UFC 274 is on tap for this Saturday and there are a number of big fights on the card. The headline bout of the evening will feature Charles Oliveira defending his belt versus Justin Gaethje in a battle of contrasting styles. We’ll start there as we examine the three best fights to bet on this weekend.
Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje
Charles Oliveira (pictured above) makes his way back into the Octagon to defend his title against Justin Gaethje in what is the main event of the evening. Oliveira has now increased his winning streak up to 10 after defeating both Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier. He has made quick work of his opponents, finishing them in nine out of his last 10 fights.
Meanwhile, Gaethje will be coming back for his first fight since last November. He was awarded the Fight of the Night award and it was the first time in his established career that he saw a fight go the distance. Both of these opponents don’t like to let the judges decide, so fireworks may go off in this one.
Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza
Rose Namajunas reinforced her top spot in the strawweight division back in April of 2021 when she knocked out Zhang Weili and then earned a split decision win in the rematch. She has proven to be one of the best women’s fighters of all time and enters Saturday’s six of her last seven.
One of the few losses on Namajunas’ resume is Carla Esparza, who took her down back in Season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter. Esparza is currently on a five-fight winning streak with her most recent being a second-round stoppage against Yan Xiaonan.
Each of these competitors looks like a completely different fighter compared to when they first matched off in 2014. Will Esparza get the best of Namajunas again and cash as a big dog, or will it end up going a different direction?
Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson
Michael Chandler is up against Tony Ferguson on the main card in what will be a matchup of two fighters with incredible stamina. Chandler is coming off back-to-back losses against Oliveira and Gaethje – the two fighters headlining the card – so he has nothing to be ashamed of. He had won three straight before that. Now he’s up against Ferguson, who has lost three in a row.
Ferguson has been in a rut as he went seven years of his career without losing a single fight. Now he hasn’t won since 2019. You can bet that Ferguson won’t want to keep this rough streak going but some wonder what El Cucuy has left in the tank.
On one hand, we could see Chandler have a huge bounce-back performance and add another win to his total. Or, we could end up seeing Ferguson get a massive win for himself, the first in years. With both fighters having a lot of pride on the line here, you can expect some ridiculous high-intensity action.