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Fight By Fight Preview | Noche UFC
Detailing The Action Set To Hit San Antonio For The Third Annual Noche UFC
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X @spencerkyte
After taking place in Las Vegas and featuring a flyweight championship bout between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko each of the first two years, Noche UFC departs Nevada and does so without the flyweight rivals, touching down at Frost Bank Center for an action-packed card on Saturday night headlined by a pair of elite featherweight contenders.
Let’s get into it!
Main Event: Diego Lopes vs Jean Silva
Brazilians Diego Lopes and Jean Silva go head-to-head in what promises to be an exciting conclusion to Saturday night’s third Noche UFC event.
After impressing in his short notice debut at UFC 288, Lopes rattled off five straight victories to land as the top contender in the 145-pound weight class, capping that run with a win over Brian Ortega at last year’s Noche UFC event at Sphere. He faced off with Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant featherweight title in April at UFC 314, but couldn’t get out of first gear initially, which ultimately cost him the decision and the title.
Silva has posted five wins in as many starts since graduating to the UFC alongside Fighting Nerds teammates Carlos Prates and Mauricio Ruffy in the fall of 2023. Already this year, the surging contender has stopped Melsik Baghdasarayan with strikes and submitted Bryce Mitchell, setting up this epic showdown with Lopes in San Antonio.
Just in terms of their aggressive natures and well-rounded styles, this is a fascinating matchup, but it carries a little more weight and intrigue in the wake of last weekend’s fight card in Paris, where two of Silva’s teammates — Ruffy and Caio Borralho — landed on the wrong side of the results, which might rattle the confidence of the team as they head back into battle on Saturday. The divisional chase is heating up and a victory for either man puts them on the short list of contenders as we head into the final quarter of the year and start looking ahead to 2026 title shots.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Rob Font vs David Martinez
It’s a classic “veteran versus prospect” battle in the bantamweight division as Rob Font squares off with David Martinez.
A single win in five fights left Font searching for answers, leading to the Massachusetts native to move his training camps to Tristar Gym in Montreal. In his two starts since, the rankings mainstay has mustered a pair of decision wins, getting the better of Kyler Phillips last October before edging out Jean Matsumoto earlier this year to solidify his place in the Top 10.
The 27-year-old Martinez carries an eight-fight winning streak into this one, having followed up his contract-winning effort last season on Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) with a first-round stoppage win over Saimon Oliveira in his promotional debut in March. Originally scheduled to face Quang Le this weekend, Martinez raised his hand when Font’s original opponent, Raul Rosas Jr., was forced to withdraw, showing the kind of moxie and self-belief you love to see in a prospect.
There are so many interesting dynamics to this one, especially since both were always preparing to compete this weekend, so questions about training camps and prep time are moot. Can the veteran post a third straight win and show he’s still a step ahead of the younger set or will Martinez catapult himself into the rankings after just two UFC appearances by taking down Font?
Rafa Garcia vs Jared Gordon
Veteran lightweights coming off victories meet at the home of the Spurs as Rafa García and Jared Gordon share the Octagon in this main card matchup.
Garcia enters this one off a unanimous decision victory over Vinc Pichel earlier this year in Mexico City that got him moving in the right direction again. Since opening his UFC run with consecutive losses, the 31-year-old has posted a 5-2 record, including wins over Pichel, Clay Guida, and Maheshate.
Gordon channeled the frustration of the last couple years into his last performance, marching into the Octagon in May and knocking out Thiago Moises in the first round. A couple debated decisions and an accidental clash of heads left the New Yorker itching for a statement effort and eager to remind everyone that he’s a dangerous threat in the division, and he’ll look to reiterate that statement here this weekend.
The competition for a place in the Top 15 is never tougher than it is in the lightweight division, and so matchups like this between talented fighters stationed outside the rankings carry significant weight. Both men are looking to build some consistency to help propel them further, so don’t be surprised to see them both come out locked in and ready to roll in this one.
Kelvin Gastelum vs Dustin Stotlzfus
Middleweights looking to get back into the win column clash in San Antonio as TUF winner and UFC Hall of Fame inductee Kelvin Gastelum takes on DWCS grad Dustin Stoltzfus.
Gastelum turns 34 next month and arrives in Texas looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Joe Pyfer earlier this year. The veteran has struggled with inconsistency for the last several years, having managed just three wins in nine appearances since his epic clash with Israel Adesanya at UFC 236.
Stoltzfus, who earned his place on the roster with a win over Pyfer on Season 4 of the annual Tuesday night talent search series, has also gone 3-6 over his last nine starts, alternating wins and losses over his last six. After stopping Marc-Andre Barriault last November in Edmonton, the Pennsylvania-born middleweight landed on the wrong side of the cards in a clash with Nursulton Ruziboev in May to fall to 16-7 overall.
As much as we frequently talk about divisional positioning and advancing towards the rankings, sometimes it’s just about getting a win and getting your mojo back. Both guys could use a boost and will surely come out trying to chase down a decisive victory here.
Alexander Hernandez vs Diego Ferreira
Lightweights on the fringes of the rankings meet here as Alexander Hernandez hustles back into the fray to face Diego Ferreira.
The 32-year-old Hernandez picked up a first-round stoppage win over Chase Hooper last month at UFC 319, running his winning streak to three and giving him four consecutive victories at lightweight. This is a hometown fight for “The Great Ape,” who edged out Francisco Trinaldo the only other time he fought at home in the UFC, and will look to add to his current run of quality form as he returns to Frost Bank Center this weekend.
After several years of carrying a number next to his name, Ferreira has fallen out of the rankings, but remains a dangerous threat every time he steps into the Octagon. He posted consecutive bonus-winning victories over Michael Johnson and Mateusz Rebecki in May 2023 and May 2024, respectively, but landed on the wrong side of the scorecards in a grappling-heavy contest with Grant Dawson earlier this year at UFC 311.
It’s interesting to ponder where Hernandez would be in the division if he didn’t spend a couple years fixating on fighting at featherweight. Regardless, he has a chance to keep moving forward in the ultra-competitive 155-pound weight class, though Ferreira is no easy out and will certainly be buoyed by fighting in his home state as well.
Quang Le vs Santiago Luna
A shuffling of the deck this weekend keeps Quang Le on the fight card, but instead of facing David Martinez, he’ll instead welcome Santiago Luna to the Octagon for the first time.
Le impressed in a short-notice loss last August then was swarmed by Xiao Long in his sophomore appearances before turning in a dominant effort and collecting a second-round submission win over Gaston Bolanos earlier this year. A product of the Entram Gym, the 21-year-old Luna arrives for his short-notice debut with a 6-0 record, with all six of those victories coming inside the distance.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Jose Daniel Medina vs Dusko Todorovic
A sure-fire banger between DWCS alums is on tap as Jose Daniel Medina and Dusko Todorovic lock horns in this light heavyweight fixture.
Bolivia’s Medina impressed UFC President Dana White with his resilience and gameness in his Season 7 loss to Magomed Gadzhiyasulov, earning a contract despite landing on the wrong side of a one-sided decision. After pushing Zachary Reese to the scorecards for the first time in his debut, Medina was stopped last time out by Ateba Gautier, and arrives here looking to halt a three-fight slide.
Torodovic moved to 10-0 with a stoppage win over Dequan Townsend in his promotional debut five years ago, but has managed just a pair of victories over his last six starts. He comes into this one having dropped three straight, most recently falling to Reese in May, and searching for his first victory in nearly three years here.
Claudio Puelles vs Joaquim Silva
Claudio Puelles and Joaquim Silva face off in a battle of lightweights that have been out of action for over a year on this weekend’s preliminary card.
After posting five straight wins to build some momentum and buzz in the 155-pound ranks, Puelles heads into Saturday’s card looking to snap a two-fight slide. Silva returns to action for the first time since UFC 301, where he lost to Drakkar Klose, aiming to maintain the “win one, lose one” pattern he’s carried through his last four fights.
Tatiana Suarez vs Amanda Lemos
Tatiana Suarez and Amanda Lemos square off in a critical matchup of recent strawweight title challengers looking to maintain their place in the divisional hierarchy.
Suarez carried a ton of hype and an unblemished record into her UFC 312 showdown with Zhang Weili, but wasn’t able to topple the dominant champion, dropping a decision and falling from the ranks of the unbeaten in the process. The 38-year-old Lemos lost to the Chinese standout two summers ago and has gone 2-1 since, besting Mackenzie Dern and Iasmin Lucindo on either side of submission loss to Virna Jandiroba.
Jesus Aguilar vs Luis Gurule
Jesus Aguilar and Luis Gurule share the Octagon in this flyweight battle of Dana White’s Contender Series grads.
Aguilar has sandwiched three wins between two losses in his five UFC starts, most recently landing on the wrong side of the cards in a bout with fellow DWCS graduate Rafael Estevam. Gurule earned his spot on the roster last year with a split decision win on short notice over Nick Piccininni but was stopped in the second round of his promotional debut in April against Ode’ Osbourne.
Zachary Reese vs Sedriques Dumas
Middleweight DWCS graduates Zachary Reese and Sedriques Dumas clash in what has the makings of a combustible pairing on Saturday’s prelims.
Reese arrived in the UFC with a 6-0 record and a 100-percent finishing rate, and has since gone 3-2, with decision wins in two of his last three showing that he’s still growing as a fighter. Dumas pushed his record to 7-0 with his contract-winning turn on the Contender Series, but has split six fights since landing in the UFC, entering this weekend’s contest off a first-round stoppage loss to Michal Oleksiejczuk in April at UFC 314.
Alessandro Costa vs Alden Coria
Brazilian flyweight Alessandro Costa returns to action for the first time since UFC 301, squaring off with debuting replacement Alden Coria.
“Nono” has gone 2-2 through his first four UFC appearances, stopping Jimmy Flick and Kevin Borjas while losing to Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg. Coria got the call to replace Edgar Chairez and looks to replicate the success of his teammate, Joshua Van, as he carries a four-fight unbeaten streak into his first foray into the Octagon on Saturday.
Montserrat Rendon vs Alice Pereira
Mexico’s Montserrat Rendon competes for the first time in nearly 18 months, while Alice Pereira carries an unbeaten record into her promotional debut.
Rendon garnered a split decision win over Tamires Vidal in her promotional debut, but dropped a decision to Darya Zheleznyakova in March 2024 and has been out of action ever since. When Pereira steps into the Octagon, she’ll supplant Raul Rosas Jr. as the youngest fighter on the roster, as the 6-0 debutant is just 19 years old.
Rodrigo Sezinando vs Daniil Donchenko
Originally scheduled for UFC 319, Rodrigo Sezinando and Daniil Donchenko go head-to-head in a Team Cormier clash to determine who will win the Ultimate Fighter 33 welterweight tournament this weekend in San Antonio.
Sezinando enters on a four-fight winning streak and having used his superior grappling to grind his way to the finals, while the 24-year-old Donchenko has also won four straight ahead of Saturday’s finale, showcasing his varied and dangerous striking attack while earning his two victories in the competition. This profiles as a classic “grappler versus striker” encounter and it’s going to be interesting to see who leveled up more and used their time since leaving the house best in this one.
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UFC Fight Night 258 - Imavov vs. Borralho
