September UFC action kicks off this weekend at the UFC Apex with an intriguing welterweight matchup between two of the strongest grapplers at 170 pounds.
One-time title challenger Gilbert Burns and rising contender Sean Brady headline Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event with the winner eyeing a spot in the top five in a division that is ruled by a new champion after Belal Muhammad’s recent win over Leon Edwards in July.
Burns, 38, is coming off back-to-back losses to Muhammad in 2023 and Jack Della Maddalena in March. Burns was doing great against JDM — up two rounds on two scorecards and handling himself fine into the second half of the final round — before he was knocked out by his Australian opponent with a knee late.
A third consecutive loss would all but guarantee the respected Brazilian will not challenge for another UFC title for the remainder of his career.
Meanwhile, Brady rebounded from a 2022 technical knockout loss to Muhammad by submitting Kelvin Gastelum nine months ago. The 31-year-old is 16-1 as a pro with his lone loss being the aforementioned one to the current champ.
Burns is the No. 6-ranked contender at welterweight; Brady occupies the No. 8 spot. It could be a delight for fans of high-level grappling, yet Burns also boasts knockout power in his hands that can give Brady major problems if he is not vigilant on the feet.
UNDERCARD OVERVIEW
This weekend’s slate of fights is objectively higher quality and deeper overall than most Apex cards.
Bonus hunters galore: It’s a shame several of the fighters featured on the main card have been relegated, so to speak, to an Apex-located event because Steve Garcia vs. Kyle Nelson, Matt Schnell vs. Cody Durden, and Trevor Peek vs. Yanal Ashmouz to name a few all have solid shots at resulting in a performance bonus or Fight of the Night award thanks to the fan-friendly style of fighting those athletes bring to the cage.
Garcia has won four in a row by KO/TKO and Nelson is on a three-fight streak coming off a first-round stoppage win. Schnell is never boring, win or lose, and he’s facing Durden who is taking this fight on short notice and looking to snap a two-fight skid. Peek has lost two of three and went the distance in all three, but he can end a fight quickly with his power just like his 7-1 opponent Ashmouz.
Ramaska vs. Fletcher take two: TUF 32 featherweights Zygimantas Ramaska and Nathan Fletcher both sustained injuries during the reality show but earned a showcase spot on a UFC preliminary card to show fans what they’re made of. Both fight at a fast pace and don’t back down, so it should be a good scrap.
The 145-pound matchup was initially scheduled to take place at the Apex two weeks ago but was postponed as Fletcher was dealing with a medical issue on the night of the fight that prevented him from competing and the bout was rebooked.
Silva fighting with heavy heart: The co-main event sees former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade taking on Natalia Silva, who will be fighting with a heavy heart following the death of her sister earlier this year.
A 205-pound bout between Ovince Saint Preux and Ryan Spann was removed from the card earlier this week as Saint Preux deals with an illness.
Below is the complete fight card and projected bout order for Saturday’s card:
MAIN CARD
— Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady (five rounds)
— Jessica Andrade vs. Natalia Silva
— Steve Garcia vs. Kyle Nelson
— Matt Schnell vs. Cody Durden
— Trevor Peek vs. Yanal Ashmouz
— Rong Zhu vs. Chris Padilla
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Isaac Dulgarian vs. Brendon Marotte
— Felipe dos Santos vs. Andre Lima
— Yi Zha vs. Gabriel Santos
— Jaqueline Amorim vs. Vanessa Demopoulos
— Andre Petroski vs. Dylan Budka
— Zygimantas Ramaska vs. Nathan Fletcher