UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho Full Card Picks & Predictions

Check out picks for every matchup at this Saturday's UFC Fight Night card.

Drew Beaupre | Aug 21, 2024

(Zuffa LLC/ESPN)

The UFC returns to Las Vegas for a Fight Night event at the Apex facility this Saturday (August 24), and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for the entire 11-fight card.

UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho Event Preview & Breakdown

UFC Fight Night Main Card

Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho

Jared Cannonier, right, connects with Nassourdine Imavov during the third round of their middleweight main bout at the UFC Fight Night mixed martial arts event Saturday, June 8 2024 in Louisville Ky. Imavov defeated Cannonier in the third round. / Timothy D. Easley/Special to the Courier-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

This matchup represents a huge step up for Borralho, who has admittedly looked impressive since joining the UFC off of Dana White’s Contender Series. “The Natural” proved in his last outing against Paul Craig that he’s capable of finishing opponents on the feet as well as on the ground, and although he’ll need to be careful against Cannonier this is Borralho’s chance to prove that he's a legitimate title contender at middleweight.

(Pick: Borralho)

Angela Hill vs. Tabatha Ricci

Nov 4, 2023; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Denise Gomes (blue gloves) fights Angela Hill (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ibirapuera Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports / Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports

Seeing Hill score the first submission of her career against Luana Pinheiro was a fantastic moment, and it also gave “Overkill” back-to-back wins for the first time since 2020. Ricci is going to provide a stiff test for the 39-year-old, but I’m picking Hill to out strike “Babyshark” and earn her third-straight victory.

(Pick: Hill)

Ryan Loder vs. Robert Valentin

Finale of #TUF32 is set

lets go to #LasVegas #theultimatefighter #Robzilla #RobertValentin #UFC pic.twitter.com/rI9CbagI3T
— Robert Valentin MMA (@RobzillaTV_MMA) August 18, 2024

It was a bit of a surprise to see the middleweight finals for Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter get added to this card, especially given that the UFC seemingly hasn’t put too much effort into promoting the fight. Loder obviously has the wrestling pedigree to get the job done here, but Valentin has almost twice as many MMA bouts and is the more well-rounded fighter overall.

(Pick: Valentin)

Michael Morales vs. Neil Magny

Jan 20, 2024; Toronto, Canada, USA; Neil Magny (red glove) fights Mike Malott (blue gloves) during UFC 297 at ScotiaBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Possibly the most intriguing fight on the card outside of the main event, this matchup is a chance for Morales to prove that he belongs among the UFC’s welterweight elite. There’s considerable value on Magny here as a sizeable underdog, but given that he only avoided losing to Mike Malott because of an improbable comeback in his last outing I have to pick Morales to extend his unbeaten record.

(Pick: Morales)

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Edmen Shahbazyan (red gloves) fights Dalcha Lungiambula (blue gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Shahbazyan is still trying to regain some momentum after his hot start in the UFC was halted by three-straight losses, and this is a difficult matchup against an experienced veteran in Meerschaert. I don’t know that “Golden Boy” should be favored quite as significantly as he currently is, but he should be able to avoid any submission threats and won’t have to be too worried about getting knocked out.

(Pick: Shahbazyan)

Dennis Buzukja Has 'No Emotions' Returning to 'Primal' UFC APEX (Exclusive)

UFC Fight Night Preliminary Card

Dennis Buzukja vs. Francis Marshall

Mar 30, 2024; Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA; Dennis Buzukja (red gloves) fights Connor Matthews (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Boardwalk Hall. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports / Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Buzukja was originally scheduled for a tough matchup with Danny Silva, and with Marshall now stepping in on short notice “The Great” has a chance to score back-to-back wins and even out his UFC record.

(Pick: Buzukja)

Viacheslav Borshchev vs. James Llontop

Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Nazim Sadykhov (red gloves) greets Viacheslav Borshchev (blue gloves) after their fight during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

This fight should be an entertaining one for as long as it lasts, and with Borshchev potentially fighting for his spot on the UFC roster I expect that “Slava Claus” will put on a big performance and get back into the win column.

(Pick: Borshchev)

José Medina vs. Zach Reese

ZACH REESE GETS THE FINISH IN THE OPENING SECONDS 😳 #UFCLouisville pic.twitter.com/ZhNzwit0TB
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 9, 2024

There are still plenty of questions around how Reese will fair against UFC-level competition if he goes beyond the first round, but facing a promotional debutant in Medina looks like a recipe for another first-round finish from “Savage”.

(Pick: Reese)

Josiane Nunes vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti

Jan 21, 2023; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Josiane Nunes (red gloves) fights Zarah Fairn (blue gloves) during UFC 283 at Jeunesse Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports / Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports

This is an underrated matchup on this card, and even though Nunes has experience competing at featherweight she’s going to be at a significant size disadvantage here when she faces Cavalcanti.

(Pick: Cavalcanti)

Cong Wang vs. Victoria Leonardo

Wang defeated Paula Luna on Road to UFC in May. / (Zuffa LLC)

Wang probably shouldn’t be favored quite as heavily as she is considering her limited experience in MMA, but given that Leonardo is 1-3 since joining the UFC and has been stopped in all of her losses this is clearly a matchup where “The Joker” is expected to make a big statement in her promotional debut.

(Pick: Wang)

Dana White Warns Contender Series Fighter He'd 'Get Absolutely Decimated' in UFC

MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Borralho all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage for a preview of the event and betting guide as well as live results and highlights on fight night.