Shara Magomedov and Michel Pereira meet in the UFC Fight Night 280 co-feature card Saturday at National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Last event’s results: 4-1
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UFC main cards, 2026: 64-36-1
Shara Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 280 preview
Magomedov (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) enters his first fight of the year on the heels of a Fight of the Night win over Marc-Andre Barriault last July. Aside from a loss to Michael Page which came before it, Magomedov has been a bonus machine over his most recent outings.
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Pereira (32-14 MMA, 10-5 UFC) steps in for his second appearance of the year. His first was a split decision win over Zach Reese, which snapped a three-fight skid.
Shara Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 280 expert pick, prediction
The co-main event for UFC Fight Night 280 features a collision of characters at middleweight with Michel Pereira taking on Shara Magomedov.
In yet another fight featuring a Brazilian coming off a loss vs. a Russian coming off a win, it’s hard not to see what the matchmakers are trying to do here. And though nothing would please me more than to see Pereira upset the proverbial apple cart, I suspect that the promotion and Magomedov fans alike will get exactly what they want this Saturday.
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Despite Pereira having the skills and physicality to win, it appears that his nearly fifty-fight career is finally catching up with him. And even if Pereira wasn’t on his current sketchy losing skid, he’s not exactly the kind of fighter you can be confident in to stick to a game plan.
For that reason, I think that Pereira’s style and preferred range play right into the kind of fight that Magomedov likes to have.
The pick is Magomedov by knockout in Round 2.
Shara Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 280 odds
The oddsmakers and the public heavily favor the Dagestani fighter, listing Magomedov -370 and Pereira +280 via FanDuel.
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Shara Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 280 start time, how to watch
Magomedov and Pereira are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 2:10 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Shara Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira prediction, pick for UFC Fight Night 280
