UFC Fight Night: Timothy Cuamba vs Bernardo Sopaj Preview & Prediction
Bantamweight prospects open up the main card, with Bernardo Sopaj poised to square off against Timothy Cuamba.
Timothy Cuamba vs Bernardo Sopaj facts
What time are Timothy Cuamba and Bernardo Sopaj 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)
Timothy Cuamba: "Twilight" looks to score his third successive win
Beginning his promotional tenure with back to back decision defeats against Bolaji Oki and Lucas Almeida, Timothy Cuamba (10-3) has rebounded in commendable fashion to push his UFC record to 2-2. “Twilight” scored a stunning flying knee KO over Roberto Romero and followed it up with a decision over Chang Ho Lee last November, with his recent form earning him the biggest opportunity of his career to date. A dynamic striker with just a single defeat by finish, Cuamba is only improving at age 27 and looks to be an intriguing addition to the bantamweight ranks.
Bernardo Sopaj: Can "The Lion King" push his UFC record above .500?
While he’s unfortunately best known for coming out on the wrong end of a KOTY contender against Vinicius Oliveira in his debut, Bernardo Sopaj (12-3) is arguably one of the better prospects at 135 pounds, blending a well-rounded skillset with a high finishing rate to largely excellent results. With fifteen fights already under his belt at the tender age of 25, the sky would appear to be the limit for the constantly evolving prospect. “The Lion King” was last seen earning a convincing victory over Ricky Turcios, out striking the American and mixing in well-timed takedowns to earn the decision.
Timothy Cuamba vs Bernardo Sopaj prediction
With a notable edge in height and reach, Cuamba has a significant size advantage heading into this one. He also has a flying knee KO on his UFC record, a strike that the shorter Sopaj has proven to be vulnerable to at times.
However, there’s a reason that Sopaj is the favorite here; he’s more well-rounded and arguably the more complete martial artist out of the two fighters. While his striking defense needs some work, not only does the Swede throw and land at a much higher rate than his latest opponent, he’s much more efficient with his takedowns, shooting more often and grounding his opponent with more frequent success than Cuamba.
“Twilight” has looked good in his last two fights, but his defeats against Bolaji Oki and Lucas Almeida continue to age worse by the day in light of the aforementioned pair’s recent form. It’s much easier to argue that Sopaj’s loss to Oliveira was down to inexperience, whereas Cuamba’s pair of defeats speak more to a ceiling being established.
It’s likely going to be a high-paced scrap between two talented bantamweights, but Sopaj has the look of a future contender about him. Outside of a shock KO from Cuamba, I like his chances to earn a unanimous decision victory.
Prediction: Bernardo Sopaj to win by decision
