The Ringside Report MMA crew returned to break down UFC Noche, headlined by Diego Lopes vs Jean Silva in what Dave Simon called “the battle for Mexico.” While the card may lack the star power of recent events, the afternoon show from San Antonio promises compelling matchups and intriguing betting opportunities.
France Rising: Last Week’s Results Impact Tonight’s Predictions
Before diving into UFC Noche, the hosts reflected on last weekend’s results from France, where several fighters made statements that could influence title picture discussions.
“Caio Borralho loses to Nassourdine Imavov by unanimous decision and Benoît Saint Denis with a nice submission over Renato Moicano,” Dave noted, highlighting how French fighters dominated on home soil.
The Imavov victory over Borralho sparked debate about potential middleweight title shots. “Winner of this fight might get a title shot might get comes out Shemaya at middleweight,” Dave explained, though he wasn’t completely convinced by what he saw.
“I’m willing to wait to see what RDR and Hernandez do and kind of see from there, and if the UFC wants to wait, that they’re not convinced with Imavov. I’m not really either. I mean, he was good. He was impressive. He won. But I’m not sure I saw a guy that could beat comes out.”
Fred Garcia took a different approach, prioritizing activity over perfect matchmaking: “I would give him a title shot mostly because I want to see what comes out active. I don’t want to wait for it to slip on something or catch COVID, or who knows what. I just want to come out and have a fight and be active.”
Main Event Breakdown: Lopes vs Silva
The co-hosts provided contrasting perspectives on the evening’s headliner between Diego Lopes and Jean Silva.
“Diego Lopes is Brazilian but lives and trains in Mexico,” Dave explained the unique dynamic. “And he’s fighting the very tough Jean Silva from the fight nerds team. Fight nerds had a rough weekend last weekend.”
AJ D’Alesio backed Silva, citing his impressive streak: “I’m going to go the opposite way with Jean Silva and I think he hasn’t lost since 2018 was able to. He’s been on a tear. Yeah he’s been on a tear. He’s strong. He’s aggressive. I mean he’s got it all.”
Silva’s recent performance against Bryce Mitchell particularly impressed AJ: “He was able to defend like Bryce Mitchell’s like wrestling. You know he beat Charles Jourdain if I’m not mistaken as well like pretty much in the grappling and wrestling part. This guy is something you know he’s 16 and…”
However, Lopes enters as the betting favorite despite coming off a loss to Alexander Volkanovski. The Brazilian-turned-Mexican fighter’s aggressive style and finishing ability make him a dangerous opponent for anyone in the featherweight division.
Supporting Card Analysis
Beyond the main event, several intriguing matchups caught the hosts’ attention for their betting slips.
Rob Font faces David Martinez in a crucial bantamweight bout. “I’m going to go with Rob Font, man. He’s on the card fighting David Martinez,” AJ declared, backing the veteran’s experience and technical striking.
The most debated fight among the trio involved Kelvin Gastelum vs Dustin Stoltzfus. Dave took the contrarian approach: “I’m gonna keep it real simple, Stoltzfus is underdog plus 180, Gastelum minus 250, 20 gets you 78.”
His reasoning focused on Gastelum’s recent struggles: “I just I don’t trust Gastelum especially as a favorite. You know he’s been losing fights. Stoltzfus is coming off a lot of losses, but to a guy who’s been crushing everybody. So I think he bounces back here.”
Team Predictions and Betting Slips
The hosts assembled their official predictions for UFC Noches:
Team Fred (Two-Fight Parlay):
- Diego Lopes to defeat Jean Silva
- Alex Hernandez to defeat Carlos Diego Ferreira
- Payout: 20 gets you 113.24 (plus 466 parlay)
Team AJ (Three-Fight Parlay):
- Jean Silva to defeat Diego Lopes
- Rob Font to defeat David Martinez
- Alex Hernandez to defeat Carlos Diego Ferreira
- Payout: 20 gets you 122
Team Dave (Two-Fight Parlay):
- Jean Silva to defeat Diego Lopes
- Dustin Stoltzfus to defeat Kelvin Gastelum
- Payout: 20 gets you 78
Card Placement and Expectations
The hosts acknowledged UFC Noches lacks the marquee appeal of recent events. “It’s not the best card. I feel like last week in France was better. This one they’re doing in San Antonio, Texas, is supposed to be a big deal, but I feel like maybe not,” Dave observed.
He theorized the afternoon timing serves a specific purpose: “This is just a lead-up. This is just the UFC and TKO giving you a bit of fighting in the afternoon to get you ready to watch Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night on Netflix.”
Despite the perceived lack of star power, the card offers several competitive matchups with legitimate upset potential, making it an intriguing afternoon of fights for both casual viewers and serious bettors.
Looking Ahead: Middleweight Title Picture
The discussion inevitably returned to the middleweight division’s future, with Khamzat Chimaev positioned as the likely next champion regardless of who earns the title shot.
“I’d like to see him fight again by the end of this year. But I think it’s probably unlikely right early 2026 is probably when we see Chamaev come out as the new UFC middleweight champion,” Dave predicted.
Fred agreed about the timeline while expressing his preference for keeping champions active: “The de Ridder or Imavov I think are both going to get a crush by by comes out. I don’t think they’re going to be much of a challenge. But I want to see comes out active. I want to see some comes out fight so quicker to better.”
