FN Moicano vs Duncan Predictions

Zak Drapeau
11 minutes ago
6 min read

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen

Sportz Nation - 4/3/2026

In our Fight Night Adesanya vs Pyfer Predictions where you can find here,

Zak went 3-3 in picks with 1 correct method for a total of 4 points.

Matt went 1-5 in picks with 0 correct methods for a total of 1 point.

Points to Date:

Zak: 58 (39-17)

Matt: 48 (33-23)

*All odds are courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 4/3

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10Renato Moicano vs

Chris Duncan

(Duncan -165)

Zak Drapeau -

Chris Duncan is on his way up the lightweight rankings and gets his first UFC main event thanks to Moicano's notoriety this week. Moicano, on the other hand, is taking a risk with a fight much below him, albeit against an exciting guy like Duncan.

Both fighters have great grappling, and I believe they will respect each other's game and barely even tie up unless being brought to a clinch against the cage. As much as I like Duncan, I think Moicano is tougher and more experienced and will do better in the late rounds.

Prediction: Moicano by Decision

Matt Hylen -

In what is a pretty lackluster card, I am excited to see what could happen in this fight.

Starting with Renato Moicano, he is a great BJJ grappler who wants to take you down and beat you up. He has a great ground-and-pound game, which helps his submission offense as well.

As for Chris Duncan, this is a great opportunity for him. He is an absolute dog fighter with tons of heart and willingness to scrap. He is not the most skilled fighter, but his toughness is his superpower. He is also pretty decent on the ground with very good BJJ.

I think this fight will go the distance, but be a fun grappling fight to watch. It should go back and forth most of the time, but I think Duncan will prove that Moicano is past his prime.

Prediction: Duncan by Decision

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3Virna Jandiroba vs

7Tabatha Ricci

(Jandiroba -130)

Zak Drapeau -

This is a really great fight to co-main a card, and the winner will be right in contention for the next title shot after Zhang vs. Dern.

Jandiroba has the grappling advantage, and I would have to say it's even between the two when standing. The former title challenger has really shown a spike in wrestling over her last few fights and should continue the pressure heading into this one and really test Ricci's ability to stay on her feet. In a 3-round fight, I think Virna is relentless in her pressure and wins a dominant, albeit boring, encounter with a possible submission in the cards even.

Prediction: Jandiroba by Decision

Matt Hylen -

This is another fight that is likely to be grapple-heavy but one that will propel the winner into the title conversation.

Virna Jandiroba is one of the best grapplers in women's MMA. Her BJJ is absolutely elite, with a wide variety of submissions to complement it. Her last fight for the title was an absolute war, but she lost because of her lackluster bottom game.

For Tabatha Ricci, she is also a very high-level grappler. Her striking is not very good, but that should not really be taken into consideration when fighting Jandiroba. Her pace is aggressive and high, which can account for her being undersized for the division.

I like Jandiroba to dominate this fight. Ricci has talent, but she's too small to be able to contain a grappler like Jandiroba.

Prediction: Jandiroba by Submission

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Abdulrakhman Yakhyaev vs

Brendson Ribeiro

(Yakhyaev -1600)

Zak Drapeau -

Rakhman is 2-0 in the UFC, with his longest fight lasting 33 seconds, but I think this fight lasts at least a few minutes, if not gets into the 2nd round. Brendson Ribeiro might not be in the mix for a number, but he's fought a lot of good guys and can take a punch. I just don't know how many of Rakhman's punches he can take.

Prediction: Yakhyaev by TKO/KO

Matt Hylen -

This will be the fight of the night in my eyes. Abdulrakhman Yahyaev is a top three prospect in the light heavyweight division. He is a beast who can slam you, flatline you, and submit you all in the same fight. The guy is just a demon in the octagon. As for Brendson Ribeiro, he does possess some good power and athleticism, but overall will likely be far overmatched in this fight. I seriously do not see this fight making it to round two.

Prediction: Yahyaev by Submission

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Rafael Estevam vs

Ethyn Ewing

(Ewing -150)

Zak Drapeau -

This is a really interesting fight between two fighters I believe we'll see in the rankings someday. Ethyn Ewing is a violent and precise striker, while Estevam is a decision-merchant who uses grappling to control tempo and ground his opponents.

Interestingly, both fighters are outside their normal weights, with Ewing coming down from 145 and Estevam coming up from 125. Ewing will be the bigger of the two in the Octagon, which should make his blows even harder and possibly help control Estevam's takedowns, so I'll have to take him in a very tight decision.

Prediction: Ewing by Decision

Matt Hylen -

I agree with Zak; this is one of the more interesting fights on the card that could really put someone on the map. For Rafael Estevam, he is essentially an effective control grappler who uses his size at flyweight to win. We will see how he fares at bantamweight now, but he is very slow and uneventful. As for Ethyn Ewing, he made a name for himself with a massive upset win against Malcolm Wellmaker. He has really solid hands and a great fight IQ, but his chin and toughness are what really stand out. I like Ewing, who will now have a full camp, to get the job done in this fight and pick apart Estevam on the feet.

Prediction: Ewing by Decision

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Jose Delano vs

Robert Ruchala

(Delano -330)

Zak Drapeau -

Another fight between two guys I could see with numbers within a year or two, Delano vs. Ruchala should be a fun and busy fight from bell to bell. Delano is a heavy favorite in this one thanks to his boxing, while Ruchala fell flat in his first UFC fight in September.

I do believe the betting lines are far too much in this one, and even though Delano is the more precise striker, the size advantage of Ruchala could play a major role with him having a considerable reach advantage. This one will come down to the wire with Ruchala likely countering strikes and perhaps even grabbing some takedowns throughout in what I expect to be a 29-28 close call.

Prediction: Ruchala by Decision

Matt Hylen -

I think this fight will also be close, but not see the final bell. Robert Ruchala is coming off an underwhelming debut in the UFC, so it is hard to gauge how good he is. With that said, he is a fun fighter to watch because of how reckless and sloppy his style is. As for Jose Delano, he is a really talented striker with slick hands and an absolute granite chin. I think Delano outclasses Ruchala in this one, putting him out before the final horn.

Prediction: Delano by TKO/KO

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Guilherme Pat vs

Thomas Petersen

(Petersen -115)

Zak Drapeau -

Here is our weekly continuation of the UFC pushing new prospects in the Heavyweight rankings. Guilherme Pat is 6-0 with 1 win in the UFC, and Thomas Petersen is 2-3 in the UFC but with a lot of good fights right around the numbers.

Petersen has the experience and boxing that make a decision win here seem likely, especially with Guilherme's style. A distance striker, Pat doesn't threaten with power too often but has it in his back pocket. While I like a sudden knockout sometime in the 2nd or 3rd, I will take the decision in this one, and I'll take Pat to continue his unbeaten streak and move on to a juicy fight next.

Prediction: Pat by Decision

Matt Hylen -

This will likely be a tale of two heavyweights who run out of energy within a round but could get knocked out in one shot. With Thomas Peterson, he is the definition of a heavyweight blob with no chin but also who is a wrestler that wants to smudge you into a decision. His defense is very poor, but his offense is pretty good when on the front foot. As for Guilherme Pat, he had a pretty bad slugfest in his UFC debut but is decently athletic enough to warrant being a prospect at heavyweight. He has yet to show any crazy skill, but his resume on the regional scene is nothing short of impressive. I think Pat demolishes Peterson within the first couple of minutes.

Prediction: Pat by TKO/KO

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