The UFC returns to Brazil this Saturday night for the first time in three years, with Rio de Janeiro playing host.
In the first numbered event of the year, Dana White and Co have teed up what is essentially a ‘Brazil vs the rest of the world’ card.
Glover Teixeira will attempt to win back the vacant light-heavyweight belt in his clash with Jamahal Hill in the headliner, while Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno lock horns for a fourth time in the supporting act.
Here, Sportsmail runs the rule over the main card and predicts how many home fighters will have their hand raised.
Glover Teixeira (left) takes on Jamahal Hill and they will meet in the main event of UFC 283
Glover Teixeira vs Jamahal Hill
The light-heavyweight division is an absolute mess. A victory for one of Teixeira and Hill won’t exactly clean things up either.
Jiri Prochazka’s horrendous shoulder injury led to him relinquishing the belt and Teixeira did not want to go in against a different opponent on short notice.
Jan Blachowicz vs Magomed Ankalaev was then elevated to a championship fight, but disastrously finished in a split draw.
So Dana White confirmed immediately afterwards the belt would be skipped on again, this time to the winner of Teixeira vs Hill. Head spinning stuff.
Anyhow, neither the 43-year-old veteran or his 31-year-old opponent will turn their noses up at the chance this weekend.
Jiri Prochazka (pictured top) defeated Teixeira but vacated the title due to injury
Teixeira is enjoying a sensational end to his career and only narrowly lost an absolute war with Prochazka in the fifth round of a scrap he was winning last year.
He’ll know that time is running out for him to win it again and faces a powerful upstart in Hill.
The experience and advantage on the ground lies with the older man but KO power and fight-ending ability is possessed by the American.
‘He’s very good,’ the Brazilian told Yahoo Sports. ‘He’s a very young, talent fighter. He’s a powerful striker. And he’s having a lot of potential to be a champion.
‘And my job is to stop him this time. I’m going to go over there and beat him. But the strike is the strongest game.’
Jamahal Hill (right) delivered a spectacular knockout of Johnny Walker
Teixeira lives and trains in the USA having made the journey illegally across the border as a 19-year-old before gaining citizenship years later.
But he will still be welcomed by his countrymen with open arms and have them on his side.
The home support and variety he can challenge Hill with should see him over the line.
Brazil 1-0 Rest of the World
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno
This has become a rivalry for the ages and is set for a historic fourth chapter.
It is the first-ever quadrilogy fight in UFC history and who, knows you can’t rule out there being a fifth.
Maybe this pair will just keep fighting until they’re grey and old – plenty would still watch given the brilliance of their first three encounters.
A quick recap – it was in 2020 that they met for the first time, fighting out a majority draw.
Deiveson Figueiredo (right) is the champion taking on fierce rival Brandon Moreno (left)
An illegal low blow by Figueiredo in the third-round cost him a point and a unanimous victory but it would have been harsh for either man to lose.
The rematch came in June 2021 and went the way of the Mexican, who became the first man from his country to win a UFC title, ending the bout by rear-naked choke.
Fight three was almost as close as the first. Figueiredo was given the win on the scorecards to win back the belt in dramatic fashion.
And so here we are. Can Figueiredo rubberstamp his legacy over his old rival or will Moreno hit back again in this back-and-forth?
Figueiredo defeated Moreno by decision in their last fight to win back the title
He looked sensational in beating Kai Kara France but the champion will be buoyed by a home crowd.
Given the turning of the tide in the final two rounds of the last fight, we’re tipping Moreno to even the balance and silence Jeunesse Arena.
Brazil 1-1 Rest of the World
Gilbert Burns vs Neil Magny
These two are stalwarts of the welterweight division and Burns will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways.
He came so close to beating Khamzat Chimaev in the first major test for the dominant wrestling star and many believed he should have been given the decision,
Burns is so well rounded, capable of knocking out his opponents but dangerous on the ground.
And Magny remains a man nobody really wants to face. He’s now ranked No 12 in the division and more often than not used as a gatekeeper for the top 10.
Gilbert Burns lost against Khamzat Chimaev in a brutal three-round battle last April
But he’ll know a win over Burns will elevate him right back to within a couple of wins of a title shot.
Magny will have a nine inch reach advantage, which could be a key to this one over three rounds.
He’ll look to strike at range and go for the takedown when it suits. His endurance is one of his best qualities but that will matter less over the shorter distance.
Burns will have 15 minutes to solve the puzzle but has enough tools in his arsenal to get the job done.
Brazil 2-1 Rest of the World
Neil Magny could elevate himself back into the top 10 with victory over Burns
Lauren Murphy vs Jessica Andrade
This is the only women’s fight on the main card. The 39-year-old Murphy is coming off a win over Miesha Tate but is one of the biggest underdogs on the card.
Andrade is among the elite both at strawweight and flyweight, only losing to the very best such as Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas.
She is one of the most powerful female fighters and will be looking for a stoppage to thrill the home crowd.
The Parana-born fighter lands at a higher rate and accuracy than her opponent, while also bettering her in the takedown department.
Jessica Andrade, pictured after winning the strawweight title in 2019, faces Lauren Murphy
It is difficult to see where Murphy can win the fight, but if she manages it, it would be the landmark victory in her long career.
She told the UFC: ‘I feel like, right now, it’s my time. I should be fighting former champions; I should be fighting current champions.
‘I’m working my way back to a title fight, so I want these tough fights against these UFC stars so I can work my way back to a championship and feel well prepared for it.’
‘I think I’m at a point in my career where that’s appropriate. I should be on the pay-per-views, so I didn’t really think of how special it is.
‘It’s an honor to be in the UFC, it’s an honor to be in the Top 5 and it’s always an honor to be on a PPV, but this is the kind of fighter I am and where I belong.’
Brazil 3-1 Rest of the World
Lauren Murphy is the biggest underdog on the main card in Brazil this weekend
Paul Craig vs Johnny Walker
This is the perfect way to open the card.
Craig is never in a dull fight and Johnny Walker brings mayhem wherever he goes.
The Scot will often take some serious punishment on the ground before snapping shut a trap to catch his opponent in a submission.
It is a risky business and can lead to one-sided defeats, like the one his suffered against Volkan Oezdemir in London last year.
But his jiu-jitsu is at such an elite level that anyone can find themselves tapping.
Paul Craig will be looking to overcome the odds when he faces Johnny Walker
Craig has worked on his stand-up game but the advantage clearly lies with the Brazilian in that department.
Walker is a flamboyant, unpredictable athlete and rarely leave it to the judges. He broke a slide of one win in four by overcoming Ion Cutelaba last September.
He’s no slouch on the ground either but will want to keep this as a stand-up battle.
Craig is the underdog with bookmakers but believes he will confound expectations and finish it on the feet.
UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker (right) is one of the division’s flashiest strikers
He told MMA Fighting: ‘I believe in this fight. I can end it anywhere. I believe in my standup. I’ve got this newfound love for standup and this newfound experience that I’ve never had before, and the way I’ve been taught recently has opened up a new door.
‘What I believe is going to happen is this fight’s going to end via strikes. I just believe in myself, and I believe in my standup, and I believe my right hand has got power.’
Brazil 3-2 Rest of the World
