Austen Lane vs Mario Pinto at UFC Fight Night 253 | Preview & Prediction
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There simply has to be a heavyweight bout on most UFC cards to provide some heavy-hitting fireworks and Austen Lane and Mario Pinto should provide just that
Austen Lane vs Mario Pinto Facts
When is UFC Fight Night 253? UK – the preliminary card starts at 9:00pm on Saturday 1st March 2025, followed by the main card at 12:00am (Sunday) / USA – 4:00pm/7:00pm ET and 1:00pm/4:00pm PT
Where is UFC Fight Night 253? UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 253? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 253
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 253 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 253? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC Fight Night 253 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
What time are Austen Lane and Mario Pinto expected to walk out? 12:45am UK / Saturday 1st March, 7:45pm US ET / 4:45pm US PT
UFC Fight Night 253 Main Card
Manel Kape vs Asu Almabayev (Flyweight)
Cody Brundage vs Julian Marquez (Middleweight)
Nasrat Haqparast vs Esteban Ribovics (Lightweight)
Austen Lane vs Mario Pinto (Heavyweight)
Hyder Amil vs William Gomis (Featherweight)
UFC Fight Night 253 Prelims
Danny Barlow vs Sam Patterson (Welterweight)
Ricardo Ramos vs Chepe Mariscal (Featherweight)
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs John Castaneda (Bantamweight)
Andrea Lee vs JJ Aldrich (Women’s Flyweight)
Danny Silva vs Lucas Almeida (Featherweight)
Montana De La Rosa vs Luana Carolina (Women’s Flyweight)
Charles Johnson vs Ramazan Temirov (Flyweight)
Austen Lane: Ex-NFL star targeting second win in Octagon
Austen Lane (13-5-0 with one no contest) finally got his first win since joining the UFC at the fourth time of asking as he grabbed a unanimous decision victory over Robelis Despaigne last October. Prior to that, his debut fight against Justin Tafa was a no contest, and his rematch and then a bout with Jhonata Diniz saw the ex-NFL man knocked out in both fights. The Despaigne win will give him much-needed belief and now he takes on a scary unbeaten newcomer.
Mario Pinto: Portuguese banger looking to make statement on debut
Mario Pinto (9-0) makes his debut in the UFC after winning the contract thanks to his victory in Dana White’s Contender Series. The 26-year-old Portuguese fighter has never lost a professional MMA fight and five of his nine wins have come via knockout. He enters the UFC now with plenty of potential and has been handed a good test in his debut fight against Austen Lane.
Austen Lane vs Mario Pinto Prediction
This is the only heavyweight bout on the card at UFC Fight Night 253 and it promises fireworks.
Both Austen Lane and Mario Pinto have a point to prove and it should make for an entertaining fight. We do not see this one being the boring wrestle-fest that occasionally happens in the heavyweight division.
Lane has proven that he is incredibly game but it is not easy transitioning over to MMA and even more so in the elite levels.
Pinto has the reputation and some hype behind him as an unbeaten heavyweight but he has to now prove he can do it in the Octagon.
We have to expect Pinto to get the win and we are expecting a knockout win too.
Prediction: Mario Pinto to win via KO/TKO
