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UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez Preview
April 25, 2024
The UFC took last week off after their amazing UFC 300 card, but are right back at it this Saturday with UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez. It’ll be on both ESPN and ESPN+, which will provide an opportunity to many fight fans to get to know some lesser featured UFC fighters. Let’s take a look at the card…
Main Card (ESPN and ESPN+ at 7:00 p.m. ET)
Flyweight - Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez
Light Heavyweight - Ryan Spann vs. Bogdan Guskov
Women's Flyweight - Ariane Lipski vs. Karine Silva
Heavyweight - Austen Lane vs. Jhonata Diniz
Featherweight - Jonathan Pearce vs. David Onama
Welterweight - Tim Means vs. Uros Medic
Prelims (ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 4:00 p.m. ET)
Bantamweight -Rani Yahya vs. Victor Henry
Lightweight - Austin Hubbard vs. Michal Figlak
Heavyweight - Don'Tale Mayes vs. Caio Machado
Women's Strawweight - Marnic Mann vs. Ketlen Souza
Lightweight - James Llontop vs. Chris Padilla
Women's Flyweight - Ivana Petrović vs. Liang Na
Lightweight - Gabriel Benítez vs. Maheshate Hayisaer
The Prelims
I won’t lie to you, my friends - I usually say that the Prelims are always worth a look. I still feel that way. However, I don’t expect many of you to be familiar with most of the fighters. In fact, even I am having trouble matching some of these names to faces. There are still some names I am excited to see, though…
Gabriel Benitez always puts on a show and is an excellent way to start off a card like this.
Ketlen Souza gets another shot at impressing the UFC. After becoming an Invicta FC champion, her first attempt at stepping inside the Octagon was not successful thanks to Karine Silva. Souza will be motivated to get back on track on Saturday.
Mayes vs. Machado is a fun Heavyweight Division matchup.
Austin Hubbard is extending his second chance with the UFC. Despite losing The Ultimate Fighter, he is back and looking to prove that he is deserving of this second look.
Both Yahya and Henry are looking for big wins to get back on track in the Bantamweight Division, so this should be a fun featured Prelim.
Tim Means vs. Uros Medic
Tim Means has had his ups and downs and is 5-5 in his last 10 fights. He got a big win in his last fight and will be looking to string two wins in a row for the first time since 2021. Uros Medic won’t make that easy, as he is looking to get back on track after the second loss of his career. Both of these fighters are pretty well-rounded, so it’ll be interesting to see where the fight goes. Medic’s only two losses have been because of submissions to his neck, so Means may look to take advantage of that.
Austen Lane vs. Jhonata Diniz
Lane will be taking on someone other than Justin Tafa for the first time since 2022 and will be looking to get a win for the first time in that span, as well. The kickboxing veteran, Diniz, is an interesting matchup. At only 6-0 in his career, Diniz has finished everyone he has faced. Lane is a step up in experience for Diniz, who will be looking to prove that he belongs after an impressive showing during Dana White’s Contender Series. Diniz could be one to watch!
Ariane Lipski vs. Karine Silva
This should be a banger. Lipski is back on track with a win streak, which she is putting on the line against an even hotter Karine Silva. Both women have some nice wins in recent years, with Silva being a finish machine in her last eight fights. An impressive win here will be big for the winner, who will be considered for the Top 10 in the Women’s Flyweight Division.
Ryan Spann vs. Bogdan Guskov
At 3-4 in his last 7 fights, Ryan Spann is looking for a big win. However, Bogdan Guskov is motivated to make a splash in the Light Heavyweight Division. I expect this fight to have a lot of hands flying with both men looking to make a statement.
Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez
In the main event, we get two Top 10 Flyweights who are trying to take the next step towards a title shot. Nicolau was originally scheduled to fight Manel Kape, but the rematch didn’t work out. Alex Perez steps in as a tough, experienced replacement who is looking for a big win after losing three straight. Although not on a multiple fight losing streak, Nicolau did lose his last outing and is looking to keep that streak at 1. An impressive victory by one of these men will be huge with the Flyweight Division kind of wide open at the moment.
My Picks
Matheus Nicolau
Bogdan Guskov
Karine Silva
Jhonata Diniz
Jonathan Pearce
Uros Medic
Victor Henry
Michal Figlak
Caio Machado
Ketlen Souza
James Llontop
Ivana Petrović
Gabriel Benítez
Overall, this card may not have the sexiest names on it, but it’s a solid card - especially at the top of it. The rest of the card will offer some entertaining prospect fights that I am looking forward to. I’m hoping a few winners (and maybe even losers) get on my radar so that I get excited for future fights of theirs.
Will you be watching? What are you looking forward to? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I will be back early next week to talk about the results of this show and to preview UFC 301. See you then!
