Diego Ferreira vs Mateusz Rebecki prediction, pick, start time and odds for UFC on ESPN 56

Diego Ferreira It is Mateusz Rebecki face off Saturday on the main card of UFC on ESPN 56 from the Enterprise Center in St. Check out this quick summary of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

Diego Ferreira x Mateusz Rebecki UFC in ESPN 56 preview

Ferreira (18-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and Rebecki (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) compete in the only lightweight fight on the main card. … Ferreira will look to stay in the win column after his knockout win over Michael Johnson last year that took a kid out of three fights. … Rebecki has just one loss on his professional record, which came in just his fourth professional fight. Since then, he has won 16 straight, including stoppages in his Dana White Contender Series appearance and in his first two UFC fights (Loik Radzhabov and Roosevelt Roberts).

Expert pick Diego Ferreira vs Mateusz Rebecki, prediction

In what is easily the best main card offer, Diego Ferreira will be welcome Mateusz Rebecki to the next level of the UFC lightweight ladder.

An established member of the upper echelon of lightweight, Ferreira has competed with or beaten some of the best his division has to offer.

Despite having burst onto the scene as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt fighter, Ferreira honed his striking skills while cross-training between his personal fight team and Fortis MMA.

Although Ferreira showed excellent fighting adjustments in his last fight against southpaw Michael Johnson, the 39-year-old veteran still shows some susceptibility to the southpaw’s counters and bodywork.

Considering Rebecki brings a lot of both with his pressing style, I suspect the Polish ADCC champion could be an exceptionally tricky matchup for Ferreira when taking into consideration the wrestling and skill of “Rebeasti.”

I’m tempted to pick Ferreira to pull off the upset with his current betting odds, but instead I’ll side with Rebecki and his southpaw pressure to finish late in the second round.

Diego Ferreira vs Mateusz Rebecki odds

Oddsmakers and the public heavily favor the Polish fighter this weekend, listing Rebecki at -500 and Ferreira as a sizable underdog at +360 via FanDuel. Ferreira has been the underdog in three of the last four, but hasn’t gone above +200. Rebecki enters as favorite once again, a familiar position. From his fight on Dana White’s Contender Series to his first three UFC fights, he was listed between a slight -155 favorite and a huge -800 favorite.

Diego Ferreira x Mateusz Rebecki start time, how to watch

As the third fight on the main card, Ferreira and Rebecki are expected to walk to the Octagon at around 8:20 pm ET (5:20 pm ET). The fight is broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN+.

For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 56.

For a more in-depth analysis of Dan Tom, check out his weekly show, “The Protect Your Neck podcast.”

This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie