The UFC remains stationed at the Apex for a second consecutive weekend of Fight Night action in Las Vegas before the organization heads back out overseas for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi later this month.
Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira are in the main event spotlight Saturday with both middleweights riding lengthy winning streaks.
Hernandez, 30, has won five in a row and is currently the No. 13-ranked contender in the 185-pound division. The American has finished four of his five opponents on his current streak, most recently submitting the touted Roman Kopylov at UFC 298 in February.
Pereira, 31, sits at No. 14 in the middleweight rankings after returning to the division and moving up from welterweight one year ago. He extended his winning streak to eight in a row back in May with a 54-second submission win over Ihor Potieria. In fact, Pereira’s three most recent fights have lasted a combined 3:01 and all three wins earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.
This is the ninth UFC event of 2024 headlined by a middleweight contest, which speaks to how interesting the top end of that weight class has been this year.
Whoever wins Saturday’s main event, especially if it’s a clean stoppage, will position themselves to face a big name in the top 10 at some point in the first half of next year.
UNDERCARD OVERVIEW
No easy fights for Katona: Canadian bantamweight Brad Katona is in a familiar spot, slotted in a featured preliminary bout in a difficult matchup against a fighter with whom mainstream fans aren’t likely familiar. Katona faces 15-0 Brazilian Jean Matsumoto. The UFC thinks highly of the 25-year-old coming off a submission win over Dan Argueta in April, otherwise, they would not pair him with a fighter of Katona’s calibre or experience.
Katona is the UFC’s first two-time winner of The Ultimate Fighter tournament and one of his three pro losses was a decision to current 135-pound champion Merab Dvalishvili. The 32-year-old is 2-1 during his current UFC stint and has won eight of his past nine overall yet is the betting underdog heading into this matchup.
Dynamic co-main: The penultimate bout Saturday is an excellent style matchup between Rob Font and Kyler Phillips. Although Font has lost four of his past five outings dating back to 2021, all those losses were decisions to top-level talent at 135 pounds — Deiveson Figueiredo, Cory Sandhagen, Marlon Vera and Jose Aldo — and he is still the No. 10-ranked contender in the stacked division. Phillips will be looking to take Font’s spot in the top 10. The 29-year-old is 6-1 in the UFC, riding a three-fight winning streak that includes a March victory over Pedro Munhoz.
Almabayev gets toughest test to date: Asu Almabayev can make it 3-0 in 2024 if he can open the main card with a win over No. 7-ranked flyweight contender Matheus Nicolau. Almabayev is unranked at 125 pounds despite a 20-2 pro record and a 16-fighting winning streak that has lasted seven years. Almabayev has beaten Ode’ Osbourne, C.J. Vergara and most recently Jose Johnson in the UFC, none of whom are on Nicolau’s level. However, Nicolau has been knocked out in two consecutive outings following a 12-1 run he had been on. A win over Nicolau would elevate Almabayev to being a relevant player at 125 pounds.
Projected bout order for UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Pereira as of Thursday …
MAIN CARD
— Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira
— Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips
— Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji
— Jake Hadley vs. Cameron Smotherman
— Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Matheus Nicolau vs. Asu Almabayev
— Brad Katona vs. Jean Matsumoto
— Joselyne Edwards vs. Tamires Vidal
— Jessica Penne vs. Elise Reed
— Melissa Martinez vs. Alice Ardelean
— Austen Lane vs. Robelis Despaigne