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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs Perez
Dissecting The Action Slated To Take Place This Weekend As The Octagon Returns To The UFC APEX
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X: @SpencerKyte
Main Event: Matheus Nicolau vs Alex Perez
Ranked flyweights aiming to solidify their standing in the division clash in this weekend’s main event, as Matheus Nicolau faces off with Alex Perez.
Fighting for the first time in just over a year, Nicolau earned four straight wins upon returning to the UFC before running into recent title challenger Brandon Royval last time out in Kansas City. The Brazilian is 7-2 inside the Octagon and 19-3-1 overall, and aims to re-affirm his Top 5 standing with a victory here.
Perez finally made it back to the Octagon earlier this year after three different bouts fell apart for different reasons in the time since his loss to current champ Alexandre Pantoja. While he landed on the wrong side of the results against Muhammad Mokaev, he went the distance with the streaking contender and now gets a chance to build off his rust-removing effort in March here.
Nicolau was originally scheduled to face Manel Kape in a rematch of their aborted January engagement, and Perez was penciled in opposite Tagir Ulanbekov for later in the summer, but when Kape was forced to withdraw, Perez was pulled into this new headline pairing. Each has Top 10 tenure, but with the division growing and new talent pushing forward each month, this is a critical moment for both fighters, so expect a close, competitive scrap as they each try to get back in the win column this weekend.
Other Main Card Fights
Ryan Spann vs Bogdan Guskov
Ryan Spann and Bogdan Guskov meet in this battle of light heavyweight finishers.
The 32-year-old Spann is an enigma. A tremendously talented fighter with all the foundational elements to be a contender, but who has struggled when in a position to take that step, the Fortis MMA representative enters on a two-fight slide looking to secure his footing to start his 2024 campaign.
Guskov got himself in the win column already this year, posting a first-round stoppage win over Zac Pauga where he showed solid power and finishing precision. The 31-year-old from Uzbekistan dropped his short-notice debut to Volkan Oezdemir, but the rebound win in February makes him a major person of interest in the division heading into this one.
Can Spann right the ship and turn aside the dangerous neophyte or will Guskov get a second consecutive win and earn a place in the Top 15?
Ariane Lipski vs Karine Silva
Brazilian standouts Ariane Lipski and Karine Silva meet in one of the most anticipated bouts of the month on Saturday evening.
A highly regarded prospect when she first touched down in the UFC, Lipski faltered initially, posting a 3-5 mark with only flashes of the dangerous fighter we saw competing in KSW beforehand. Since relocating to flyweight, however, the 30-year-old has gone 3-0 with wins over JJ Aldrich, Melissa Gatto, and Casey O’Neill to rekindle talk of her becoming a contender.
A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’21, Silva is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC, with each of her victories coming by first-round submission. Last time out, she forced a tap from Maryna Moroz in the final second of their UFC 292 clash, bringing her record to 17-4 overall and affirming her standing as a rising star in the 125-pound weight class.
Flyweight is brimming with talent at the moment and these two are very much a part of the wave of 30-and-under competitors making a big push forward. The winner should be in line for a Top 10 assignment next time out, and the battle to determine who takes that step forward should be thrilling.
Austen Lane vs Jhonata Diniz
Big boys that arrived in the UFC through the Contender Series pipeline are paired off here as Austen Lane faces off with debuting Brazilian Jhonata Diniz.
Lane landed a UFC contract in his second appearance on the annual talent-search series, only to have his hometown debut in Jacksonville stopped almost immediately after an accidental eye poke rendered Justin Tafa unable to continue. Unfortunately for Lane, things went even worse when the two were rebooked less than three months later on Tafa’s home turf, as the former NFL defensive lineman was halted in under 90 seconds.
Diniz earned his place on the UFC roster last September with a first-round stoppage win over Eduardo Neves. Not yet two-years into his MMA career, the former kickboxer has already amassed six victories against no defeats, with each of his wins coming by first-round stoppage.
Hammers will be swung and the likelihood that someone will be left wondering how they ended up on the canvas is high, so be sure to be settled in before this one kicks off or you just might miss a blistering finish.
Jonathan Pearce vs David Onama
Jonathan Pearce and David Onama meet in a matchup of talented featherweights coming in off differing results.
After stringing together five straight victories to begin his run in the 145-pound weight class, Pearce started well against Joanderson Brito last time out, but paid for challenging the Brazilian to do something about getting out-wrestled, as the DWCS grad clamped on a fight-ending ninja choke soon after.
Onama has gone 3-1 since returning to featherweight following his promising short notice debut up a division. Last time out, he rebounded from his chaotic loss to Nate Landwehr with a second-round knockout win over Gabriel Santos that moved his record to 11-2 overall and kept his finishing rate perfect.
Each man has shown promise, and while a move into the rankings isn’t guaranteed for the winner, either would surely be close and likely to face someone in a comparable position next time out, if not a ranked foe.
Tim Means vs Uros Medic
The main card kicks off with a potentially explosive welterweight clash between Tim Means and Uros Medic.
One of 22 fighters in UFC history with 28 or more starts, Means makes the walk to begin his 2024 campaign coming off a third-round stoppage win over Andre Fialho in September that earned the combatants Fight of the Night honors. “The Dirty Bird” is durable, well-rounded, and as battle tested as you’re going to find in the “Second 15” at welterweight, making him an ideal opponent for someone like Medic here.
It’s difficult to offer a real assessment of where Medic stands at the moment, as he’s gone 3-2 through his first five UFC appearances across two divisions. After earning a third-round stoppage win over Matthew Semelsberger in his UFC welterweight debut in July, “The Doctor” was submitted by short-notice replacement Myktybek Orolbai less than four months later, erasing any momentum he had built with his previous win.
Will the cagey veteran hand his younger foe a second straight loss or can Medic course-correct quickly and pick up a key win over a game Means on Saturday?
Preliminary Card Fights
Rani Yahya vs Victor Henry
The preliminary card action wraps in the bantamweight division as Rani Yahya faces off with Victor Henry.
The 39-year-old Yayha returns for the first time in just over a year, looking to rebound after having his three-fight unbeaten streak snapped last time out. Across the cage, Henry ambles into action for the first time since his highly anticipated bout with Javid Basharat at UFC 294 was waved off after he was dealt a punishing blow below the belt and rendered unable to continue.
Austin Hubbard vs Michal Figlak
TUF finalist Austin Hubbard and former Cage Warriors standout Michal Figlak face off in this lightweight pairing on Saturday’s prelims.
Hubbard landed on the wrong side of things at UFC 292 in Boston, getting tapped out by Kurt Holobaugh to end up as the silver medalist in the lightweight competition from Season 32 of the long-running reality series. Arriving in the UFC with a perfect 8-0 mark, Figlak was handed his first career loss last September in Paris by Fares Ziam and aims to bounce back here.
Don’Tale Mayes vs Caio Machado
Heavyweights who matriculated to the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series share the Octagon here as Don’Tale Mayes takes on Caio Machado.
The 32-year-old Mayes has struggled to find consistent results through his first eight UFC appearances, entering this one with a 3-4 record with one no contest. Machado was on the wrong side of a unanimous decision verdict in his debut, falling to Mick Parkin in a bout where the former BFL champ was out-grappled by the unbeaten Brit.
Marnic Mann vs Ketlen Souza
Ketlen Souza and Marnic Mann are set to tussle in this battle of flyweight sophomores on Saturday’s prelims.
Souza touched down in the UFC on a five-fight winning streak and fresh off winning the vacant Invicta FC flyweight title, only to run into Karine Silva and suffer an injury while submitting to a kneebar. Mann was called up on short-notice last September and landed on the business end of things in a pairing with Josefine Knutsson, falling to 6-2 in the process.
James Llontop vs Chris Padilla
Peru’s James Llontop and California’s Chris Padilla both debut in this welterweight fixture.
Llontop impressed last season on Dana White’s Contender Series, running is winning streak to a dozen and his record to 14-2 overall with a unanimous decision win over Malik Lewis. He faces off with Padilla, a 13-6 pro who is fresh from a TKO of UFC vet Justin Jaynes last October that extended his current winning streak to three.
Ivana Petrovic vs Liang Na
Ivana Petrovic and Liang Na face off in a battle of flyweights still in search of their first UFC win.
Petrovic dropped her promotional debut last July, landing on the wrong side of the cards in a clash with Luana Carolina. Liang has suffered stoppage losses in each of her first three trips into the Octagon, most recently being dispatched by JJ Aldrich back in August.
Gabriel Benitez vs Maheshate
Business kicks off in the lightweight division, as Gabriel Benitez and Maheshate share the Octagon.
The 35-year-old Benitez has gone 1-1 in two starts since returning to lightweight, stopping Charlie Ontiveros before getting submitted by Jim Miller at the start of the year. Following a blistering knockout win over Steve Garcia in his promotional debut, Maheshate has suffered consecutive defeats heading into this one.
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