Preview: UFC 313 Prelims

Middleweights

Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos (10-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Osman Diaz (9-3, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Ribeiro dos Santos (-192), Diaz (+160)

This is a proper matchup for Ribeiro dos Santos’ UFC debut and Diaz's return to middleweight. Diaz has a solid pressure-based approach capped by a lack of athleticism, and he put together a decent regional campaign at middleweight before running into Joe Pyfer on the Contender Series in 2022. That prompted Diaz to move up to light heavyweight once he was back on the regional scene, and things went well enough for him to earn the UFC call. Given that even Diaz’s wins at 205 pounds saw him have to stage a comeback, it wasn’t a shock to see Mingyang Zhang knock him out in short order. Diaz cuts back down to 185 pounds here to try and prove that his skills can keep him in the UFC, while Ribeiro dos Santos looks to announce himself in his UFC debut. Ribeiro dos Santos’ regional career looked better on film than it did on paper. He mostly fought a weak level of competition and has rarely been a quick finisher, but he’s consistently sound and tends to outwork his opponents over time. It wasn’t necessarily a shock when his approach translated into a win on the 2024 edition of the Contender Series, even if it wasn’t an electric performance. Diaz should be able to plug away and looks to be the toughest matchup Ribeiro dos Santos has faced to date, but the Brazilian looks to be a better athlete and doesn’t appear to have a breaking point, so the UFC newcomer should get the better work done. The pick is Ribeiro dos Santos via decision.

Jump To »
Blaydes vs. Kuniev
Van vs. Tsuruya
Petrosyan vs. Ferreira
Miranda vs. Morono
Santos vs. Marshall
Ribeiro dos Santos vs. Diaz
Gutierrez vs. Castaneda