Contender Series Week 5: Bruno Lopes vs. Brendson Ribeiro continues with a featured bout in the light heavyweight division between Bruno Lopes and Bredson Ribeiro. Lopes is undefeated and has won 11 fights in a row meanwhile, Ribeiro is coming off two consecutive wins coming into his debut on the Contender Series. That said, check out our UFC odds series for our Lopes-Ribeiro prediction and pick.

Bruno Lopes (11-0) is the former Legacy Fighting Alliance Light Heavyweight Champion after knocking out Willyanedson Paiva to claim the title. In his 11 wins, nine of them have come inside the distance as he comes into this matchup against fellow Brazilian Brendson Ribeiro for one of the coveted contracts all fighters are looking for as they step into the cage on Tuesday night for the Contender Series.

Brendson Ribeiro (14-5) is a light-heavyweight prospect fighting out of Brazil who has won each of his last two fights and four out of his last six fights. He has finished all 16 of his wins which are split between eight knockouts and six submissions. Ribeiro will be looking to make it three in a row and his 17th finish in his career when he takes on Bruno Lopes in the biggest fight of his career on this week's episode of the Contender Series.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

Contender Series Week 5 Odds: Bruno Lopes-Brendson Ribeiro Odds

Bruno Lopes: -650

Brendson Ribeiro: +420

How to Watch Bruno Lopes vs. Brendson Ribeiro

TV: ESPN+

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT

Why Bruno Lopes Will Win

Bruno Lopes is undoubtedly one of the top light heavyweight prospects outside of the UFC. He is undefeated at 11-0 and he is the former Legacy Fighting Alliance Light Heavyweight Champion. He is a very well-rounded fighter with nine of his 11 wins coming inside the distance which is almost evenly split between submissions and knockouts. Lopes has that killer instinct that Dana White and the UFC brass salivate over.

He's got the fundamentals to beat Ribeiro everywhere this fight takes place. If it takes place on the feet, Lopes will be quicker to the punch and if they end up grappling he will be the one to be coming out on top in the scrambles. While there is concern that Lopes is a bit undersized in this matchup he makes up for it with his strength, power, and technique which should overcome any shortcomings he may have against Ribeiro on Tuesday night.

Why Brendson Ribeiro Will Win

Brendson Ribeiro is honestly a wild card coming into his first appearance on the Contender Series. He is extremely dangerous everywhere this fight takes place with all 14 of his victories coming inside the distance. While he is a very dangerous opponent for Bruno Lopes, he's also been finished in four of his five defeats which doesn't bode well coming into a nightmarish matchup.

With that said, while this fight is certainly an uphill battle for Ribeiro he definitely has the tools to be victorious on Tuesday night. Ribeiro will be the bigger and longer fighter in there so he will need to do his best to keep this fight at his range so that he can land his heavy hands and leg kicks like he's been able to do time and time against over on the Brazilian regional scene. If he is able to land something flush on Lopes he can rock him and potentially score the knockout and the huge upset.

Final Bruno Lopes-Brendson Ribeiro & Pick

This fight should be all fireworks until someone is finished within the first five minutes of this fight. Both Lopes and Ribeiro are extremely heavy-handed and can also hunt for submissions once the fight hits the mat. Lopes is the shorter and smaller fighter in stature so he will need to utilize his head movement and footwork to get on the inside of the reach of Ribeiro to land his powerful strikes.

Meanwhile, Ribeiro will need to keep Lopes at bay with his long while attempting to land his devastating looping overhands that have rocked and knocked out numerous opponents during his time on the regional scene. Ultimately, things are going to heat up quickly between these two on the feet until Lopes starts to throw and connects on Ribeiro as he then attempts to lunge forward throwing those looping shots of his and that is when Lopes will be able to counter and land a powerful strike of his own that will rock and send Ribeiro to the canvas for the first round knockout and the UFC contract for Bruno Lopes.

Final Bruno Lopes-Brendson Ribeiro & Pick: Bruno Lopes (-650)