Ramiz Brahimaj and Themba Gorimbo meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 241 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Brahimaj (10-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Gorimbo (12-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) meet in a fun matchup at welterweight. … Brahimaj returns to action for the first time since February 2022, where he submitted Micheal Gillmore to continue his trend of trading wins and losses for four years. … After dropping his UFC debut by submission, Gorimbo won his next two fights, most recently stopping Pete Rodriguez in February.
Filling out the main card is a welterweight affair between Brahimaj and Gorimbo. Looking to continue the momentum of a two-fight winning streak, Gorimbo will welcome Brahimaj back to the octagon after a two-year layoff.
Although Gorimbo has a lot of hype and a story that’s easy to get behind, the South African fighter is still a bit too green and willing to grapple for me to confidently pick him here.
Don’t get me wrong: Gorimbo will be much livelier as the fight wears on due to his cardio edge, but I see the smaller octagon of the UFC Apex favoring the dedicated submission stylings of Brahimaj.
For that reason, I’ll pick the Fortis MMA product to have a successful return by submitting Gorimbo in Round 1.
The oddsmakers and the public are slightly favoring the South African fighter this weekend, listing Gorimbo -142 and Brahimaj +116 via FanDuel. Brahimaj was an underdog in his UFC debut, and lost by TKO due to a damaged ear. He was a favorite over his next three appearances, winning two of those bouts. Gorimbo was also a losing underdog in his promotional debut. He was then listed as the favorite in his next two fights, winning both.
As the third fight on the main card, Brahimaj and Gorimbo are expected to make their walk to the octagon around 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT). The fight streams live on ESPN+.
For more detailed analysis from Dan Tom, check out his weekly show, “The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 241.
