With some shake-ups at the top of the card, UFC 295 is ready for action this week in New York City at Madison Square Garden. A UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between current champion Jon Jones and former two-time champion Stipe Miocic was expected to take place at the event. However, Jones had to withdraw due to injury, so the UFC opted for an interim title bout between the originally scheduled backup fighter Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall, per sources. A UFC Light Heavyweight Championship fight for the vacant title between former champion Jiří Procházka and former UFC Middleweight Champion Alex Pereira was initially expected to serve as the co-headliner. However, due to the previous fight between Jones and Miocic being canceled, it will serve as the main event and a critical part of UFC 295 betting slips.
For this report, SBS will be going over what to look for from each fighter, a predicted winner, along with more notes about UFC 295 betting.
| UFC 295 Main Event Bouts | The Pick |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiří Procházka vs. Alex Pereira | Procházka | -105 | -105 | -105 |
| Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall | Pavlovich | -108 | -108 | -108 |
Fighter Spotlight: Jiří Procházka
Kicking off the UFC 295 breakdown, Procházka is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and also the inaugural Rizin Fighting Federation Light Heavyweight Champion. With a record of 29-3-1, the Czech fighter is a force in the division and one of the most dominating competitors when he is clicking on all cylinders. After falling to Muhammed Lawal on New Year’s Eve 2015, he has strung together 13 consecutive wins and is undefeated since joining the UFC in 2020. In his three UFC bouts, he has scored either Performance of the Night or Fight of the Night honors and notched two knockouts and one submission win. This will be his first fight since returning from injury and vacating his UFC Light Heavyweight title.
Fighter Spotlight: Alex Pereira
Recognized as the No. 3 overall fighter in the UFC light heavyweight rankings and a top ten fighter in the promotion’s pound-for-pound annals, Pereira is one of the toughest fighters in the promotion. The Brazilian is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and is an extremely accomplished kickboxer. In that sport, he is a former Glory middleweight and light heavyweight champion, the first and only fighter to have held Glory titles in two weight classes simultaneously. Pereira is coming off an emphatic split-decision win over Jan Błachowicz at UFC 291 and is in prime position to make some more light heavyweight history this weekend.
Prediction: This fight is as close as they come to a toss-up in the UFC. While Procházka is coming off a year-long absence, he does have the advantage of youth here and has been training for a long time for this bout.
Fighter Spotlight: Sergei Pavlovich
Pavlovich enters this fight as the No. 2 ranked fighter in the UFC heavyweight rankings and is currently riding a six-fight winning streak heading into this bout with Aspinall. During that stretch, he racked up four different Performance of the Night outings, including his last two victories, a TKO win against Curtis Blaydes and a KO on Tai Tuivasa. Moreover, he has fought some of the toughest fighters in the promotion, ending most of these bouts in a first-round knockout, like Derrick Lewis at UFC 277. A former one-time champion of Russia in Combat Kung Fu, he is certainly a sensational combatant.
Fighter Spotlight: Tom Aspinall
Aspinall is a fighter who also features a sensational power knockout in the heavyweight division (10 wins via knockout) in what is going to be the biggest fight of his career to date. In his last outing, he was able to notch a TKO win (elbow and punches) over Marcin Tybura in London in a Performance of the Night contest. Similar to Pavlovich, he has won the Performance of the Night honor multiple times (five). At just 30 years of age, he still has a lot of fighting ahead of him and has only won one UFC loss to date, a knee injury withdrawal last year. The English fighter also has three submission wins in his career, so that could be another route to victory to look for.
Prediction: Another close bout, take Pavlovich to win here given his more consistent body of work to date.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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