There have been some epic fights in the UFC this year. Israel Adesanya redeemed himself with a victory over his archrival, Alex Pereira. Jon Jones strengthened his resume with a knockout over Ciryl Gane in the heavyweight division.
It’s still too early to talk about the fight of the year. However, Islam Makhachev’s hard-fought victory against Alexander Volkanovski made a good case. In this article, we’ll talk more about UFC fights scheduled for May and June.
First, we review fights that already took place in May:
UFC 288—May 6, 2023
Aljamain vs. Cejudo
Aljamain Sterling was defending his Bantamweight title against Henry Cejudo. Sterling won the match through a split decision by the judges. It was a tough match for the defending champion.
Cejudo is a former Bantamweight champion and an Olympic medalist. His takedown game was on point during the main event. Unfortunately for him, Sterling’s strikes and takedown defense earned him the win.
Although Sterling can take a break from fighting for a few months, he already has an opponent for his next bout. Sean O’Malley is interested in a title fight. Sterling is willing to put his belt on the line, but only if he will be physically fit.
Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns
Belal was in full control of this fight throughout the five rounds. He dominated every round and won the match by unanimous decision. To be clear, this was a short-notice fight.
The two athletes signed contracts to fight just 16 days before the big day. Gilbert would definitely have benefited from more training time. However, that’s not an excuse for his poor display in the match.
Other Fights in the Main Card:
- Yan Xiaonan TKO’D Jessica Andrade
- Charles Jourdain defeated Kron Gracie by decision
- Movsar Evloev won by decision against Diego Lopes
UFC on ABC—May 13
The main card starred Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jailton Almeida for a non-title heavyweight match. Almeida submitted his opponent in the first round effortlessly.
According to ESPN statistics, Rozenstruik managed just three strikes and none of them was significant. By comparison, Almeida completed 14 strikes and one takedown that won him the match.
The co-main event of the night was a light heavyweight match between Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker. Both athletes put on a show for five rounds. But at the end of five rounds, there was one clear winner: Walker.
The 31-year-old Brazilian completed 51 leg strikes against his opponent. On top of that, he added 32 more blows to Smith’s head—just enough to win him the match by decision.
There were two more fights:
- Carlos Ulberg defeated Ihor Potieria via KO
- Tim Means lost to Alex Moronic via submission
Upcoming UFC Events
The UFC has fights almost every weekend. This is great news to MMA fans all over the world. It’s also good news for people who love to bet on the sport. More matches to bet on means more chances to select a winning bet.
Although odds should be your main focus when betting on MMA, also pay attention to UFC live scores. Keep up with different athletes, their scores, and upcoming events. It will help you make the right betting decisions in the long term.
With that said, below is an overview of fights to look out for this May and June:
UFC Apex—May 20, 2023
UFC fans will congregate in Las Vegas on May 20, for UFC 73. Mackenzie Dern and Angela Hill will headline the night’s main card event. The winner of this bout will secure a spot in the top 10 positions in the women’s Strawweight division.
The 30-year-old American is 12-3 in the UFC. Her opponent is 15-12. This makes her an underdog in the fight. But don’t underrate her just yet. She’s on a two-fight winning streak and last lost a match in 2021.
For comparison, Dern has been inconsistent in her last five matches. She won two fights in 2020 and started 2021 with a victory over Nina Nunes. She then lost her next fight against Marina Rodriguez but defeated T. Torres.
Dern’s last match was a loss against Yan Xiaonan in October. She will be the favorite against Hill, but she may need to work hard for a triumph.
Other fights in the evening:
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs Anthony Hernandez
- Emily Ducote vs Loopy Godinez
- Andre Fialho vs Joaquin Buckley
- Diego Ferreira vs Michael Johnson
- Maheshate vs Viacheslav Borschchev
UFC on ESPN—June 3
Kai Kara vs Amir Albazi
Kai and Amir will headline UFC 74 in Las Vegas on June 3. They will be replacing Jack Hermansson and Brendan Allen after their fight was canceled due to Jack’s injury in April.
Kara-France had a chance to become the flyweight Interim division champion last year. But he couldn’t get past Brandon Moreno. Kai has a chance to convince Dana White he’s ready for another championship fight.
However, his upcoming bout is not a walk in the park. Amir is on a four-fight winning streak and he’s yet to lose a match in the octagon.
Who else will fight in the Main Card?
- Marya Silva vs Miesha Tate
- Alex Caceres vs Daniel Pineda
- Jim Miller vs Klein Ludovit
- Tim Elliot vs Allan Nascimento
UFC 289—June 10, 2023
Brazil’s Amanda Nunes will hope to retain her Bantamweight championship when she meets Irene Aldana in Canada next month. Nunes reclaimed her title from Julianna Pena early last year. She hasn’t won since then.
Aldana is on a two-fight winning streak, but she will need to gather all her inner strength to defeat Nunes.
Additional Fights:
UFC on ESPN—June 17
After UFC 289, Jared Cannonier will headline the June 17 fight night against Marvin Vettori. On the same night, Alessandro Costa will face off against Jimmy Flick.
With that said, the final fight night of June will take place in Jacksonville on June 24. Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria will also fight that night.