Fares Ziam and Luigi Vendramini will clash in the lightweight division of the UFC in the early prelims of the UFC 263 pay-per-view this weekend. The duo will make a walk to the Octagon for the third time when they clash on Saturday. Both Ziam and Vendramini have a 1-1 UFC record.

Vendramini suffered the first loss of his professional career in his UFC debut. He returned to winning ways with a head kick T/KO against Jessin Ayari in October 2020. The 25-year-old Brazilian will look to build on that win when he fights Ziam this weekend.

Ziam, on the other hand, won a decision against Jamie Mullarkey in October to register his first win under the UFC banner. The 24-year-old French fighter will be determined to keep the momentum going in his favor with yet another triumph this weekend.

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‘The Italian Stallion’ has a professional record of 9-1 with 9 finishes (5 T/KO and 4 submissions). ‘Smile Killer’ has a record of 11-3 with 9 finishes (5 T/KO and 4 submissions)

Fares Ziam vs Luigi Vendramini: Analysis

Ziam, despite his win against Mullarkey, was exposed in many ways during that fight as he was taken down several times. Also, ‘Smile Killer’ has been finished twice in his career by lesser opponents.

As for Vendramini, his only loss was against an opponent in a higher weight class. Besides his tremendous knockout prowess, he has the ability to take an opponent’s back and choke him out on the ground. So he certainly has more ways to win the scrap.

Ziam‘s best bet to win is to grind out a decision, but that’s easier said than done against an opponent like Vendramini. The Brazilian might just be able to take his opponent down and expose his grappling yet again. We see Vendramini earning a submission finish in the first round of the contest.

Final Prediction: Luigi ‘The Italian Stallion’ Vendramini by first-round submission.

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