The UFC 267 prelim card continues with five fights across five different weight divisions, capped by a women’s strawweight bout between contenders Amanda Ribas (pictured above left) and Virna Jandiroba (pictured above right). All projections and probabilities are generated based on a fighter’s Cage Calculus (CC) Rating. You can learn more about how the CC algorithm works to generate those ratings here.

Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Shamil Gamzatov (Men’s Light Heavyweight)

Michal Oleksiejczuk

• CC Rating: 1641.5
• Division Ranking: 22nd out of 41 light heavyweights
• Overall Ranking: 227th out of 500 men

Shamil Gamzatov

• CC Rating: 1648.4
• Division Ranking: 20th out of 41 light heavyweights
• Overall Ranking: 218th out of 500 men

Oleksiejczuk is the first of three Polish fighters to take to the octagon at UFC 267. His UFC career started with three straight wins (one of which was overturned for a failed drug test). He then stepped up the competition to face Ovince Saint Preux and Jimmy Crute. He was submitted by both men. After a little over a year off, he managed a split decision win over Modestas Bukauskas. At one point, the UFC found Oleksiejczuk worthy of top tier competition. With the very top of his division on display, this night is as good as any to re-prove himself.

On the other hand, there has been nothing mixed about Gamzatov’s career. He comes in carrying a perfect 14-0 record as a professional. He turned in a split decision win over Klidson Abreu in his UFC debut back in November 2019. He was a slight CC underdog in that matchup. After almost two years away, he returns to the octagon looking to leapfrog his veteran Polish opponent in hopes of scoring a ranked matchup in the near future.

The forecast is not impressed enough with Gamzatov’s strength of victory to make him an overwhelming favorite, but the undefeated fighter still goes in as a narrow one.

CC Projection: Shamil Gamzatov (51.0%)

Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos vs. Benoit Saint-Denis (Men’s Welterweight)

Elizeu Zaleski

• CC Rating: 1759.0
• Division Ranking: 18th out of 74 welterweights
• Overall Ranking: 70th out of 500 men

Benoit Saint-Denis

• CC Rating: 1600.0
• Division Ranking: 55th out of 74 welterweights
• Overall Ranking: 315th out of 500 men

Zaleski is a veteran of almost six-and-a-half years in the UFC. After losing his debut, he went on an impressive seven fight win streak with four finishes, including a first round KO of top middleweight contender Sean Strickland. Zaleski would not get a chance to pursue UFC gold as he dropped his next fight to Li Jingliang, who will fight later on the UFC 267 card. His impressive track record, and the fact it’s taken top talent like Jingliang and the dangerous Muslim Salikhov to defeat him, has him just outside the Cage Calculus welterweight top 15. A return to the win column could push him over the top.

Saint-Denis makes his UFC debut after posting an impressive 8-0 record prior. That includes winning the Staredown FC welterweight championship back in March of 2019. The Frenchman has finished seven of those eight wins, with five coming by submission. Given Zaleski’s experience and track record, it is clear UFC matchmakers think highly of Saint-Denis to give him this challenge in his debut.

The forecast has learned somewhat after debut fighters dropped hard last week. Zaleski comes in as the prohibitive favorite against the newcomer.

CC Projection: Elizeu Zaleski (71.4%)

Albert Duraev vs. Roman Kopylov (Men’s Middleweight)

Albert Duraev

• CC Rating: 1650.0
• Division Ranking: 26th out of 65 middleweights
• Overall Ranking: 216th out of 500 men

Roman Kopylov

• CC Rating: 1548.4
• Division Ranking: 59th out of 65 middleweights
• Overall Ranking: 419th out of 500 men

Duraev comes to the UFC after winning by first round neck crank on Dana White’s Contender Series last month. Prior to that, Duraev won the ACB middleweight championship in 2018. That win made him a two division weight champ in the ACB promotion, as he’d previously won the ACB weltwerweight championship. At 32, he’ll look to add a UFC belt to that collection. With champion Israel Adesanya clearing out contenders left and right, the division could be looking for someone who knows what it’s like to hold a belt to make a run.

Kopylov will not be making his debut, but will be looking for his first UFC win. After posting a perfect 8-0 record before stepping up to the UFC, Kopylov dropped his premiere to Karl Roberson by rear naked choke submission. In his defense, the CC forecast had him as a slight underdog going into that bout. Like his counterpart, Kopylov has won a belt previously, having been the Fight Nights Global middleweight champion in 2018.

The forecast sees Duraev’s performance outside the UFC as more impressive than Kopylov’s and add Kopylov’s loss on top of that to make Duraev a comfortable favorite.

CC Projection: Albert Duraev (64.2%)

Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Ricardo Ramos (Men’s Featherweight)

Zubaira Tukhugov

• CC Rating: 1668.6
• Division Ranking: 22nd out of 74 featherweights
• Overall Ranking: 182nd out of 500 men

Ricardo Ramos

• CC Rating: 1663.8
• Division Ranking: 24th out of 74 featherweights
• Overall Ranking: 192nd out of 500 men

Tukhugov is coming off a split decision loss to Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 253. Tukhugov has been a part of four split decisions during his seven fight run in the UFC. He is 1-2-1 in such fights. Outside of splits, Tukhugov is 3-0. Given his association with American Kickboxing Academy (famed gym of former champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier), many might assume Tukhugov is a submission artist. However, he only carries two career submission wins, with six KOs. He is potentially dangerous in all facets.

Ramos was slated to fight Tukhugov in March. However, Tukhugov pulled out of that fight before it could happen. Ramos went on to secure a unanimous decision win over Bill Algeo in May before getting Tukhugov back on the calendar. Despite being only 26 years old, Ramos has already logged eight fights in the UFC, going 6-2 over that span. He is undefeated when fights go to a decision.

There’s a reason the matchmakers set this one up twice. This is a close matchup that promises to be a good watch for viewers. Tukhugov comes in as a razor thin favorite.

CC Projection: Zubaira Tukhugov (50.7%)

Amanda Ribas vs. Virna Jandiroba (Women’s Strawweight)

Amanda Ribas

• CC Rating: 1646.6
• Division Ranking: 11th out of 47 strawweights
• Overall Ranking: 22nd out of 121 women

Virna Jandiroba

• CC Rating: 1709.7
• Division Ranking: 5th out of 47 strawweights
• Overall Ranking: 8th out of 121 women

At this time last year, it seemed Ribas was destined to make a run for strawweight gold. She had just started her UFC career off with four straight wins, including a first round armbar of Paige Vanzant, after winning titles in two different promotions prior to joining the UFC. The energetic Brazilian appeared unstoppable. Yet, stopped she was in January by Marina Rodriguez. After winning the first round, Ribas got caught and after a few awkward seconds of wondering whether Herb Dean had stopped the fight, Rodriguez got the finish. Ribas was set to try and get back on track against Angela Hill earlier this year, but was derailed due to COVID. Given Rodriguez’s recent stretch of dominance, the loss is seeming more understandable.

Jandiroba came into the UFC an undefeated 14-0, having just won and defended the Invicta FC strawweight belt. In her debut, however, she fell to former champ Carla Esparza. Her only other loss in her professional career came last year in a close decision to Mackenzie Dern. Jandiroba is 3-2 in the UFC, with all three wins coming by finish. Jandiroba, like Ribas, has only lost to the cream of the crop and can prove with a win that she belongs in the upper echelon of this loaded weight class.

Bolstered partly by her pre-UFC run of dominance, Jandiroba’s resume impresses the forecast more than Ribas’, but Ribas is always a threat to prove doubters wrong.

CC Projection: Virna Jandiroba (59.0%)

Photo Credit: Fight-Madness