*Arnold Allen lands a brutal front kick to the face of Giga Chikadze. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

The UFC returns to its headquarters at the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a top-notch Fight Night card. There’s plenty of exciting matchups filled with rising prospects and grizzled veterans looking to earn another victory in the premier MMA promotion. In the co-main event, two hard-hitting Featherweights will collide when Dooho Choi takes on Daniel Santos. In the main event, we’ll see perennial contender Arnold Allen take on streaking finisher Melquizael Costa. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

Nikolay Veretennikov vs. Khaos Williams

*Nikolay Veretennikov cracks Niko Price with a heavy left hook. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Welterweight Bout

Nikolay Veretennikov: 14-7-0, 10 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Khaos Williams: 15-5-0, 8 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Veretennikov has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Francisco Prado (12-5-0) and Niko Price (16-11-0). He’s a bruising striker who loves to throw bombs and do serious damage in the clinch. He throws every shot with power but remains technical throughout, fighting behind his jab and picking his shots without getting sloppy. Veretennikov is excellent in the clinch, both with his striking and grappling, and he possesses devastating knees and strong trips and throws. Training at Kings MMA, he’s very aggressive in top position and will constantly look to posture up and throw ground-and-pound. He has a solid chin and is willing to hang in the pocket and exchange, but he can also get flashy and attempt spinning kicks. Veretennikov has secured more than half of his knockouts in the first round and is most dangerous early on.

*Khaos Williams fires a stiff jab at Miguel Baeza. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Williams has won three of his last five bouts, holding UFC victories over Alex Morono (24-13-0), Carlston Harris (19-7-0), and Rolando Bedoya (14-5-0). He’s a lengthy striker with brutal knockout power. He pushes a heavy pace throughout the fight and regularly blitzes forward to unload vicious combinations. Training at Murcielago MMA, Williams has not attempted a takedown in his promotional tenure and is most comfortable on his feet, though he has shown decent takedown defense. He throws everything with serious power behind it, rarely taking a step backward. He does a solid job of varying his attacks, typically favoring his punches and regularly landing to the body of his opponents. Williams has produced three knockouts in the UFC in under two minutes and can secure a finish in a hurry.

Timmy Cuamba vs. Benardo Sopaj

*Timmy Cuamba blasts Roberto Romero with a vicious flying knee. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Bantamweight Bout

Timmy Cuamba: 10-3-0, 5 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Benardo Sopaj: 12-3-0, 7 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Cuamba has won three of his last five outings and holds UFC victories over Roberto Romero (8-5-1) and Chang Ho Lee (11-2-0). He’s a snappy striker with fantastic hand speed and strong wrestling. He throws everything in combination and will remain technical throughout, keeping his attacks precise and untelegraphed. He has great footwork and will constantly look to stick and move, often landing big shots before returning to range unscathed. Training at Xtreme Couture, he’s averaging over 1 takedown per fifteen minutes and has excellent reversals, usually finding himself in top position after a grappling exchange. He has great top control and dangerous chokes, even attempting them while standing, often to defend takedowns. Cuamba favors his hands but has an excellent arsenal of kicks and will regularly attempt flashy attacks like flying knees, spinning kicks, and spinning elbows.

*Benardo Sopaj fires a thudding kick to the head of Ricky Turcios. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Sopaj has won four of his last five fights and has a UFC victory over Ricky Turcios (13-6-0). He’s a heavy-handed scrapper who’s always coming forward to exchange inside the pocket. He throws everything with serious power and speed and favors power over volume, usually throwing single shots or two-piece combinations. Sopaj has very clean, technical striking and excellent distance management, but he can be pulled into a brawl and find himself unloading looping hooks on the inside. He has excellent takedown defense and reversals, making him very tough to control on the mat, and he often reverses his opponent to take a dominant position. Training at Allstars Training Center, he can do damage going forward or backward and from anywhere, whether he’s on the mat or his feet. Sopaj tends to slow as the fight continues and is at his best in the first round, where he’s secured seven of his ten finish victories.

Modestas Bukauskas vs. Christian Edwards

*Modestas Bukauskas lands a powerful left hook on Rafael Cerqueira. Credit: Sports Illustrated.*

Catchweight Bout (215 Pounds)

Modestas Bukauskas: 19-7-0, 11 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Christian Edwards: 8-4-0, 5 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Bukauskas has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Tyson Pedro (10-6-0), Ion Cutelaba (20-11-1), and Marcin Prachnio (17-9-0). He is a technical kickboxer, always in perpetual motion, constantly feinting and making great use of his footwork. He has a solid arsenal of kicks and often does most of his damage from range, only entering the pocket to unload combinations. Bukauskas throws everything with power and is an accurate striker, never wasting energy or point-fighting. He’s at his best coming forward, controlling the distance and pace of the fight. Training at Gintas Combat, he favors a slower-paced, technical kickboxing match and rarely pursues takedowns or looks to grapple. Bukauskas tends to favor power over volume and can do significant damage without much output, having been outlanded in nearly all of his wins in the promotion.

*Christian Edwards fires a straight left hand at Ben Parrish. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Edwards has won three of his last five outings and is making his UFC debut. He’s a marauding grappler with excellent wrestling and devastating ground-and-pound. He won’t waste much time on his feet before pursuing a takedown, often punching to close the distance before clinching or shooting in. Edwards is willing to work to bring the fight to the floor and often chains together attempts or grinds his opponent against the fence until securing a takedown. He has solid top pressure and will immediately look to either advance position or posture up and do damage. Training at Jackson-Wink MMA, he’s very active on top and will constantly attempt submissions and unload ground-and-pound shots in pursuit of a finish. Edwards has only gone to one decision in his last five fights and always leaves everything inside the cage.

Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Juan Díaz

*Malcolm Wellmaker stuns Cameron Saaiman with a vicious right hook. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Bantamweight Bout

Malcolm Wellmaker: 10-1-0, 6 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Juan Díaz: 15-1-1, 5 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Wellmaker has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Cameron Saaiman (9-3-0) and Kris Moutinho (14-8-0). He’s a devastating counterstriker with one-shot knockout power. He throws every shot with bad intentions but picks his shots and keeps his striking clean, rarely loading up or getting sloppy. Wellmaker varies his targets well, regularly firing kicks to the legs and body as well as brutal body hooks. He has great distance management and head movement, using both to slip shots and return fire, often with a powerful lead hook. Training at Faglier’s MMA, he won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges but has successfully defended more than half the takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. Wellmaker has secured his UFC and Contender Series knockout wins with fewer than 30 significant strikes and can produce a knockout at any time.

*Juan Díaz blasts Kwon Won-il with a brutal spinning back elbow. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Díaz is on an eight-fight win streak and making his UFC debut. He’s a technical boxer with sharp hands and serious punching power. He fights behind his jab and has solid kicks that he often adds at the end of his combinations. Díaz is very comfortable in the pocket but also very defensively sound, using great head movement and distance management to land shots without taking any in return. Training at Entram Gym, he holds a brown belt in BJJ, has solid wrestling skills, and is willing to grapple, often initiating exchanges along the fence. He has very solid output and often heats up as the fight goes on, staying right in his opponent’s face and battering them with constant combinations. Díaz has gone five rounds multiple times outside the UFC and has proven he has the cardio to maintain a heavy pace comfortably throughout an entire fight.

Dooho Choi vs. Daniel Santos

*Dooho Choi tags Bill Algeo with a stiff jab. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Featherweight Bout

Dooho Choi: 16-4-1, 13 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Daniel Santos: 14-2-0, 7 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Choi has won two of his last five bouts, with one draw, and has UFC victories over Nate Landwehr (18-8-0), Bill Algeo (18-9-0), and Thiago Tavares (22-10-1). He is a dangerous striker with impressive speed and power in his hands. He returned from a three-year layoff in 2023 and has adopted a more well-rounded, technical style, mixing takedowns and submission attempts with his striking. Choi fights behind his jab and favors power over volume, typically firing low kicks before closing the distance and unloading short combinations. Training with Busan Team M.A.D., he tends to headhunt and has solid counterstriking, regularly slipping punches and landing shots of his own. He’s strong in the clinch, has excellent submission defense, and has solid top pressure. Choi has earned five bonuses in nine UFC fights and is a Hall of Famer, with his fight with Cub Swanson inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC’s Hall of Fame in 2022.

*Daniel Santos fires a heavy knee to the head of Jeong Yeong Lee. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Santos has won four of his last five outings, with UFC victories over Joo Sang Yoo (9-1-0), Jeong Yeong Lee (11-3-0), and John Castaneda (21-8-1). He’s a powerful brawler with outstanding grappling skills. He comes out guns blazing, pushing a heavy pace from the opening bell and always coming forward to do damage. Santos regularly attempts spinning kicks but is at his best inside the pocket, using his sharp hands and head movement to counterstrike and land power shots. Training at Chute Boxe DL, he varies his targets well and often mixes brutal body shots and knees into his combinations. He’s averaging about three takedowns per fifteen minutes and will immediately look to secure a submission from top position. Santos has great cardio and will maintain constant pressure on his opponent, never shying away from an exchange.

#7 Arnold Allen vs. #12 Melquizael Costa

*Arnold Allen stuns Dan Hooker with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Featherweight Bout

Arnold Allen: 20-4-0, 7 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Melquizael Costa: 26-7-0, 9 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Allen has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #8-ranked Lightweight Dan Hooker (24-14-0), Sodiq Yusuff (13-5-0), and Giga Chikadze (15-6-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper with precise striking and solid grappling. He’s measured and technical on his feet, remaining elusive while constantly pressuring opponents and looking for openings to do damage. Allen won’t throw crazy volume, but he’s very accurate and makes every shot count, regularly landing clean, heavy strikes. He’s defensively sound, with great head movement and distance management, having successfully defended 60% of significant strikes attempted on him in the UFC. Training at BKK Fighters, he averages about one takedown per fifteen minutes and is equally comfortable on the ground as on the feet. Allen has faced a who’s-who of the Featherweight division lately and is willing to exchange with absolutely anybody.

*Melquizael Costa lands a brutal spinning back kick on the chin of Dan Ige. Credit: Bloody Elbow.*

Costa is on a six-fight win streak, with UFC victories over Morgan Charrière (21-12-1), Julian Erosa (31-14-0), and Dan Ige (19-11-0). He’s a versatile fighter with impressive power in his hands and excellent grappling. He has an outstanding arsenal of kicks, regularly unloading powerful shots to the head and body from range before blitzing into the pocket to throw power punches. Training at Chute Boxe JE, Costa typically doesn’t absorb much damage, using solid footwork, head movement, and distance management to stay elusive. He’s averaging two takedowns landed and over one submission attempted per fifteen minutes, and he’s very active on the ground, whether in top or bottom position. He’s constantly looking to improve or posture up and has outstanding sweeps and reversals. Costa is most dangerous early on, with eleven of his seventeen finish victories coming in round one.

Best Bets

Veretennikov vs. Williams To Go the Distance: This is an exciting matchup between two dangerous strikers. Although both fighters can produce impressive knockouts, neither is often on the receiving end of a finish. Both are also often in very close contests and have recently gone to multiple split decisions, and I believe they match up very similarly here in terms of striking prowess. Veretennikov likely has a grappling advantage, considering Williams hasn’t even attempted a takedown in the UFC, but Veretennikov has just one win by submission and generally uses his wrestling to slow down fights, not finish them. I expect plenty of competitive striking exchanges, with both men landing shots and inflicting damage as the fight progresses. I also anticipate some grappling exchanges, likely initiated by Veretennikov, that will slow the pace of the fight and the fighters’ output. Ultimately, I expect a fun, closely contested scrap, but I’m confident it will go the distance.

Modestas Bukauskas Moneyline: This is an interesting late-notice matchup between an established veteran and a UFC debutant. This will be Bukauskas’s 13th UFC appearance, and although Edwards has some experience in Bellator, he has not faced a high level of competition on the regional scene. Edwards’s best win, in terms of opponent records, came over the 28-22 Jarome Hatch, making this a massive step up in competition that I don’t believe he will be able to overcome. Bukauskas has a significant advantage in striking, and I believe he has the takedown defense to keep the fight standing and force Edwards to engage on Bukauskas’s terms. I expect Edwards to look for takedowns immediately, get denied, and burn his own cardio, while Bukauskas stays elusive and pieces him up. As the fight continues and Edwards slows, I anticipate Bukauskas taking full control, dictating the pace and range as Edwards struggles to keep up on the feet. Edwards has shown decent durability in his career, so while I’m unsure of how this fight ends, I believe it will be Bukauskas who emerges the victor.

Arnold Allen Moneyline: This is an outstanding matchup between a high-level contender and a quickly rising star. Although they seem to be trending in opposite directions in terms of wins and losses, the level of competition Allen has faced as of late is considerably higher than that of Costa, and this is a bit of a step down for him from the top-level contenders he’s faced in his last few fights. Not to say Costa isn’t a serious talent, I just wouldn’t put him in the same tier as Max Holloway or Movsar Evloev, and I believe Allen is by far the toughest matchup he’s ever faced. Costa does a great job capitalizing on his opponent’s defensive mistakes, as shown by his last two knockout wins, but I don’t believe he’ll have these opportunities against Allen, who has some of the most efficient striking defense in the UFC. I expect Allen to apply pressure early, forcing Costa onto his back foot and limiting both his grappling and his ability to power punch. As Allen maintains the center, I expect Costa to start getting wild and looking for the knockout, creating openings for Allen to land clean shots and work his offense. Both of these fighters are dangerous anywhere the fight goes, so I expect plenty of close exchanges on the mat and on their feet, but I believe Allen will earn an impressive victory and end Costa’s win streak this Saturday.

UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Costa Preview