The Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will host the stacked UFC 283 Main Card, headlined by a vacant Light Heavyweight title fight between Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill. The UFC’s last event to head to Rio de Janeiro also featured a Light Heavyweight headliner which saw Jan Blachowicz ice Corey Anderson in the first-round. Fingers crossed there are no late-notice shenanigans as back-up Main Event fighter, Anthony Smith, missed weight by four pounds at the weigh-in!
The UFC 283 Main Card also features a Co-Main Event title fight between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno in the UFC’s first quadrilogy (four-fight series). The pick of the fights has to be Paul Craig’s jiu-jitsu only approach against the wacky waving inflatable tube man that is Johnny Walker.
Where/When is UFC 283 Main Card taking place:
January 21, 2023. Jeunesse Arena. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
What time does UFC 283 Main Card start:
🇬🇧 UK: 3am / 🇺🇸 US ET: 10pm
What channel is UFC 283 Main Card on:
🇬🇧 UK: BT Sports / 🇺🇸 US: ESPN+
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UFC 283 Main Card Bitesize Predictions
| UFC 283 Main Card Odds | UFC 283 Main Card Predictions |
|---|---|
| Glover Teixeira vs Jamahal Hill Odds: (+120) / (-140) | Glover Teixeira vs Jamahal Hill Prediction: Teixeira TKO Round 3 |
| Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno Odds: (+105) / (-125) | Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno Prediction: Figueiredo Decision |
| Gilbert Burns vs Neil Magny Odds: (-460) / (+370) | Gilbert Burns vs Neil Magny Prediction: Burns Decision |
| Jessica Andrade vs Lauren Murphy Odds: (-475) / (+380) | Jessica Andrade vs Lauren Murphy Prediction: Andrade TKO Round 3 |
| Paul Craig vs Johnny Walker Odds: (+160) / (-190) | Paul Craig vs Johnny Walker Prediction: Craig Submission Round 1 |
UFC 283: Main Event
Glover Teixeira vs Jamahal Hill
Light Heavyweight (205)
UFC vacant Light Heavyweight Championship
Glover Teixeira (33-8)
At the ripe old age of forty-three, Glover Teixeira has the opportunity to immediately rebound and reclaim the UFC Light Heavyweight title he surrendered to Jiri Prochazka seven months ago. The Brazilian’s cinderella story may have lost its steam after a brutal five-round war with Prochazka – a fight reminiscent of Lawler vs Macdonald where both fighters left an irretrievable part of them in the octagon.
On the flip side, Teixeira’s chin sparkled once again under heavy firepower and hints at withstanding Hill’s primary weapons on the feet. Teixeira, a solid game planner, will be keen to negate Hill’s natural power and exploit a rudimentary ground game that was exposed a year and a half ago by Paul Craig. Another dislocated elbow is unlikely, rather, Teixeira is a brutally efficient ground’n’pound artist who is almost impossible to shrug off the top.
Jamahal Hill (11-1)
The 6’4″ fighter out of Michigan is an entertaining highlight reel machine but it’s still a sad sign for a division to pitch a title battle between an OAP and an overhand merchant. To expand on Hill’s weaknesses on the mat, Thiago Santos was able to land six of the sloppiest takedowns imaginable and accrue nearly six minutes of control time in Hill’s last outing. Granted, Sweet Dreams managed to stuff the majority of Santos’ desperate shots, but Teixeira is a different beast in terms of wrestling prowess.
Since Gustafsson slept Teixeira with a peachy combination back in 2017, Teixeira’s chin has been second-guessed in the lead-up to every fight. This will be no different, albeit, due to Hill’s clubbing power rather than the clutches of Father Time. Jimmy Crute, Johnny Walker and Thiago Santos all met their fate from a single strike by Hill. The power stems from Hill’s tendency to plant his feet, yet he is exceptionally sloppy when resetting between combinations. It’s difficult to see Teixeira avoiding ample opportunities to shoot on Hill.
Teixeira vs Hill Prediction: Teixeira TKO Round 3
Since Gustafsson slept Teixeira with a peachy combination back in 2017, Teixeira’s chin has been second-guessed in the lead-up to every fight. This will be no different, albeit, due to Hill’s clubbing power rather than the clutches of Father Time. Jimmy Crute, Johnny Walker and Thiago Santos all met their fate from a single strike by Hill. The power stems from Hill’s tendency to plant his feet, yet he is exceptionally sloppy when resetting between combinations. It’s difficult to see Teixeira avoiding ample opportunities to shoot on Hill.
UFC 283: Co-Main Event
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno
Flyweight (125)
UFC Flyweight Championship
Deiveson Figueiredo (21-2-1)
In a trilogy that has gone 1-1-1, the fourth fight (or quadrilogy) between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno is thoroughly justified. Although it feels as though an extraordinarily talented Flyweight division has stagnated due to the two-year-long rivalry – you only need to rewatch the trilogy to understand why it received two FOTN awards.
Figgy Pudding’s time at the top of the sport is coming to an end as he nears his 36th birthday – an unfathomable age for a champion in the Flyweight division. The Brazilian’s power left more of a mark in the trilogy fight, no doubt due to a deliberate decision to settle behind a composed gameplan devoid of the usual Figgy high-risk antics. As such, Figueiredo was more able to handle the breathless conditioning of Brandon Moreno.
Brandon Moreno (20-6-2)
Does anyone remember a time when Brandon Moreno was viewed as a gatekeeper after back-to-back defeats in 2017? The Assassin Baby is one of the most beloved fighters inside and outside of the cage in MMA. Coming into the quadrilogy off the back of a third-round knockout over Kai Kara-France, Moreno will be buoyed by having beat a lethal striker at his own game.
At 29 years old, Moreno is physically peaking at the right time. The Mexican already possessed an everlasting gas tank, yet there are now signs of more significant pop in his strikes – particularly a tighter kicking game. There is decent room to question Moreno’s preparedness in the lead-up, however, following James Krause’s gambling-enforced camp changes. Without a determined game plan of wearing Figueiredo down via the mat, Moreno will find himself on the wrong end of early exchanges too often.
Figueiredo vs Moreno Prediction: Figueiredo Decision
At 29 years old, Moreno is physically peaking at the right time. The Mexican already possessed an everlasting gas tank, yet there are now signs of more significant pop in his strikes – particularly a tighter kicking game. There is decent room to question Moreno’s preparedness in the lead-up, however, following James Krause’s gambling-enforced camp changes. Without a determined game plan of wearing Figueiredo down via the mat, Moreno will find himself on the wrong end of early exchanges too often. There is always a risk of Figueiredo mentally switching off and failing in the pursuit of high-risk opportunism, but as seen in the trilogy fight, the Brazilian can sit behind his best weapons when required.
UFC 283: Main Card
Gilbert Burns vs Neil Magny
Welterweight (170)
Gilbert Burns (20-5)
It’s been close to a year since we’ve seen Gilbert Burns in the octagon since his barn-burner FOTN with Khamzat Chimaev. Durinho was the first fighter to neutralise Chimaev’s oppressive grappling, as well as drop him at the end of the second round with a huge right overhand. With a few more seconds on the clock, the 36-year-old could have stopped the UFC’s biggest hype train. Alas, Burns now finds himself pitted against a banana-skin gatekeeper.
Neil Magny (27-9)
The Haitian Sensation has settled into a win-one-lose-one groove while also moving away from his career knack for decisions. Magny was bullied by Shavkat Rakhmonov, but with every ensuing fight, it appears that the Uzbeki is the real deal. Against Daniel Rodriguez, Magny better utilised his long frame in the opening exchanges to frustrate a natural counter-puncher. Nailing five of his seven takedowns and patiently working towards the third-round submission will renew Magny’s confidence after the Rakhmonov beatdown.
Burns vs Magny Prediction: Burns Decision
It’s been close to a year since we’ve seen Gilbert Burns in the octagon since his barn-burner FOTN with Khamzat Chimaev. Durinho was the first fighter to neutralise Chimaev’s oppressive grappling, as well as drop him at the end of the second round with a huge right overhand. Neil Magny is Welterweight’s biggest banana-skin gatekeeper, however. The Haitian Sensation better utilised his long frame in his last outing against Daniel Rodriguez – showing more intensity on the feet from the opening bell.
Jessica Andrade vs Lauren Murphy
Women’s Strawweight (125)
Jessica Andrade (23-9)
Back-to-back first-round finishes have proven not enough for the UFC to place Andrade back into the Flyweight title contention. The Brazilian’s freakish power cleaned out Cynthia Calvillo while setting records after securing the UFC’s first standing arm-triangle choke over Amanda Lemos. Andrade will always be a defensive mess yet her sheer aggression, physicality and opportunism ensure she is a must-watch fighter in an otherwise dreadful division.
Lauren Murphy (16-5)
39-year-old Lauren Murphy should have considered retirement after the one-sided championship loss to Valentina Shevchenko. Murphy had climbed close to the top before hitting her head on an athletic and technical ceiling. Murphy is solidly built and well-rounded, but she lacks the technical supremacy to contain Andrade’s explosive offence.
Andrade vs Murphy Prediction: Andrade TKO Round 3
39-year-old Lauren Murphy should have considered retirement after the one-sided championship loss to Valentina Shevchenko. Murphy had climbed close to the top before hitting her head on an athletic and technical ceiling. Murphy is solidly built and well-rounded, but she lacks the technical supremacy to contain Andrade’s explosive offence.
Paul Craig vs Johnny Walker
Light Heavyweight (205)
Paul Craig (16-5-1)
Scotsman, Paul Craig, lost much of his hype after a dull performance off his back against Volkan Oezdemir. For those who have forgotten, it was still a more entertaining watch than Craig’s attempt to out-box Shogun Rua’s corpse for three rounds in 2019. There’s no denying Craig’s outrageous submission chops – the issue has always been figuring out how to coax fighters into his guard.
Johnny Walker (19-7)
For all the natural physical gifts of Johnny Walker, he was not blessed with a fighting brain. If any fighter were to hurt Craig and dive straight into Craig’s clutches – it would be a John Kavanagh-trained Johnny Walker. The Brazilian notched a rare submission victory over Ion Cutelaba in impressive fashion, yet that mostly stems from the quality of the competition rather than an overnight transformation.
Craig vs Walker Prediction: Craig Submission Round 1
There’s no denying Craig’s outrageous submission chops – the issue has always been figuring out how to coax fighters into his guard. For all the natural physical gifts of Johnny Walker, he was not blessed with a fighting brain. If any fighter were to hurt Craig and dive straight into Craig’s clutches – it would be a John Kavanagh-trained Johnny Walker. Of course, Craig’s chin is not uncrackable, but Walker’s strangely patient counter-striking will work against him in this bout.
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