UFC on ESPN 34: Luque vs. Muhammad 2 Preview

UFC will present a high-ranked rematch at welterweight as part of their “Fight Night” card on Saturday. In the main event, rising 170-pound names Belal Muhammad and Vicente Luque will meet for the second time in the cage. Their fight is set to headline a card that will take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Here’s a preview of the entire night.

Click here to skip to a preview of the main card.

Preliminary Card (5:30PM EDT / 2:30PM PDT) (ESPN2 / TSN 2)

Bout 1: Alatengheili (14-8-2) vs. Kevin Croom (21-14) (Bantamweight)

A bantamweight bout between Alatengheili and Kevin Croom is expected to open the evening.

Croom is searching for his first official UFC win. His debut for the promotion in 2020 was originally marked as a submission victory, but a drug test later forced that bout to get overturned to a no contest. He has since struggled, losing decisions to Alex Caceres and Brian Kelleher.

Alatengheili is fighting for his first victory in over a year. His last two appearances have resulted in a loss and a draw on scorecards.

Bout 2: Sam Hughes (5-4) vs. Istela Nunes (6-2) (Strawweight)

Both fighting for their first UFC win, strawweights Sam Hughes and Istela Nunes will fight on Saturday night.

Hughes is getting her fourth opportunity in the UFC octagon. She has taken three losses since joining the roster in late 2020. Her most recent appearance was in November 2021, when Luana Pinheiro beat her via unanimous decision.

Nunes, a former ONE Championship fighter, made her long-awaited UFC debut in October 2021. She was unsuccessful in this appearance, getting submitted by Ariane Carnelossi.

Bout 3: Trey Ogden (15-4) vs. Jordan Leavitt (9-1) (Lightweight)

Trey Ogden will make his UFC debut on Saturday night when facing Jordan Leavitt.

Ogden is joining the UFC roster after a strong run on the regional scene recently. He became the Fury FC Lightweight Champion in his last fight, submitting JJ Okanovich in November 2021.

Leavitt has earned two wins and one loss since entering the UFC roster in late 2020. His last win was a submission victory over Matt Sayles in December 2021.

Bout 4: Chris Barnett (22-7) vs. Martin Buday (9-1) (Heavyweight)

UFC newcomer Martin Buday will meet veteran Chris Barnett during the prelims.

Buday earned a UFC contract last year on the UFC TV show “Dana White’s Contender Series.” He scored a quick finish win on the show, stopping Lorenzo Hood in the first round with strikes. That continued a winning streak that he has held since 2018.

Barnett earned his first UFC win in November 2021, scoring a second-round finish against retiring heavyweight Gian Villante. He will look to follow up on that momentum this weekend.

Bout 5: Rafa Garcia (13-2) vs. Jesse Ronson (21-10) (Lightweight)

Jesse Ronson will make his return to the cage on Saturday in a lightweight bout against Rafa Garcia.

Ronson re-joined the UFC roster two years ago, coming back to the promotion after competing elsewhere from 2014 to 2019. He was handed a lengthy 20-month suspension in 2020 due to a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency test. The sanction sidelined him for over a year and made his fight against Nicolas Dalby get overturned to a no contest. Now that the suspension has expired, Ronson is back.

Garcia earned his first UFC win in his last appearance, defeating Natan Levy in November 2021. The former Combate Americas Lightweight Champion lost his two previous fights in the promotion.

Bout 6: Drakkar Klose (11-2-1) vs. Brandon Jenkins (15-8) (Lightweight)

Competing for the first time after a lengthy layoff, Drakkar Klose will fight Brandon Jenkins on Saturday’s prelims.

Klose’s last fight was a finish loss to Beneil Dariush in March 2020. Before then, he had won five of his previous six UFC fights. He was scheduled to face Jeremy Stephens in a fight last year, although an injury sustained by a shove that occurred during their pre-fight face-off caused the bout to not happen, and also sidelined Klose for numerous months.

Jenkins lost his UFC debut last year against Rongzhu. He entered the promotion just weeks after scoring a flying knee finish against Jacob Kilburn on a PFL card.

Bout 7: Lina Lansberg (10-5) vs. Pannie Kianzad (15-6) (Bantamweight)

Bantamweights Lina Lansberg and Pannie Kianzad are next in the lineup.

Like Drakkar Klose in the previous fight, Lansberg is competing for the first time in over two years. Her last fight was a loss that she took in January 2020 against Sara McMann.

Kianzad had a four-fight winning streak put to an end in her last bout, suffering a decision defeat against Raquel Pennington. The bout was only the second time that Kianzad took a loss in her current promotional run.

Bout 8: Devin Clark (12-6) vs. William Knight (11-3) (Heavyweight)

The long prelims are scheduled to wrap up with a fight between Devin Clark and William Knight. While both fighters are best known for competing at light heavyweight, they’ll be meeting up at heavyweight on Saturday.

Knight fought at heavyweight in his previous bout, although that was because he missed weight for a light heavyweight contest by 12 pounds. He lost to Maxim Grishin in that bout.

Clark has lost two consecutive fights at light heavyweight. His last fight was in September 2021, when Ion Cutelaba beat him on scorecards.

Main Card (8:30PM EDT / 5:30PM PDT) (ESPN / TSN 2)

Bout 9: Mounir Lazzez (10-2) vs. Ange Loosa (8-2) (Welterweight)

A UFC debut is set to kick off Saturday’s main card. Appearing in a short-notice bout, Ange Loosa will face Mounir Lazzez at welterweight.

Loosa joined the card just earlier this week, stepping in to replace Elizeu Zaleski. He fought just two weeks ago, defeating veteran welterweight John Howard on an XMMA card.

Lazzez is returning with the goal of bouncing back from his first UFC loss. This defeat came in early 2021 when Warlley Alves earned a first-round finish win over him.

Bout 10: Pat Sabatini (16-3) vs. TJ Laramie (12-4) (Featherweight)

Fighting for his first UFC victory, TJ Laramie will battle Pat Sabatini on Saturday’s main card.

Laramie lost his UFC debut in 2020, getting submitted in the first minute of a fight against Darrick Minner. He has struggled to find a fight since then, with three different bookings falling through for various reasons. He finally gets his return on Saturday.

Sabatini has been on a roll over the past year. He joined the UFC roster in April 2021 and has earned three wins since then. His last win came against fellow rising name Tucker Lutz, who he beat via decision in November 2021.

Bout 11: Mayra Bueno Silva (7-2-1) vs. Wu Yanan (12-4) (Bantamweight)

Focusing on the bantamweight division on Saturday night, Mayra Bueno Silva and Wu Yanan will compete.

Bueno Silva is coming off an unsuccessful 2021 that saw her take a draw and a loss.

Wu has been somewhat inactive in recent years, having only fought twice since 2019. A win on Saturday will mark her first victory since 2018.

Bout 12: Andre Fialho (14-4) vs. Miguel Baeza (10-2) (Welterweight)

Welterweights Andre Fialho and Miguel Baeza will both fight to get back into the win column on Saturday night.

Fialho lost his UFC debut in January, dropping a decision against Michel Pereira. He was given the UFC call after a perfect 2021 on the regional scene, earning four consecutive finish wins.

Baeza has yet to recover since he took his first pro loss in June 2021. He took his second consecutive defeat in November 2021, getting finished by Khaos Williams.

Bout 13: Caio Borralho (10-1) vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (13-0) (Middleweight)

Two middleweight prospects will make their UFC debuts in the co-main event.

Both fighters joined the UFC roster last year from the “Dana White’s Contender Series” show. Borralho appeared twice on the season, first beating Aaron Jeffery and then returning a month later to stop Jesse Murray with strikes.

Omargadzhiev is joining the UFC roster with a flawless record of 13 pro wins. His “Contender Series” showing was a quick win, submitting Jansey Silva in the first round with a kneebar.

Bout 14: Vicente Luque (21-7-1) vs. Belal Muhammad (20-3) (Welterweight)

The rematch between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad is set to headline Saturday’s show.

Luque prevailed in his first meeting against Muhammad, stopping him in the second minute of a fight back in 2016. A lot has changed since then for both fighters, but a trend can be seen between both of their runs in recent years: a high level of success.

Muhammad has put together 10 wins in that time. He scored three victories last year alone, including performances over veteran names Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson.

Luque is currently on a four-fight winning streak, with all of the fights coming via finish. Both of his wins were similar last year, submitting Michael Chiesa and former champ Tyron Woodley in the first round with a darce choke.

Both ranked high in UFC’s welterweight division, a lot is on the line in Saturday’s main event. Not only does Muhammad have the chance to avenge a loss against Luque, but it is clear that the winner on Saturday night will remain in the upper echelon of names in the division.