounds, but he will quickly learn that this is not a good strategy. His advantage here is jiu-jitsu.

X factor: Cardio. If Figueiredo’s cardio has improved significantly now that he’s not cutting weight, we’ll be in for a great fight. Figueiredo must maintain a high pace for five rounds and continue to shoot takedowns effectively for all five rounds.

Prediction: Yan wins by TKO in the third or fourth round.

Betting analysis

Odds accurate as of publication. Visit ESPN BET for the most up-to-date odds.

Parker: over 4.5 laps (-175). Figueiredo will face his toughest test yet against Yan. With both fighters earning decision victories, I expect a long back-and-forth fight for all five rounds. Yan takes his time, downloads information, and gets better as the fight progresses. Meanwhile, Figueiredo is more of a strong starter. Yan is the better striker on the feet, but Figueiredo probably has more power. Look for Yan to avoid the takedowns early and keep the fight going. Take the 4.5 plus rounds, because I don’t see either fighter getting off here.

Parker’s best bets on the rest of the card

Strawweight: Yan Xiaonan vs. Tabatha Ricci

Yan wins (-200). Take this line over Yan before it gets any higher. Yan has fought like the best in the division and against the champion, Zhang Weili, she had her share of big moments, including dropping Weili and almost winning. Against Ricci, Yan will be the stronger fighter and the better striker. As long as she can keep this fight going, I expect Yan’s attack to be too accurate for Ricci to avoid.

Welterweight: Song Kenan vs. Muslim Salikhov

Salikhov wins (-185). With odds of -185 I’m high on Salikhov here. He will be the better striker and grappler if he can avoid Song’s early striking. If Song couldn’t finish Ricky Glenn in three rounds, I doubt he would do so against a much better opponent in Salikhov.

Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg

More than 1.5 laps (-185). This should be a fun fight between two strikers with tremendous knockout power. The question is, if Ulberg doesn’t knock out Oezdemir in round 1, can he keep up the pace and stay on his feet for three rounds… I’m not sure. Oezdemir has only been knocked out twice, the last time being in 2020 against Jiří Procházka in a fight he was winning until he got caught. Oezdemir also has an underrated wrestling game that could be a smart strategy against a knockout artist in Ulberg. Ulberg won’t be a threat if Oezdemir puts him on his back. I think this fight will last longer than people expect, so take the 1.5 plus rounds.