We have a rare day time card taking place in Jacksonville this weekend which means a very early start for those in Australia with the prelims starting at 1:30am and the main card at 5am.
Our full UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Topuria Tips & Preview can be found below.
Josh Emmett vs Ilia Topuria
Tip: Ilia Topuria by KO/TKO or Submission @ $1.38
Josh Emmett was on a tear in the UFC winning seven of eight which secured him a shot at the interim Featherweight title in Perth earlier this year.
Things did not go to plan in that fight and he lost via a triangle choke in the second round against Yair Rodriguez who is now attempting to become the lineal champion against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 292.
Ilia Topuria gets his shot at the number one contender spot off the back of an undefeated pro MMA record.
He has won all 13 of his bouts including five straight victories in the UFC.
When he was last seen in December when he beat Bryce Mitchell via submission in the second round.
Ilia Topuria is on a pathway to a title shot in my opinion and can get a finish.
Amanda Ribas vs Maycee Barber
Tip: Amanda Ribas at $1.48
Amanda Ribas won her first four fights inside the UFC and has since gone 2:2.
She lost via TKO to Marina Rodriguez as well as a close split decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian but bounced back with a win over Viviane Araujo in March.
This weekend she takes on Maycee Barber in the co-main event who has bounced back from back to back losses to win her last four in a row.
This includes wins over former UFC title challenger Jessica Eye and a decision win over Andrea Lee in March.
Maycee Barber was taken down numerous times against Andrea Lee and this maybe a prolem against Ribas who I also give the advantage to on the feet.
Justin Tafa vs Austen Lane
Tip: Austen Lane @ $2.50
Justin Tafa entered the UFC in 2019 and has a record of 3 wins and 3 losses.
The Queensland based heavyweight has won his last two in a row via first round KO including a brutal KO of Parker Porter in front of his home crowd in Perth earlier this year.
Austen Lane is a former NFL Defensive End who has a record of 12 wins and 3 losses in his pro MMA career.
He comes into his UFC debut riding a six fight win streak the last two of which have been first round KOs and he is fighting in the city where he played his football.
This is a fight that will likely not need the judges with two big men throwing down and while we’ll all be cheering on Justin Tafa, the value lies with the underdog in this one.