On Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada, the UFC offers up a solid appetizer of mixed martial arts action on the road to a hotly anticipated UFC 263 pay-per-view next week. This event’s top two bouts feature ranked heavyweight talents battling for division relevancy. As eighth-ranked Walt Harris will take on surging eleventh-ranked Marcin Tybura in the night’s co-main event. And in the headliner, top 10 combatants Jarizinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai both look to bounce back from recent defeats and propel themselves into the top five conversation.
How to watch UFC Vegas 28 on June 5
- The preliminary portion of the card commences at 4 pm ET on ESPN+
- Main card action kicks off at 7 pm ET, also on ESPN+
UFC Vegas 28 fight card
Main card (7 pm ET, ESPN+)
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Augusto Sakai
Walt Harris vs. Marcin Tybura
Roman Dolidze vs. Laureano Staropoli
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Miguel Baeza
Dusko Todorovic vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Preliminary card (4 pm ET, ESPN+)
Makwan Amirkhani vs. Nate Landwehr
Montana De La Rosa vs. Ariane Lipski
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Muslim Salikhov
UFC Vegas 28 Preview: Appointment television fights
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Augusto Sakai
UFC Vegas 28’s main event is a fascinating booking between skilled top-10 talents, both young for heavyweight norms but are also each coming off pivotal setbacks in their most recent Octagon appearances. “Bigi Boy” came up short in another main event slot in February against now top-five ranked fighters Ciryl Gane. While Sakai saw a six-fight win streak brought to an end in September against now unemployed former UFC heavyweight title challenger Alistair Overeem.
Both men could certainly use a win here to help boost consideration for a top-five ranking. However, for Rozenstruik it almost feels like a must-win situation. Another loss would mean defeats in three of his last four, and all of the momentum he built by winning his first four fights in the Octagon, by knockout, would be completely gone.
Making the rest of this year and into 2022 about digging himself out of a major hole and hoping to avoid becoming a top-10 afterthought. Much is on the line for each competitor and it could lead to an exciting main event.
Prediction: Sakai by submission, round 3
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Miguel Baeza
After a three-year run where he won seven straight and was primed for serious welterweight title contention, Santiago Ponzinibbio’s momentum is gone. Health issues kept him out of the Octagon for nearly two and a half years, and when he returned Jingliang Li welcomed him back with a stunning first-round knockout loss.
As he looks to get back to the prominent spot he once had he will have to overcome the challenge of Miguel Baeza. An unbeaten rising talent from Dana White’s Contender Series, who has finished all three of his opponents inside the Octagon. This fight has “fight of the night” possibilities and an intriguing story as an established vet aims to prove he wasn’t forever diminished by his time away. Against a rising talent looking to take his spot in the divisional pecking order.
Predicition: Ponzinibbio by unanimous decision
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