UFC will present some afternoon action on Saturday, holding 14 bouts from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Heavyweights will get the biggest spotlight of them all, as veteran Alexander Volkov will meet Jairzinho Rozenstruick in the main event of the card.
Along with that bout, rising featherweight Movsar Evloev is expected to face a tough test in Dan Ige at the co-main event.
Here’s a full preview of the show.
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: Erin Blanchfield (8-1) vs. JJ Aldrich (11-4) (Flyweight)
Rising flyweight Erin Blanchfield will return in the opening bout on Saturday afternoon, facing JJ Aldrich.
Blanchfield has picked up two wins in her rookie UFC year thus far. Her last win was when she beat Miranda Maverick via unanimous decision at UFC 269.
Aldrich has strung together a trio of victories in recent years. She beat veteran Gillian Robertson in her last time around, winning on scorecards in March.
Bout 2: Andreas Michailidis (13-5) vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov (20-2) (Welterweight)
Rinat Fakhretdinov will make his UFC debut on the prelims when he faces Andreas Michailidis.
Fakhretdinov currently holds an impressive record of 20 wins and just two losses. He beat a former UFC fighter in his last appearance, stopping Eric Spicely within a minute in early 2021.
Michailidis will be aiming to even his UFC record at two wins and two losses. He faced defeat in his last fight, getting stopped by former GLORY Kickboxing Champion Alex Pereira.
Bout 3: Jeff Molina (10-2) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (14-6) (Flyweight)
Jeff Molina will attempt to keep his hot streak rolling on Saturday against Zhalgas Zhumagulov.
Molina has earned two wins since joining the UFC roster in 2020. His last victory was a finish win, catching Daniel da Silva with strikes in October 2021.
Zhumagulov has struggled in his UFC career thus far. He suffered his third loss through four promotional appearances in December 2021, getting finished by former RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Manel Kape.
Bout 4: Tony Gravely (22-7) vs. Johnny Munoz Jr. (11-1) (Bantamweight)
Bantamweights Tony Gravely and Johnny Munoz Jr. are expected to meet in the next fight.
Gravely spoiled the UFC debut of Saimon Oliveira earlier this year, going three rounds for a unanimous decision win. That was his third UFC victory through five outings.
Munoz Jr. earned his first UFC win last year, submitting Jamey Simmons at UFC 265.
Bout 5: Benoit Saint-Denis (8-1) vs. Niklas Stolze (12-5) (Lightweight)
Both competing for their first UFC win, Benoit Saint-Denis and Niklas Stolze will fight on the prelims.
Saint-Denis had a brutal UFC debut last year, taking a three-round beating against Elizeu Zaleski for his first pro loss. He had previously succeeded in Brave CF from 2019 to 2021.
Stolze has been unsuccessful in two UFC outings thus far. He suffered a quick finish in his last bout, getting stopped last year by Jared Gooden.
Bout 6: Damon Jackson (20-4-1) vs. Daniel Argueta (8-0) (Featherweight)
LFA Bantamweight Champion Daniel Argueta will make his UFC debut on Saturday night, stepping in on short notice to face Damon Jackson.
Argueta is replacing Darrick Minner, who withdrew from his fight due to a concussion. Argueta, an alum of “The Ultimate Fighter,” has an undefeated record of eight wins as a pro. He earned an LFA belt last month, going five rounds against Diego Silva for a split decision win.
Argueta will be fighting up a weight class on Saturday, appearing at featherweight.
Jackson will be looking to extend his winning streak to three consecutive wins. His last win was just three months ago, submitting Kamuela Kirk with an arm triangle choke.
Bout 7: Joe Solecki (11-3) vs. Alex da Silva (21-3) (Lightweight)
Alex da Silva will return on Saturday night to face Joe Solecki.
Da Silva has scored one win and two losses since joining the UFC roster in 2019. His last fight was now more than a year ago, losing a decision to Brad Riddell in 2020.
Solecki is also fighting to come back from a defeat. He took his first promotional loss in 2021, suffering a split decision defeat to Jared Gordon.
Bout 8: Felice Herrig (14-9) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (12-7) (Strawweight)
A rematch will close out the prelims. Meeting for the second time in the UFC cage, strawweights Felice Herrig and Karolina Kowalkiewicz will compete on Saturday night.
The duo first met in 2018 at UFC 223. In that fight, Kowalkiewicz walked away with a split decision victory. Both fighters have struggled since then.
Kowalkiewicz has suffered five consecutive losses since 2018. Herrig, who will be competing for the first time in nearly two full years, is on a three-fight skid in total, including her first loss to Kowalkiewicz.
Both fighters are due for a win.
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 1:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass Canada)
Bout 9: Alonzo Menifield (11-3) vs. Askar Mozharov (19-12) (Light Heavyweight)
Alonzo Menifield will meet UFC newcomer Askar Mozharov in the first fight on the main card.
Some drama unfolded this week, as many online uncovered details about Mozharov’s pro record. While databases initially reflected that he had 25 wins and seven losses, his record has since been updated to reflect a rougher 19 wins and 12 losses.
Mozharov has been waiting more than a year for his UFC debut. He was booked twice in 2021, although neither bout ended up happening.
There’s no drama on Menifield’s side of the deal this week. He’s fighting to bounce back from a loss he took late last year against William Knight. Before then, he had two victories in 2021.
Bout 10: Ode Osbourne (10-4) vs. Zarrukh Adashev (4-3) (Flyweight)
Riding the momentum of his first UFC win, Zarrukh Adashev will meet Ode Osbourne on Saturday’s main card.
Adashev’s first UFC victory came last year against Ryan Benoit, who he beat via decision. He struggled before then, losing fights to Tyson Nam and Sumudaerji.
Osbourne has picked up two wins and two losses since joining the promotion in 2019. His last victory was a decision over CJ Vergara last year.
Bout 11: Poliana Botelho (8-4) vs. Karine Silva (14-4) (Flyweight)
Karine Silva will make her UFC debut on Saturday night against Poliana Botelho.
Silva earned a UFC contract last year through TV show “Dana White’s Contender Series.” On that show she beat Yan Qihui, submitting the prospect with a second-round guillotine choke.
That fight was her fifth consecutive win, per Tapology.
Botelho will be fighting to avoid falling into a three-fight losing streak. Her most recent defeat was a close one, as she dropped a split decision to Luana Carolina in May 2021.
Bout 12: Mike Trizano (9-2) vs. Lucas Almeida (13-1) (Featherweight)
In another UFC debut, featherweight prospect Lucas Almeida will meet Season 27 “The Ultimate Fighter” winner Mike Trizano.
Almeida has a solid record of 13 wins and one loss. He appeared on “Dana White’s Contender Series” last year when Daniel Zellhuber gave him his first pro loss. He has since bounced back on the Brazilian regional scene, submitting Italo Trindade in the first round of a bout late last year.
Trizano took his second pro loss in February, dropping a decision to Hakeem Dawodu. He’ll look to get back on the right track this weekend.
Bout 13: Dan Ige (15-5) vs. Movsar Evloev (15-0) (Featherweight)
Undefeated rising featherweight contender Movsar Evloev will get a big test in Saturday’s co-main event, as he will face Dan Ige.
Evloev has scored 15 wins throughout his pro career, and five have been in the UFC cage. His climb up the 145-pound ranks earned a big leap last year, as he stopped the streak of Hakeem Dawodu with a unanimous decision result.
Evloev will get another big chance to prove himself this weekend. Ige has fought some of the top names at featherweight recently, including The Korean Zombie, Clavin Kattar and Edson Barboza. He is fighting to break a two-fight skid currently, as his fight against the aforementioned Zombie last year along with a bout versus Josh Emmett saw him lose on scorecards.
Bout 14: Alexander Volkov (34-10) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruick (12-3) (Heavyweight)
Veteran heavyweight Alexander Volkov will meet Jairzinho Rozenstruick in the main event of Saturday’s card. Both fighters are looking to rebound after high-profile losses in the division.
Rozenstruick will be appearing in his fourth UFC main event this weekend. His last fight wasn’t in a headlining spot but instead saw him go three rounds against Curtis Blaydes. He didn’t succeed in that fight, as Blaydes was able to walk away with the scorecard nod.
Volkov suffered a quick loss in his last fight, getting submitted in the first round by prospect Tom Aspinall in March.
The heavyweights will be trying to turn things around in the main event spotlight this Saturday.
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