Ciryl Gane has been undefeated through his short, yet explosive UFC run. His skills will be tested in the main event of Saturday’s UFC “Fight Night” card, as he will face experienced heavyweight Alexander Volkov in a five-round fight.
The bout headlines a show from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Here’s a full preview of the event.
Click here to skip to a preview of the main card.
Preliminary Card (1:00PM EDT / 10:00AM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass Canada)
Bout 1: Yancy Medeiros (15-7) vs. Damir Hadzovic (13-6) (Lightweight)
A lightweight bout between Yancy Medeiros and Damir Hadzovic will kick off Saturday’s card. The matchup was first set to happen in May but was moved ahead after Hadzovic fell ill.
Both fighters are competing to snap losing streaks after over a year outside of the cage.
Medeiros has lost three consecutive bouts, with his last victory dating back to 2017.
Hadzovic has lost his last two bouts, with his last bout being a first-minute submission to Renato Moicano last year.
Bout 2: Charles Rosa (13-5) vs. Justin Jaynes (16-7) (Featherweight)
Fighting to avoid a fourth consecutive loss, Justin Jaynes will face Charles Rosa on the prelims.
Only a year into his UFC run, Jaynes has been incredibly active. He started his promotional run with a bang, stopping Frank Camacho within a minute last year. He has since lost three bouts, getting finished or submitted in every instance.
He last competed in February, where a doctor stoppage took him out in the second round.
Rosa is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Darrick Minner from earlier this year.
Bout 3: Julia Avila (8-2) vs. Julija Stoliarenko (9-4-1) (Bantamweight)
Former Invicta FC champ Julija Stoliarenko will meet Julia Avila on Saturday’s prelims. The bantamweights were first set to fight in March, although their bout was rescheduled after Stoliarenko collapsed at the weigh-ins earlier in the year.
The weigh-ins went without any issues this time, and the fight is still on the schedule.
Stoliarenko lost her UFC debut last year, not being favoured on scorecards against Yana Kunitskaya. The bout was made after she defeated Lisa Verzosa earlier in the year to become an Invicta FC champion.
Avila took her first UFC loss in her last bout, losing a decision to Sijara Eubanks. Three months before then, Avila won her UFC debut in just 22 seconds against Gina Mazany.
Bout 4: Marcin Prachnio (14-5) vs. Ike Villanueva (18-11) (Light Heavyweight)
Light heavyweights Marcin Prachnio and Ike Villanueva will fight on the prelims. Both fighters are returning after prevailing in what could have been a must-win fight in their last appearance.
Prachnio snapped a three-fight losing streak early this year, fighting to a unanimous decision win against Khalil Rountree. The bout was his first win since joining the UFC in 2018.
Villanueva avoided taking his third straight loss in his last fight, stopping Vinicius Moreira with strikes in January.
Bout 5: Warlley Alves (14-4) vs. Jeremiah Wells (8-2-1) (Welterweight)
Former CFFC Welterweight Champion Jeremiah Wells will make his UFC debut on the preliminary card against Warlley Alves. Wells took the fight on short notice, replacing Ramazan Emeev, who had to withdraw from the card due to visa complications.
Wells has been sidelined for over a year, although his last fight was a high-profile victory on the regional scene. His last showing saw him score a submission win, stopping Marco Smallman to claim a belt in CFFC.
Alves is coming off a stoppage win earlier this year against Mounir Lazzez. The bout was Alves’ first appearance in over a year.
Bout 6: Michel Prazeres (26-3) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (13-0) (Welterweight)
Coming back from a successful UFC debut, undefeated welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov will fight Michel Prazeres on the prelims.
Rakhmonov had a strong win in his first UFC fight last year, submitting veteran Alex Oliveira within a round with a guillotine choke. He was entering the promotion after an undefeated run in M-1 Challenge, where he moved his pro record to 12 wins.
Prazeres will be fighting for the first time in over two years. He last competed in early 2020, where Ismail Naurdiev defeated him via unanimous decision and snapped an eight-fight winning streak.
Bout 7: Danilo Marques (11-2) vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (8-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Light heavyweight fighters Danilo Marques and Kennedy Nzechukwu will wrap up the preliminary card.
Marques has been successful since joining the UFC last year. After scoring a win over Khadis Ibragimov in his UFC debut, he returned earlier this year to submit Mike Rodriguez.
Nzechukwu has also won his last two fights in the UFC. His last win saw him prevail in a back-and-forth battle against Carlos Ulberg, stopping him in the second round with strikes.
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 1:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass Canada)
Bout 8: Renate Moicano (14-4-1) vs. Jai Herbert (10-2) (Lightweight)
Former Cage Warriors Lightweight Champion Jai Herbert will fight for his first UFC victory when facing Renato Moicano in the opening fight of the main card.
Herbert had his UFC debut spoiled last year, as veteran Francisco Trinaldo stopped him in the third round of action with an overhand left. He was joining the UFC after a five-fight run in notable regional promotion Cage Warriors.
Moicano has lost three of his last five bouts and is returning after being stopped within a round by Rafael Fiziev last year.
Bout 9: Nicolas Dalby (19-3-1) vs. Tim Means (31-12-1) (Welterweight)
Meeting at welterweight, Nicolas Dalby and Tim Means will fight on Saturday night.
Dalby returned to the win column in his last fight, defeating Daniel Rodriguez in November. His previous fight saw him get submitted, although the result was later overturned due to a drug test on his opponent.
Means had a successful 2020, coming back from a submission loss early in the year to score decision victories over Laureano Staropoli and Mike Perry.
Bout 10: Andre Fili (21-8) vs. Daniel Pineda (27-14) (Featherweight)
Featherweights Andre Fili and Daniel Pineda will get the chance to bounce back from a loss when fighting on Saturday’s main card.
Pineda was abruptly stopped in the second round of his last fight, as Cub Swanson caught him with a combination of punches in December. Four months prior to then, Pineda won his return to the UFC against rising prospect Herbert Burns.
Fili wasn’t favored on scorecards in his last fight, losing a unanimous decision to Bryce Mitchell.
Bout 11: Raoni Barcelos (16-1) vs. Timur Valiev (17-2) (Bantamweight)
Raoni Barcelos will look to extend his undefeated UFC run on Saturday when facing Timur Valiev.
Barcelos has earned five wins since joining the UFC in 2017. He made his return to action in the fall, going the distance for a decision win over Khalid Taha.
Valiev scored his first UFC victory earlier this year, defeating Martin Day via unanimous decision. He had lost his promotional debut to Trevin Jones in 2020, although that result has been changed to a no contest due to a drug test.
Bout 12: Ovince St. Preux (25-15) vs. Tanner Boser (19-8-1) (Heavyweight)
While Ovince St. Preux regularly competes in the light heavyweight division, he will move up to heavyweight on Saturday to face Tanner Boser. St. Preux was first scheduled to fight light heavyweight Maxim Grishin, although he was given Boser at a different weight class after Grishin withdrew from the fight due to visa issues.
St. Preux was stopped late last year, being finished in the second round by Jamahal Hill.
Boser has lost his last two fights on scorecards. He has been very active in the past year, with his record in the past 12 months being two wins and two losses.
Bout 13: Ciryl Gane (8-0) vs. Alexander Volkov (33-8) (Heavyweight)
Undefeated heavyweight Ciryl Gane will get another big test when facing Alexander Volkov in the main event of Saturday night’s UFC card.
Gane earned a big win earlier this year, going five rounds to defeat Jairzinho Rozenstruick. The bout was the first time he fought for five rounds in his career and scored him a win against a ranked heavyweight.
Earlier fights in his UFC run saw him as a finisher, submitting opponents and stopping them with strikes. Though eight pro fights, Gane has been an unstoppable force.
On paper, Volkov is the biggest opponent for Gane thus far. The 32-year-old ranked heavyweight has over 40 pro fights and is entering Saturday on a two-fight win streak. His last two fights saw him score finish wins, defeating Walt Harris and Alistair Overeem both within two rounds.
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