Two recent UFC entrants meet in a Featherweight bout in the preliminary round of UFC 284 down under in Australia. Homeboy Joshua Culibao will seek to continue his good form when he takes on Armenian Melsik Baghdasaryan, who last fought in 2021 after joining the UFC a year earlier. Melsik Baghdasaryan is a former professional boxer and kickboxer. UFC 284 takes place this Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
MMA: UFC Featherweight
Location: RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
Where to watch: ESPN, ESPN+
Date: 12.2.2023, 5:00
Joshua Culibao
Born in Sydney, the 28-year-old Aussie started training in Taekwondo as a child. As a teen, Joshua Culibao started mixed martial arts and turned professional in 2016. He competed in several regional promotions in Australia, where he dominated at 145 pounds winning the Featherweight title in three different promotions. “Kuya” joined the UFC in 2020 when he was drafted to replace a fighter at short notice. He lost his debut against Jalin Turner via second-round knockout. Joshua Culibao secured a controversial split draw in his second fight against Charles Jourdain, with many media houses scoring the bout for Jourdain. Culibao, who has a Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, comes into this bout on a two-match winning streak, with both wins by decision.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 28
- Height: 5’ 10”
- Reach: 73”
- Weight: 145 Ibs
- Record: 10-2-0
Melsik Baghdasaryan
The 31-year-old Armenian fighter is a professional kickboxer, boxer, and mixed martial artist. He started training in karate as a kid, then moved to kickboxing and later muay thai. As a kickboxer, he competed for Glory, amassing nine wins from eleven fights in his kickboxing career. Melsik Baghdasaryan got a shot at Dana White’s contender series in 2020 and won a UFC contract. He has been 2-0 in UFC since then. Melsik Baghdasaryan’s total MMA record is seven wins from eight fights with five knockouts. His TKO (head kick and punches) win over Collin Anglin in his UFC debut earned him a Performance of the night bonus.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 31
- Height: 5’ 8”
- Reach: 70”
- Weight: 145 Ibs
- Record: 7-1-0
Betting Odds
The oddsmakers can’t seem to decide the favorite for the match. On Coinplay, a Joshua Culibao win is priced at 1.94 odds, while a win for Melsik Baghdasaryan is available at 1.83 odds. Betting that Melsik Baghdasaryan will win by KO, TKO or submission is priced at 3.75 odds on Bet 365. 1xbet prices a points victory (how the bout will be won) at 1.67 odds.