petr-yan-aljamain-sterling.jpg
Getty Images

One of the deepest PPV cards of the year is set to go down on Saturday night. Traditionally one of the marquee events of the year as the "major" spring PPV, UFC 273 boasts a pair of title fights and a rising star looking to continue to build his name against a former title challenger in a featured bout.

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung headlines UFC 273, taking place inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday, April 9. There are plenty of worthwhile fights for MMA fans to take in outside of the marquee. A remarkable breakthrough star faces a well-rounded welterweight title challenger, a sublime jiu-jitsu champion tests herself against a streaking veteran and bad blood washes over the co-main event.

Let's take a look below at three fights that deserve a watch outside of Volkanovski vs. Korean Zombie.

Can't get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including the top storylines to watch for at UFC 273 in Jacksonville below.

Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev

It is time to find out if Chimaev is the real deal. Chimaev emerged as a superhuman breakthrough star for the UFC in 2020, dominating John Phillips and Rhys McKee over the course of 10 days. His momentum was stifled by an extended bout with COVID-19 so serious that he considered retirement. To date, Chimaev has landed a total of 254 strikes across four fights and absorbed just two. Burns is undoubtedly one of the most well-rounded threats in the welterweight division. A world champion jiu-jitsu player with serious knockout power, his only 170-pound loss is to UFC welterweight Kamaru Usman in a fight where Burns scored a knocked down. His hit list includes Stephen Thompson, Tyron Woodley, Demian Maia and Gunnar Nelson. He is far and above the toughest challenge that Chimaev has faced. Some may argue this fight is too large a leap for Chimaev, but his fans are convinced that he's a future world champion.

"When he beat Li Jingliang, I knew the hype was going to get crazy. No one wants to fight him. No one was giving me a fight, I wasn't getting a fight. I texted [manager] Ali [Abdelaziz] and said, 'I want to fight this guy.' They're going to offer it to me," Burns told "Morning Kombat" in a recent interview. "The way I see it, we both want to fight. For sure, he's a little behind me [in the rankings], but we have been asking to get an opponent. No one shows up. We both put our hands up. I'll fight you, let's do it."

Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Petr Yan (ic) 2

Coffee, dark chocolate and grapefruit: three things as bitter as the rivalry between Sterling and Yan. Fans have called for a rematch ever since the unsatisfying conclusion to their first clash at UFC 259 in March 2021. Yan appeared to be building a lead on Sterling until a terribly ill-advised illegal knee brought an early conclusion to the fight. Sterling, the challenger, was awarded the UFC bantamweight title via disqualification. Some view "Funkmaster" as an undeserving champion. Others present Yan as a dirty fighter who deserved to lose. That has only fueled the bad blood between these two top bantamweights. If their first fight was any indication, Sterling vs. Yan 2 should deliver on the action. Hopefully, it also delivers a more conclusive result.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres

Dern took unsteady first steps in the UFC before settling into the high-level contender that took the jiu-jitsu world by storm. The supremely decorated gold medalist saw her four-fight winning streak snapped in October, but that loss was against expected future strawweight title challenger Marina Rodriguez. The grappling ace is in for a tough test against Torres, a battle-tested veteran who has found her stride in her last three fights. Torres' boxing speed and defensive wrestling will present meaningful challenges for Dern, who has an opportunity to prove that she is ready to tackle the division's elite.

"Her biggest advantage is that she's fast, she's quick and she moves well," Dern told CBS Sports. "I think she gets hit and she moves out of the way. She has good cardio. She hits fast and moves out. Scores points and gets out. She has a lot of experience. I think most of her losses have been to ex-champions or current champions. I think she has her experience and footwork. My biggest strength in this fight is that I keep going forward. I don't stop going forward. I wish it was five rounds. I was used to three rounds. Now that I've gone up to five, I like that better. Obviously, we want a finish in the first. Knowing that we only have three rounds, I want to get it over with fast."

Who wins Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie? And what other picks do you need to see? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC 273, all from the insider who's up more than $10,000 on MMA picks the past two years, and find out.