UFC Fight Night: Felipe Franco vs Brendson Ribeiro Preview & Prediction

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Felipe Franco looks to build on his first UFC win at light heavyweight, as he takes on the dangerous but struggling Brendson Ribeiro, who badly needs to stop the losing streak.

Felipe Franco vs Brendson Ribeiro facts

What time are Felipe Franco and Brendson Ribeiro expected to walk out? 10 October 2026 at 11:40 pm

Where is UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan? Meta Apex, Enterprise, USA

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 290

What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass

UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan main card

Brendan Allen vs Christian Leroy Duncan (Middleweight)

Matheus Camilo vs Jai Herbert (Lightweight)

Loopy Godinez vs Ketlen Souza (Women's Strawweight)

Andre Fili vs Kai Kamaka III (Featherweight)

Malcolm Wellmaker vs Otari Tanzilovi (Bantamweight)

UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan prelims

Julius Walker vs Gerald Meerschaert (Light Heavyweight)

Francisco Prado vs Ismael Bonfim (Lightweight)

Niko Price vs Leon Shahbazyan (Welterweight)

Felipe Franco vs Brendson Ribeiro (Light Heavyweight)

Allen Frye Jr. vs RJ Harris (Heavyweight)

Alice Pereira vs Darya Zheleznyakova (Women's Bantamweight)

Ernesta Kareckaite vs Melissa Gatto (Women's Flyweight)

Felipe Franco: “Negao” looks to build momentum after his first octagon win

Felipe Franco (11-2) finally got off the mark in the UFC last time out, stopping Levi Rodrigues Jr. with punches in the second round. That came after a short-notice decision loss to the unbeaten Mario Pinto up at heavyweight which isn’t a bad loss, and a third-round submission defeat to Freddy Vidal on the Contender Series. The BJJ black belt and Judo brown belt has clean, fast takedown entries, good chain wrestling and strong throws against the fence. He’s a position over damage grappler once on top. On the feet his fundamentals are sound, but his volume is relatively low, and he can be found in the pocket, especially against longer combinations.

Brendson Ribeiro: “The Gorilla” desperately needs to stop the slide

Brendson Ribeiro (17-11) is the definition of a kill or be killed fighter, finishing 94% of his wins but arriving on a four-fight skid. After being finished by Azamat Murzakanov and Oumar Sy, he was choked by Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev in the first round in April, then dropped a decision to Magomed Tuchalov in July. He’s a long, aggressive Muay Thai striker and is very dangerous early, but he has defensive holes and fades after the opening round. He has bad takedown defence and once he’s grounded he really struggles to get back up.

Felipe Franco vs Brendson Ribeiro prediction

Ribeiro is at his most dangerous in the opening round, and that’s where Franco has to be the most careful. He was tagged a few times against Rodrigues Jr., and Ribeiro’s right hand has the power to end things in an instant, especially with a five inch reach advantage. The saving grace is that Ribeiro tends to throw in singles and doubles rather than the longer combinations that give Franco problems. Franco will also need to be wary of the leg kicks, given that he doesn’t defend them at all.

The path for Franco is pretty clear, Ribeiro’s takedown defence is about as poor as it gets at light heavyweight, and Yakhyaev showed exactly what happens once he hits the mat. Franco can time his level changes, or clinch up and push Ribeiro to the fence where his judo trips and throws can come into play. From there he can transition to dominant positions and work his patient but intentional ground and pound. Even if Ribeiro survives the first round, his power and gas tank tends to fade, and that’s when Franco’s top game should take over.

The intangibles sit on the side of Franco. In his short UFC stint he’s shown more grit, better cardio and a strong will to win. I see Franco breaking Ribeiro down systematically and finishing him in the second.

Prediction: Felipe Franco to win by KO/TKO