Mauricio Rua v Anthony Smith

An MMA legend returns to the Octagon on Saturday night, as Shogun Rua headlines the card in Hamburg.

The 36-year-old arrives in Germany on a three-fight winning streak, having beaten Antonio Nogueira and Corey Anderson by decision, before knocking out Gian Villante in Fortaleza last time out.

That bout was 16 months ago, though, and ring rust could be a real problem for the former light heavyweight champion against Smith.

The 29-year-old American has been much more active in comparison with two fights already in 2018: a TKO defeat to Thiago Santos in February and a knockout win over Rashad Evans last month.

Smith’s 6ft 4in frame and tremendous power make him a dangerous opponent, and he is definitely the fighter to back this weekend.

Shogun has been knocked out four times in his career, including in each of his last two defeats, and will likely be stopped by the bigger, younger man on this occasion.

Glover Teixeira v Corey Anderson

The co-main event features two light heavyweights who are both coming off victories.

Teixeira stopped Misha Cirkunov in December in what was his first fight since a knockout defeat to Alexander Gustafsson.

The Brazilian has won five of his last seven fights, losing only to Gustafsson and former world title challenger Anthony Johnson.

Anderson, meanwhile, ended a run of three defeats in four fights by beating Patrick Cummins on points in April.

Anderson dominated the early stages of that fight and then cruised to a win, but it’s unlikely that he’ll have similar success against Teixeira.

The 38-year-old is a much better striker than Cummins and has 16 KO wins on his record, and he’ll win this fight providing he is able to avoid being taken down repeatedly.

Anderson has been knocked out in three of his four career defeats, and another loss inside the distance is likely for the 28-year-old.

Abu Azaitar v Vitor Miranda

This will be the UFC debut for German middleweight Azaitar, who has a 13-1-1 record and is undefeated in nine fights.

The 32-year-old has won by knockout seven times in his career but might struggle to end the fight early against 39-year-old veteran Miranda.

‘Lex Luther’ has lost six times in his career – including each of his last two bouts – but he’s never been knocked out and has only been submitted once.

Miranda’s been chosen as an opponent to give the newcomer a tricky time, but ultimately he won’t have enough to avoid a points decision.

Marcin Tybura v Stefan Struve

In a meeting of heavyweights who are both in dire need of a win, expect Tybura to come out on top.

The 32-year-old Pole has lost his last two fights, but they were against former champion Fabricio Werdum and Derrick Lewis, who’s currently ranked second in the division.

Tybura has won his previous three fights, one of which was against Andrei Arlovski, who beat Struve in March.

The 7ft Dutchman has also lost his last two and has been knocked out seven times, and it’s hard to see his chin holding up against a powerful puncher like Tybura.

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