UFC 291 will take place Saturday, July 29 from The Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The five-fight main card is headlined by top-ranked lightweights Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. They will fight for the honorary “BMF” title. Also on the main card is the light heavyweight debut of former UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira. He will face former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in a title eliminator.
On the main preliminary card its a middleweight battle between two fighters looking to get into the top 15 rankings, Roman Kopylov (10-2) and Claudio Ribeiro (11-3).
How to watch Roman Kopylov vs. Claudio Ribeiro
Date: Saturday, July 29
Fight time: Preliminary card starts at 8 p.m. ET
Live stream: ESPN and ABC via WatchESPN or the ESPN app
DraftKings Sportsbook Odds/Predictions
Kopylov: -230
Ribeiro: +185
Splits: 78% of handle, 82% of bets on Kopylov
Kopylov is the fighter here with the greater upside and the deeper toolbox. Ribeiro is a knockout artist, although he can get very wild and many of his best connections were more one-punch instead of quality set-up shots. Kopylov is a more skilled striker and he is comfortable in a technical boxing match on his feet. Ribeiro can end a fight quickly and Kopylov would be smart not to stick his chin too far out. But this fight is made for Kopylov to gain some confidence as he tries to step up in class. He should win by a decision as Ribeiro runs out of gas.