UFC Betting: Barboza vs Chikadze Preview

A featherweight battle and some new blood highlight the main card this weekend at UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs Chikadze.

The main event this weekend is the featherweight bout featuring Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze. At Bovada Sportsbook, Barboza is a slim -115 favorite and Chikadze a -105 underdog.

Barboza is 2-3 in his last five fights and 3-5 in his last eight, which has dropped his overall record to 22-9 with 13 wins by knockout. He last fought at UFC 267 in May when he defeated Shane Burgos by third-round KO as a +130 underdog.

Chikadze has won his last eight fights to boost his record to 13-2 with eight wins by KO. He last fought at UFC on ESPN 23 in May, topping Cub Swanson by first-round TKO as a -220 favorite.

Weekend card marks finale of The Ultimate Fighter 29

This weekend event is also the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 29 and features numerous fighters making their professional UFC debut.

That includes a bantamweight bout between Ricky Turcios and Brady Hiestand. At Bovada, Turcios is a -165 favorite and Hiestand a +135 underdog.

Turcios is 10-2 in his MMA career with three wins by KO and one by submission. His last fight was at a Fury FC event in February where he defeated Kaleb Petereit by second-round submission.

Hiestand is 5-1 in his MMA career with two wins by KO and two by submission. He last fought at an Excite Fight event in February and bested Shane Sargent by first-round submission.

Battle favored over Urbina in TUF middleweight bout

Also on the main card this weekend and part of The Ultimate Fighter finale is a middleweight bout between Bryan Battle and Gilbert Urbina. Both fighters are making their pro UFC debut and at Bovada, Battle is a -165 favorite and Urbina a +135 underdog.

Battle is 5-1 in his MMA career with one win by KO and three by submission. He last fought at a Hardrock MMA event in February, earning a submission victory over Ben Fowler in the second round.

Urbina is 6-1 with one win by KO and two by submission. His last pro fight was in a Combate Americas event in November 2019 when he defeated Angelo Trevino by unanimous decision as a -120 favorite.