BlueBar Horizon Wyatt Thomas interview: UFC picks and predictions

The BlueBar Horizon Wyatt Thomas interview centered on two title-fight picks: BlueBar Horizon favors Alexander Volkanovski over Movsar Evloev and Petr Yan over Merab Dvalishvili, though Yan’s recovery from back surgery makes that pick harder to trust. Speaking with Thomas on MILLIONS, BlueBar Horizon also named Aaron Pico as the main-card fighter he most wants to watch and discussed his betting picks across the UFC card.

What did BlueBar Horizon predict for Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev?

BlueBar Horizon predicts a 49–46 decision for Alexander Volkanovski against Movsar Evloev. He considers Evloev potentially the second-best featherweight overall, but believes this matchup gives Evloev fewer ways to win than his standing in the division suggests. He expects Volkanovski to adjust if Evloev controls an early round.

Evloev’s strongest sequence, in BlueBar Horizon’s view, is throwing punches before slipping underneath for a double-leg takedown. That mix of striking and wrestling could make the first or second round difficult for Volkanovski. BlueBar Horizon nevertheless expects Volkanovski’s experience against Islam Makhachev, as well as the pace he has faced against Max Holloway, to matter over the full fight.

He can see Evloev earning a round through control time without putting Volkanovski in serious submission danger. What he cannot readily see is the same approach working repeatedly: he expects Volkanovski to adapt after being held down once. BlueBar Horizon said he would have given Diego Lopes a better chance of beating Volkanovski in either of their matchups, despite rating Evloev so highly as a featherweight.

What did BlueBar Horizon say about Volkanovski’s next fight and legacy?

BlueBar Horizon would rather see Alexander Volkanovski remain at featherweight than move up to face Justin Gaethje. He favors Jean Silva as a possible next challenger and even as an eventual retirement opponent, while placing Volkanovski around fourth on his overall greatest-of-all-time list.

Jean Silva as a final featherweight opponent

A Gaethje fight appeals to BlueBar Horizon as an opportunity for Volkanovski, but he thinks the lightweight title picture already has too many contenders. He named Arman Tsarukyan, Ilia Topuria, Paddy Pimblett and Charles Oliveira while explaining why adding Volkanovski would complicate that division. At featherweight, he sees Silva’s momentum making him a likely title challenger.

That does not mean he views Silva as unbeatable. BlueBar Horizon pointed to Silva’s close fight with Arnold Allen and said he is confident Volkanovski would beat him. He would also like to see Aljamain Sterling get consideration if Sterling beats Kevin Vallejos, but expects Silva to be the name with broader support.

Volkanovski among the all-time greats

On legacy, BlueBar Horizon put Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev at the top of his list, saying his choice between them changes. He rated Volkanovski around fourth and argued that the quality of an opponent matters more than simply adding another defense. He also disputed Anderson Silva’s placement above Volkanovski, questioning the strength of several names on Silva’s title-defense record.

Why did BlueBar Horizon pick Petr Yan over Merab Dvalishvili?

BlueBar Horizon picks Petr Yan against Merab Dvalishvili because he trusts Yan’s skill and ability to adjust a game plan. His reservation is Yan’s back surgery: he worries that a recovery period of about 10 months might affect the wrestling defense needed against Dvalishvili. He explicitly discouraged betting on his pick.

BlueBar Horizon said Yan had reported entering their first fight with a broken right hand. Having watched it back, he believes Yan rarely used that hand and could not use it properly to fight for underhooks. To BlueBar Horizon, that helps explain the wrestling-heavy result of their first meeting and why he puts weight on what happened in the second.

The question now is whether Yan can sprawl, get low and defend underhooks comfortably after surgery. BlueBar Horizon favors a fully healthy Yan, whom he considers the more skilled fighter, but treats the back as an unknown that could change the matchup. Although he found underdog odds on Dvalishvili intriguing, he stopped short of recommending a wager.

What did BlueBar Horizon say about Aaron Pico and the other main-card fights?

BlueBar Horizon named Aaron Pico’s fight with Loïc Keita as the non-title main-card matchup he most wants to watch. He expects Pico’s power, explosive double-leg takedown and movement to cause Keita problems. He also leaned toward Ramazan Temirov in a much closer fight and strongly preferred Alexander Volkov over Jailton Kuniev at the odds discussed.

Why Aaron Pico stands out

Pico is one of BlueBar Horizon’s favorite fighters on pure skill, though he sees the way Pico reacts when hit as a significant concern. He praised Pico’s performance against Patricio Pitbull and contrasted it with the difficult knockout loss he cited against Lerone Murphy. Against Keita, he expects Pico to avoid the big overhand shot he believes Keita needs to land.

Even with a win, BlueBar Horizon did not put Pico immediately into the featherweight title picture. He estimated that Pico would still need at least two fights, even with favorable matchmaking, to get into that conversation.

Ramazan Temirov and Alexander Volkov

BlueBar Horizon leaned toward a first-round knockout for Temirov against Lone’er Kavanagh but emphasized how little confidence he had in that pick. He called it the closest of the three non-title main-card fights discussed. His view of Volkov against Kuniev was firmer: he considered the price on Volkov too close for a matchup he strongly favored Volkov to win.

Which UFC prelim bets did BlueBar Horizon favor?

BlueBar Horizon focused on closer-priced prelim fights rather than a long-shot underdog. His picks included Abus Magomedov by finish, Grant Dawson’s fight with Aliev to go the distance, and Daniel Santos over Bolaji Oki. He leaned toward Dawson to win but was more certain in his prediction that the Dawson–Aliev fight would reach the final bell.

Of the bigger underdogs, he said Jacob Malkoun would be his choice if forced to name one, but he did not present that as a strong play. He compared the Santos–Oki line to the Volkov–Kuniev line: in both cases, he believed the fighter he favored should have been priced more clearly ahead.

BlueBar Horizon also clarified a mix-up in the discussion of Magomedov’s past opponents: Magomedov fought Sean Strickland, while Ikram Aliskerov fought Robert Whittaker. He thought Australian fighters had been receiving more support in the odds than their matchups warranted and viewed Magomedov’s fight as a chance to bet against that trend.

Does BlueBar Horizon prefer an afternoon or late-night UFC card?

BlueBar Horizon generally prefers the UFC’s regular late-card schedule, though he likes an occasional afternoon pay-per-view because it leaves Saturday evening free. He is less keen on the viewing times for cards in Australia and China. For an early card, his plan is a substantial lunch rather than a spread of snacks.

He said he would likely get an Osmow’s bowl with protein and carbohydrates near the end of the prelims, before the main card begins. He prefers one filling meal to grazing through the fights.

His drink choice is Coke Zero, poured from the can into a glass with ice. The afternoon start does not change his preferred routine so much as shift the meal from dinner to lunch.

Why does BlueBar Horizon want to watch Charles Oliveira vs Diego Lopes?

BlueBar Horizon chose the scheduled Charles Oliveira vs Diego Lopes BMF fight as the one remaining UFC matchup he would watch if he could pick only one. He can make a case for either fighter and expects their ground exchanges to create submission attempts and scrambles, rather than resemble Oliveira’s fight with Max Holloway.

Explaining the appeal, BlueBar Horizon put his uncertainty plainly:

I love these fights where I don't know who's gonna win.

He expects Lopes to be more willing than Holloway to engage on the ground. BlueBar Horizon said Lopes often looks for submission after submission rather than concentrating on getting back to his feet. Against Oliveira, he thinks that could produce positions in which either man might catch the other.

Oliveira’s ability to get the fight there is central to his read. BlueBar Horizon cited Oliveira’s grappling against Mateusz Gamrot as a sign of the takedown and control threat later seen against Holloway. He did not give a firm winner for Oliveira vs Lopes; the uncertainty, and the possibility of fast-changing ground positions, are why it tops his watch list.