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Last event’s results: 3-2
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UFC main cards, 2026: 6-4
Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk UFC Fight Night 266 preview
Barriault (17-10 MMA, 6-8 UFC) will look to get back on track after a unanimous decision loss against Shara Magomedov in July. Although he took home a Fight of the Night award, the result halted his momentum from a bonus-winning first-round stoppage of Bruno Silva, which marked the end of a three-fight skid.
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Oleksiejczuk (21-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) enters on the heels of back-to-back first-round stoppage wins. His 2025 campaign couldn’t have gone much better as he started with a finish of Sedriques Dumas in April, and followed that up with a stoppage of Gerald Meerschaert. It was a strong year that erased the sting of a 0-3 run in 2024.
Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk UFC Fight Night 266 expert pick, prediction
Filling out the main card is a middleweight Mick Maynard special with Michal Oleksieczuk taking on Marc-Andre Barriault.
On the rare occasion the UFC decides to feature non-title, lighter-weight fighters atop their fight cards, you can bet your ass that the matchmakers are gonna fulfill their fetishes by stacking the rest of the main card big men and middleweights alike. But I digress.
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And though I don’t disagree with Oleksieczuk being favored to win this fight, I have a hard time swallowing the thought of the Pole being a 5-1 favorite over anyone.
Despite a solid amount of pro-level experience, Oleksieczuk’s win percentage free-falls off a cliff once the fight gets out of the first round. Barriault’s chin may not be where it once was, but I believe that the Canadian is much livelier for an upset than the betting odds indicate.
Still, it’s not quite enough for me to side with Barriault here. The official pick is Oleksieczuk by knockout in Round 1.
Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk UFC Fight Night 266 odds
The oddsmakers and the public favor the Polish fighter, listing Oleksiejczuk -420 and Barriault +310 via FanDuel.
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Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk UFC Fight Night 266 start time, how to watch
Barriault and Oleksiejczuk are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:10 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 113: Barriault vs. Oleksiejczuk prediction, time