UFC Fight Night 257: Maheshate Hayisaer vs Gauge Young Preview & Prediction
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Lightweights close out the prelims in the featured bout as Chinese striker, Maheshate Hayisaer, faces off with American prospect, Gauge Young.
Maheshate Hayisaer vs Gauge Young facts
What time are Maheshate Hayisaer and Gauge Young expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang? Shanghai Indoor Stadium, Shanghai, China
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 257
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang main card
Johnny Walker vs Zhang Mingyang (Light Heavyweight)
Brian Ortega vs Aljamain Sterling (Featherweight)
Sergei Pavlovich vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta (Heavyweight)
Su Mudaerji vs Kevin Borjas (Flyweight)
Taiyilake Nueraji vs Kiefer Crosbie (Welterweight)
UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang prelims
Maheshate Hayisaer vs Gauge Young (Lightweight)
Lone'er Kavanagh vs Charles Johnson (Flyweight)
Rong Zhu vs Austin Hubbard (Lightweight)
Michel Pereira vs Kyle Daukaus (Middleweight)
Yi Zha vs Westin Wilson (Featherweight)
Xiao Long vs You Su-young (Bantamweight)
Uran Satybaldiev vs Diyar Nurgozhay (Light Heavyweight)
Maheshate Hayisaer: The Chinese DWCS graduate looks to bring his UFC record to .500 after a disappointing defeat in his last appearance
The last man to defeat surging featherweight contender, Steve Garcia, Maheshate Hayisaer (10-4) has regrettably failed to build on the potential associated with his shocking KO over "Mean Machine" back in 2022. A graduate of DWCS, Maheshate is a dynamic kickboxer who likes to pepper his opponents at range but isn't adverse to diving head-first into a firefight; an approach that has had varied levels of success in the UFC. The Enbo Fight Club representative is just 1-3 since his victory over Garcia, a run that has seen him absorb a considerable amount of damage along the way. In addition to a nasty TKO loss at the hands of Viacheslav Borshchev, Maheshate was dropped twice in his most recent contest, a unanimous decision defeat to Nikolas Motta in November 2024.
Gauge Young: Can "Gee Money" grab his breakout UFC moment at the expense of his more experienced foe?
Dropping a hard fought unanimous decision to Evan Elder in his only UFC appearance to date, Gauge Young (9-3) makes his sophomore bow in the promotion with a point to prove. A decent wrestle-boxer with six KO victories on his record, the American is more than willing to take a shot in order to land one of his own or set up his takedowns. Despite losing by decision to hyped prospect, Quillan Salkilld, on DWCS in September 2024, "Gee Money" scored a short notice UFC call up in April. He came up short to the aforementioned Elder in a contest where he utilized excellent pressure but also found himself absorbing far too many shots during the striking exchanges.
Maheshate Hayisaer vs Gauge Young prediction
Considering that Maheshate's only win in the UFC since his sensational KO over Garcia is a split decision nod over a completely shot Gabriel Benitez, it's hard to escape the creeping sensation that the best victory of his career was somewhat of a fluke.
On the other side of the cage, Young's porous striking defense indicates that he's never going to be a serious UFC contender, but he fits the mold of opponents like Nikolas Motta; a tough-as-nails brawler who is willing to bite down on the mouthpiece and march through the fire with relentless pressure. A slight betting favorite, "Gee Money" should win this matchup on paper, but on the other hand, he has yet to prove his ability to score a win at the highest level of the sport.
This near "flip 'em" contest could really go either way; a state of affairs reflected by the extremely tight odds. The outcome arguably comes down to the distance at which the fight plays out; a kickboxing bout at distance should favour Maheshate's style, whereas Young looks likely to score takedowns and land big if and when the two fighters enter the pocket.
It's worth noting that a close fight could well see Maheshate earn the nod from the hometown judges, but the tentative pick is for Young to force his foe to fight backwards for three rounds to score his first UFC win in enemy territory.
Prediction: Gauge Young to win
