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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Magny vs Prates
Setting The Table For Saturday’s Final 2024 Appearance At The UFC APEX
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X @spencerkyte
Before the UFC jets off to NYC for its annual November pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden, the mixed martial arts leader returns home to Las Vegas for one final 2024 Fight Night show at the UFC APEX, which just so happens to be the 100th such event to take place there.
Since the pandemic forced a change in approach, these shows have consistently given emerging talents a large platform and greater share of the spotlight, and this weekend’s centennial is no different, as one of the top freshmen from the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’23 makes his main event debut, while the remainder of the card is littered with promising names and entertaining punch-ups.
Let’s get into the matchups.
Main Event: Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates
Top 15 mainstay Neil Magny faces off with streaking freshman Carlos Prates in a fascinating welterweight main event on Saturday.
Magny is as consistent as they come in terms of making the walk to the Octagon and going about his business as a professional, with this weekend’s main event serving as his 34th UFC appearance. He’s resided in his current position as the ranked veteran measuring stick for ascending talents for a number of years and has frequently turned back those not ready to move forward, with his only recent setbacks coming against a trio of unbeaten standouts and former title challenger Gilbert Burns.
Prates had Dana White hyped when he put away Mitch Ramirez last September at the APEX to earn his chance to compete on the big stage, and has continued thrilling the UFC CEO and audiences alike ever since. After picking up emphatic wins over Trevin Giles and Charles Radtke earlier in the year, the 31-year-old Brazilian ventured to Perth, Australia and laid out Li Jingliang to score his third straight UFC victory and 10th consecutive win overall.
This profiles as a classic Magny battle, where it all comes down to whether the hopeful stationed across from him is up to the task, because everyone knows what the Colorado-based veteran is going to bring to the table. Thus far, Prates has looked the part of a future contender, brandishing quick, powerful striking and a keen sense of timing, so it will be interesting to see if anything changes now that he’s taking another step up in competition and headlining for the first time.
Additional Main Card Contests
Cody Garbrandt vs Miles Johns
Bantamweights eager to cement their position in the divisional pecking order meet in the co-main event as former champ Cody Garbrandt takes on Miles Johns.
It has somehow been just shy of eight years since Garbrandt’s virtuosic performance to win the title from Dominick Cruz at UFC 207, and since then, “No Love” has had mixed results, going 3-6 over his last nine outings. He put together back-to-back wins in 2023, but then fell to Deiveson Figueiredo by submission at UFC 300 to enter this one looking to get things moving in the right direction again.
Because of the depth of the division, Johns’ success has flown slightly under the radar, as the Kansas resident touches down in Las Vegas having won two straight, is unbeaten in his last four, and sporting a 6-2 record with one no contest overall in his UFC career. “Chapo” is a strong wrestler that likes to sling hammers, and after a couple little stumbles, he appears to be primed to make a push towards the Top 15 in the bantamweight ranks.
We should get some fireworks out of this pairing as both guys are perfectly happy getting into range and throwing hands, with Garbrandt still possessing superior quickness and some crack, while Johns is more of a compact, brute force type of powerhouse. Those same designations carry over to when they look to wrestle as well, so regardless of where this plays out, we should have captivating interactions to dissect and discuss going forward.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Denise Gomes
The second oldest fighter in the strawweight division takes on the second youngest fighter in the 115-pound weight class, as Karolina Kowalkiewicz shares the Octagon with Denise Gomes on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The 39-year-old Polish veteran Kowalkiewicz enjoyed a nice two-year renaissance between June 2022 and May 2024, winning four straight fights before landing on the wrong side of the cards in a pairing with Iasmin Lucindo, the youngest fighter in the division, at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro. Despite the setback, Kowalkiewicz has shown that she’s still a tough out for anyone in the division, and serves as an excellent veteran challenge for anyone she shares the Octagon with at this point in her career.
Gomes, who is 24 years old, has had mixed results through her first five UFC appearances, losing her debut to Loma Lookboonmee before collecting savage finishes of Bruna Brasil and Yazmin Jauregui, losing to Angela Hill, the elder stateswoman of the strawweight ranks, and rebounding with a split decision win over Eduardo Moura. The Las Vegas-based Parana Vale Tudo representative has considerable power and an aggressive approach, with many watching intently as she steps in with a divisional stalwart for the second time.
Ricky Turcios vs Benardo Sopaj
Bantamweights looking to close the year on a positive note meet in this one, as recent TUF winner Ricky Turcios takes on UFC sophomore Benardo Sopaj.
Since claiming victory in the TUF 29 bantamweight tournament with a split decision win over Brady Hiestand, Turcios has alternated losses and wins, falling to Aiemann Zahabi and Raul Rosas Jr. with a victory over Kevin Natividad sandwiched in between. On the show and in his fight with Hiestand, Turcios showed more aggression and scrambling abilities, so it will be curious to see if he gets back to those ways here.
The 24-year-old Sopaj debuted in March, filling in on short notice against Vinicius Oliveira and turning in a game effort before getting clocked with a gnarly flying knee in the waning moments of the fight. The “Lion King” has won 11 of his first 13 bouts prior to that contest, and will look to get back to that form as he makes his first full-camp start in the UFC on Saturday.
In theory, this could be a fun back and forth between a couple guys looking to stick their flag in the ground in the 135-pound weight class and claim a spot in the division for themselves, but it all hinges on how Turcios approaches things. If he fights with a sense of urgency, this could be a banger.
Gerald Meerschaert vs Reinier de Ridder
Gerald Meerschaert welcomes Reinier de Ridder to the UFC in this highly anticipated middleweight matchup on Saturday’s main card.
“GM3” is a “kill or be killed” fixture in the 185-pound weight class, holding the record for the most finishes (12) and submission wins (11) in the division’s history, while having 35 of his 37 career wins and 12 of his 17 career losses coming inside the distance. He can be tough to put away at times and has a penchant for battling back when opponents fade, as he did in August when he rallied to submit Edmen Shahbazyan.
“The Dutch Knight” arrives in the UFC following a lengthy run under the ONE Championship banner, where he won gold at both middleweight and light heavyweight while advancing to 16-0 overall before losing each title in consecutive bouts. He rebounded with a first-round stoppage win in July, and looks to immediately show that he’s a potential force in his new surroundings straight away by dispatching Meerschaert this weekend.
Luana Pinheiro vs Gillian Robertson
The main card opens in the strawweight division, as ranked talents Luana Pinheiro and Gillian Robertson battle it out.
After beginning her UFC tenure with three straight wins, Pinheiro returns to Las Vegas looking to halt a two-fight skid after being finished by Amanda Ribas and Angela Hill in consecutive contests. The 30-year-old Brazilian is an aggressive, albeit raw striker, with strong judo and solid ground control, but will need to be sharp with her fundamentals and defensive mechanics in this one if she wants to earn a victory.
Robertson arrives off the biggest win of her career, a unanimous decision triumph over Michelle Waterson-Gomez at UFC 303 in June that gave her consecutive victories and wins in four of her last five. The Florida-based Canadian is excellent from top position and so confident in her grappling that she doesn’t mind being taken down, and already holds the record for the most submission wins of any female fighter in UFC history, with seven.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs Dusko Todorovic
Mansur Abdul-Malik becomes the third member of the DWCS Class of ’24 to debut in the Octagon, as he faces off with fellow Contender Series alum Dusko Todorovic in this one.
Fighting out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Abdul-Malik pushed his professional record to 6-0 with a second-round stoppage win over Wes Schultz to earn his spot on the roster back in August. The now 30-year-old Todorovic returns for the first time in 18 months after suffering a knee injury at UFC 286 against Christian Leroy Duncan, looking to get back to level inside the Octagon with a win.
Matthew Semelsberger vs Charles Radtke
Welterweight hitters Matthew Semelsbergher and Charles Radtke face off in what promises to be a potential Fight of the Night winner.
The Maryland-based Semelsberger looks to halt a three-fight slide while potentially moving one fight to the good in the UFC as he makes his 11th appearance inside the Octagon. After earning a pair of wins in his first two UFC bouts, “Chuck Buffalo” ran into headliner Carlos Prates last time out and was felled by a knee to the body.
Cody Stamann vs Da’Mon Blackshear
Talented bantamweights Cody Stamann and Da’Mon Blackshear meet in a battle of two veterans looking to close out the year on a positive note.
A long-time fixture in the rankings, Stamann fights in his adopted hometown this weekend in an attempt to halt a two-fight slide and register his first victory since January 2023. Blackshear has also dropped consecutive contests heading into this one, having most recently suffered an 18-second knockout loss at the hands of Montel Jackson in Denver.
Melissa Mullins vs Klaudia Sygula
Melissa Mullins welcomes Klaudia Sygula to the UFC for the first time in this bantamweight preliminary card fixture.
After winning her promotional debut in October 2023, the gritty Mullins landed on the business end of things last time out against Nora Cornolle, falling to the French striker in the second round. The 25-year-old Sygula arrives in the UFC having won each of her last six fights, and trains out of Ankos MMA in Poznan, which has produced several top Polish fighters over the years.
Gaston Bolaños vs Cortavious Romious
Bantamweights Gaston Bolanos and Cortavious Romious face off on Saturday in an early lineup scrap with explosive potential.
Bolanos has split his first two appearances in the UFC, winning his debut against Aaron Phillips by unanimous decision before stopped by Marcus McGhee last time out. Romious becomes the second member of this year’s DWCS graduating class to cross the threshold into the Octagon, looking to build off his win over Michael Imperato and join Cody Haddon in the earning a victory in his promotional debut.
Tresean Gore vs Antonio Trocoli
Tresean Gore and Antonio Broccoli meet in this weekend’s opener in the middleweight division.
Gore returns for the first time in more than two years after dealing with myriad injuries, looking to build off his second-round finish of Josh Fremd in his last appearance. Trocoli looks to rebound after getting stopped by Shara Magomedov in the third-round of his short-notice promotional debut in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
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