UFC Fight Night: Modestas Bukauskas vs Rodolfo Bellato Preview & Prediction
Modestas Bukauskas looks to rebound from a disappointing result last time out, taking on Rodolfo Bellato at 205 pounds.
Modestas Bukauskas vs Rodolfo Bellato facts
What time are Modestas Bukauskas and Rodolfo Bellato expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night 276: Allen vs Costa? Meta Apex, Enterprise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 276: Allen vs Costa? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Nigh 276
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 276: Allen vs Costa on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 276: Allen vs Costa? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night 276: Allen vs Costa main card
Arnold Allen vs Melquizael Costa (Featherweight)
Choi Doo Ho vs Daniel Santos (Featherweight)
Malcolm Wellmaker vs Juan Diaz (Bantamweight)
Modestas Bukauskas vs Rodolfo Bellato (Light Heavyweight)
Timothy Cuamba vs Bernardo Sopaj (Bantamweight)
UFC Fight Night 276: Allen vs Costa prelims
Tuco Tokkos vs Ivan Erslan (Light Heavyweight)
Trey Ogden vs Thomas Gantt (Lightweight)
Ketlen Vieira vs Jacqueline Cavalcanti (Women’s Bantamweight)
Cody Brundage vs Andre Petroski (Middleweight)
Alice Ardelean vs Polyana Viana (Women’s Strawweight)
Daniel Barez vs Luis Gurule (Flyweight)
Shauna Bannon vs Nicolle Caliari (Women’s Strawweight)
Khaos Williams vs Nikolay Veretennikov (Welterweight)
Modestas Bukauskas: Can "Mody" rediscover his mojo after a devastating KO in his most recent showing?
Modestas Bukauskas (19-7) endured a rough go of things in his last outing, losing to Nikita Krylov by KO with three seconds left in the fight. The result snapped a four fight win streak for "The Baltic Gladiator" with Bukauskas standing at an impressive 6-1 since rejoining the UFC for his second stint. A powerful striker who leverages his enormous frame to land concussive blows, Bukauskas has been prone to lapses in concentration and intensity throughout his fights; a frustrating state of affairs for a fighter of his physical gifts that has arguably cost him a win on more than one occasion.
Rodolfo Bellato: Will "Trator" prevail as an underdog once again?
Few gave Rodolfo Bellato (13-3-1, 1 NC) much of a chance against undefeated Contender Series graduate, Luke Fernandez in his last appearance, only for "Trator" to upset the applecart with a spectacular KO victory as a considerable underdog. The result pushed Bellato's bizarre UFC record to 2-1-1, 1 NC; prior to that, the Brazilian debuted with a KO victory over Ihor Poteria, drew against Jimmy Crute, and endured a bizarre NC against Paul Craig, before finally suffering his first defeat against Navajo Stirling. Now riding the momentum of his first win since 2023, Bellato looks to take advantage of Bukauskas' mental scars from his last showing.
Modestas Bukauskas vs Rodolfo Bellato prediction
If this matchup had come prior to both fighters most recent appearance, I’d be picking Bukauskas in a heartbeat. “The Baltic Gladiator” had seemingly turned a corner since returning to the UFC, to the point that he looked to be a safe favorite against most light heavyweights outside of the rankings.
Unfortunately, there’s no getting away from it; “Mody” looked awful against Nikita Krylov. He couldn’t pull the trigger or get his timing down across three rounds and eventually got melted with a vicious overhand in the dying seconds of the fight to add insult to injury. The result looked even worse in light of the fact that Krylov’s chin had seemingly deteriorated to the point of no return heading into that fight.
However, we’re still riding with him here. Bellato may have walked away with a POTN bonus after chinning Luke Fernandez as a considerable underdog, but he was getting pieced up by the inexperienced American in the early goings. “Trator” has yet to be knocked out in four UFC appearances, but it’s hard to envision a reality where he eats the same shots from Bukauskas and stays standing.
“Mody” looked so bad in his last fight that an early Bellato KO would not come as a great surprise, but the pick is still for the Lithuanian to rebound and earn a victory here.
Prediction: Modestas Bukauskas to win
