Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Joshua Van is our UFC Vegas 93 Fight of the Night prediction

UPDATE: This fight has been canceled due to Ulanbekov missing weight.

The UFC makes its way back to the UFC APEX for a fight night on Saturday, June 15. This is the only event in the promotion's loaded June events calendar that will be emanating from the UFC APEX.

The promotion began hosting events at the UFC APEX in May 2020 (because of the pandemic), and this will be the 100th event hosted at the venue. The UFC Vegas 93 event will feature 13 fights in total.

The main event will be a flyweight bout between Alex Perez and Tatsuro Taira. But the card could have some other must-see bouts.

With all these bouts on the card, it can be expected that there will be several fight of the night contenders. Below is the one that we think might just walk away with the bonus.

Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Joshua Van UFC Vegas 93 Fight of the Night prediction

Whilst the flyweight main event between Perez and Taira will have lots of eyes on it, another fight at 125-pounds could steal the show. The feature prelim bout will be between Tagir Ulanbekov and Joshua Van, and this could be the fight of the night.

Ulanbekov made his professional debut in July 2013, and has a 15-win, 2-loss record. Having joined the UFC in 2020, he is currently riding a two-fight winning streak. On the other hand, Van only made his debut in October 2021 but he has been keeping active since then. Having joined the UFC in June 2023, he is on an 8-fight winning streak.

Ulanbekov has a plethora of experience whilst Van is riding a wave of momentum. The blend of this, as well as their different fighting styles promises a thrilling fight for fans. Ulanbekov has the foundation style of combat Sambo and, over the years, he has also crafted his wrestling. Van, fuelled by his youthful energy, is well-versed in the overall craft of mixed martial arts.

The coming together of these two styles will make for an intriguing bout. In addition to that, both Ulanbekov and Van are still trying to make names for themselves in the flyweight division. Ulanbekov is currently ranked no. 12 in the division, and that is a spot he will be looking to hold onto. Van remains unranked in the division but, coming up on a year since joining the promotion, he will be looking to do the most to push into those rankings.

Both Ulanbekov and Van have displayed power of getting different finishes, and this makes this match all the more unpredictable. It can be expected that neither of them will be looking to go all three rounds though. The fight between Ulanbekov and Van is a cannot-miss bout that promises to be explosive. Filled with drive and motivation, this could be the fight of the night.