Waldo Cortes-Acosta lands a stinging left hook on Sergei Pavlovich. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
The UFC returns to its headquarters at the APEX Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, with an outstanding Fight Night card. From start to finish, there’s nonstop action and plenty of talented fighters looking to put on a show this Saturday night. In the co-main event, two top-five grapplers in the women’s Strawweight division will collide as Tatiana Suarez takes on Virna Jandiroba. In the main event, we’ll see a volatile Heavyweight matchup as dangerous power-puncher Waldo Cortes-Acosta takes on unorthodox knockout artist Johnny Walker. First, we’ll take a look at a select preliminary bout, then break down the full main card.
Prelims
Mantas Kondratavičius vs. Andre Petroski
Mantas Kondratavičius blasts Antonio Trocoli with a powerful left hook. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Middleweight Bout
Mantas Kondratavičius: 9-1-0, 6 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Andre Petroski: 13-7-0, 4 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Kondratavičius has won four of his last five fights and has a UFC win over Antonio Trocoli (12-7-0). He’s a wild brawler with solid wrestling and one-shot knockout power. He’s always pressuring his opponent and uses his reach well, throwing long, often lunging strikes from range before closing in. Kondratavičius will regularly punch his way into the pocket, where he’ll unload vicious combinations of massive, looping hooks and heavy straight punches. Training at the Fighter House, he has good takedowns and is dangerous in the clinch, especially on the break, where he’ll regularly land vicious elbows and knees. When the fight hits the mat, he’ll immediately posture up to rain down a barrage of heavy ground-and-pound. Kondratavičius has secured five of his eight finishes in the first round and is most dangerous early on.
Andre Petroski submits Nick Maximov with a slick anaconda choke. Credit: MMA Mania.
Petroski has won two of his last five bouts and holds UFC victories over Rodolfo Vieira (12-5-0), Gerald Meerschaert (37-23-0), and Wellington Turman (18-8-0). He’s a smothering wrestler with serious punching power. He’s always moving and feinting on his feet, favoring power over volume and not throwing often, but always with knockout intent. Petroski is averaging over three takedowns per fifteen minutes and has outstanding, quick entries, getting inside with impressive speed before taking it to the mat. Training at Marquez MMA, he focuses on control when he’s on top and won’t get wild, instead maintaining his position while looking for openings to do damage or grab a submission. He has outstanding pressure in top position and rarely allows his opponents to get back to their feet. Petroski is always dangerous, with an even split of four finishes in the first round and four in the second or third.
Main Card
Mitch Raposo vs. Marcos Degli
Mitch Raposo secures a powerful takedown on Sumudaerji. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Flyweight Bout
Mitch Raposo: 11-3-0, 4 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Marcos Degli: 15-3-0, 9 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Raposo has won three of his last five outings and holds UFC wins over Allan Nascimento (22-7-0) and Azat Maksum (15-3-0). He’s a versatile fighter with powerful, fast hands and excellent grappling. He’s in perpetual motion and stays patient, picking his shots and darting into the pocket to land quick, heavy combinations before returning to range unscathed. He won’t telegraph his attacks and throws everything with impressive power and speed, often relying on power shots like looping hooks, overhands, and uppercuts. Training with the New England Cartel, he’s most comfortable on his feet but holds a black belt in BJJ and has outstanding takedown defense. He’s dangerous off his back and in top position, and he will consistently throw up submission attempts. Raposo has outstanding cardio and is always dangerous, carrying his power and speed comfortably across three rounds.
Marcos Degli blasts Matheus Severino with a massive right hand. Credit: LFA.
Degli is on a thirteen-fight win streak and making his UFC debut. He’s a powerful, technical striker with an outstanding submission game. He’s always pressuring his opponent and is willing to eat a shot to land one, often walking through punches to enter the pocket and throw heavy straight punches and hooks. He fights behind his jab and favors power over volume, not throwing often but always with impressive accuracy and one-shot knockout power. Training at Vale Top Team, his striking sets up his grappling, with his punching power distracting opponents and creating openings to land takedowns. He has excellent pressure and control from top position and is very active, unloading nonstop ground-and-pound while constantly hunting for submissions. Degli has solid cardio and can produce a highlight-reel finish at any time.
Priscila Cachoeira vs. Nina Milošević
Priscila Cachoeira batters Gina Mazany with a cracking right hand. Credit: MMA Mania.
Women’s Bantamweight Bout
Priscila Cachoeira: 13-9-0, 8 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Nina Milošević: 9-1-0, 4 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Cachoeira has won one of her last five fights and has UFC victories over Josiane Nunes (10-4-0), Ariane Lipski da Silva (18-12-0), and Ji Yeon Kim (9-7-0). She’s a marauding brawler who’s always in pursuit of a knockout. She comes out guns blazing, always pressing forward, looking to hang in the pocket and exchange massive blows. Cachoeira is willing to eat a shot to land one and headhunts heavily, throwing every shot with knockout intent from the opening bell. Training at Lioness Studio, she won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges, but she has a purple belt in BJJ and solid takedown defense. She rarely takes a backward step and often uses her offense as her defense, throwing constantly to avoid taking damage. Cachoeira produced the fastest knockout in UFC women’s Flyweight history with a 40-second KO of Shana Dobson and has not gone the distance in eight of her last ten fights.
Nina Milošević fires a powerful straight right at Hailey Cowan. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Milošević is on an eight-fight win streak and holds a UFC win over Hailey Cowan (7-6-0). She’s a true sniper with clean, precise striking and well-rounded grappling. She throws everything with power but remains technical throughout, never looping her shots and consistently landing long, lunging straight punches. Milošević has solid output but won’t throw many combinations, often opting for heavy single shots and naked kicks from range. She typically won’t pursue takedowns, but she has an outstanding sprawl and will immediately pursue a finish from a top position. Training with the Family Fight Team, she does a good job of varying her targets and mixing in kicks, regularly landing devastating body shots before firing vicious head kicks. Milošević has solid cardio and has secured five of her six finishes in the first round, making her especially dangerous early on.
Billy Elekana vs. Lucas Fernando
Billy Elekana tags Kevin Christian with a stiff jab. Credit: MMA Mania.
Light Heavyweight
Billy Elekana: 10-2-0, 3 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Lucas Fernando: 14-3-0, 8 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Elekana has won four of his last five bouts and holds UFC victories over Junior Tafa (7-6-0), Kevin Christian (9-4-0), and Ibo Aslan (14-4-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper with powerful striking and excellent submissions. He regularly switches stances and uses his length well, consistently firing long straight punches and kicks from range. Elekana tends to headhunt but remains technical throughout, with great counterstriking and a solid chin. He’s averaging about one takedown per fifteen minutes and is a tenacious grappler, willing to shoot repeatedly or chain attempts to bring the fight to the ground. Training at Porrada Training Center, he has heavy top pressure and can secure chokes with impressive speed. Elekana has great cardio and can comfortably go three rounds, but he has only seen the judges’ scorecards once in his last five fights and is always hunting for a finish.
Lucas Fernando cracks Rafael Tobias with a heavy jab. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Fernando is on a five-fight win streak and has a UFC win over Rafael Tobias (14-3-0). He’s a vicious, technical striker with a devastating arsenal of attacks. He has extremely fluid striking, throwing everything with no telegraph and effortlessly mixing kicks and body shots into his combinations. Fernando relentlessly pressures his opponents, staying right in front of them and throwing everything with serious power and speed. He constantly varies his targets and angles and is dangerous from anywhere on his feet, whether inside the pocket or out at range. He won’t usually initiate grappling exchanges, but he has a black belt in BJJ, solid takedown defense, and great get-ups. He has produced eight first-round finishes and has excellent cardio, comfortably maintaining a high pace across three rounds.
Davey Grant vs. Elijah Smith
Davey Grant fires a powerful knee to the head of Adrian Luna Martinetti. Credit: MMA Mania.
Bantamweight Bout
Davey Grant: 18-8-0, 4 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.
Elijah Smith: 10-1-0, 5 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Grant has won three of his last five outings and has UFC victories over #14-ranked Bantamweight Marlon Vera (24-12-1), Jonathan Martinez (19-6-0), and Da’Mon Blackshear (17-8-1). He’s a crafty veteran with a well-rounded skill set who’s dangerous anywhere the fight goes. He has solid power in his hands and kicks and varies his targets well, regularly ripping to the head and body with his punches and ending his combinations with damaging leg kicks. Grant can do damage from anywhere, whether he’s going forward or backward, and has a great chin, never backing down from an exchange. Training at SBG Bishop Auckland, he holds a black belt in BJJ and is sound both offensively and defensively on the mat, with great takedown defense and excellent submissions. He has secured all of his submission wins with some form of choke and even has a rare win by inverted triangle in the UFC. Grant heats up as the fight continues, growing in confidence over time and letting his hands go more often.
Elijah Smith applies a vicious rear naked choke to SuYoung You. Credit: MMA Mania.
Smith is on an eight-fight win streak and holds UFC wins over SuYoung You (17-4-0), Vince Morales (16-11-0), and Toshiomi Kazama (11-5-0). He’s a powerful, dominant wrestler with sharp boxing skills. He has extremely fast hands and outstanding counterstriking, regularly catching opponents as they finish their combinations or exit the pocket. He’s averaging about three takedowns per fifteen minutes and is very explosive, capable of executing devastating slams. Training at Victory MMA, he applies nonstop offense from top position, raining down powerful ground-and-pound shots and hunting for submissions, usually chokes. He’s excellent defensively on the mat as well, with great takedown and submission defense. Smith pushes a heavy pace from the opening bell and has secured four of his five knockouts in the first round.
#3 Tatiana Suarez vs. #2 Virna Jandiroba
Tatiana Suarez rains down ground-and-pound shots onto Loopy Godínez. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Women’s Strawweight Bout
Tatiana Suarez: 13-1-0, 2 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.
Virna Jandiroba: 23-4-0, 1 KO/TKO, 14 Sub.
Suarez has won four of her last five fights and has UFC victories over #2-ranked Flyweight Alexa Grasso (18-5-1), #10-ranked Strawweight Loopy Godínez (15-6-0), and Jéssica Andrade (26-15-0). One of the most skilled female grapplers in the UFC, she’s a dominant wrestler who’s nearly impossible to shake off. She has excellent takedowns, averaging nearly five landed per 15 minutes, and has landed at least one takedown in all of her UFC fights. Training at Millennia MMA, Suarez won’t waste much time on the feet, often throwing kicks at range before closing distance and clinching up. She’s seemingly always one step ahead in the grappling department, typically dominating her opponent if she can take top position. She’s extremely defensively sound and rarely takes much damage, absorbing fewer than two strikes per minute in the UFC. The Ultimate Fighter 23 winner, Suarez, has the highest control time percentage in UFC women’s Strawweight history at 58.6% and is rarely put into dangerous spots.
Virna Jandiroba blasts Tabatha Ricci with ground-and-pound. Credit: MMA Mania.
Jandiroba has won four of her last five bouts and has UFC victories over #10-ranked Strawweight Loopy Godínez (15-6-0), #11-ranked Strawweight Yan Xiaonan (19-6-0), and #13-ranked Strawweight Tabatha Ricci (12-5-0). She’s a tenacious grappler with excellent takedowns and lethal submissions. She’s a bit limited on her feet, mostly throwing straight punches and 1-2 combinations before closing the distance and pursuing takedowns. Jandiroba is averaging over three takedowns and over one submission attempt per fifteen minutes, and she constantly looks to get her opponent in the clinch along the fence. Training at Academia Fight House, she has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, heavy top control, and always works for a finish on the ground. She has excellent sweeps and reversals, almost always ending up in top position when the fight hits the mat. Jandiroba has secured nine of her fourteen submission victories via choke, with six of those being rear-naked chokes, and is extremely dangerous if she can get a hold of her opponent’s neck.
#8 Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. #12 Johnny Walker
Waldo Cortes-Acosta rains down punches from full mount. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Heavyweight Bout
Waldo Cortes-Acosta: 17-4-0, 9 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Johnny Walker: 23-10-0, 18 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Acosta has won three of his last five outings and holds UFC wins over #14-ranked Heavyweight Serghei Spivac (18-7-0), Shamil Gaziev (15-3-0), and Derrick Lewis (29-14-0). He is a heavy-handed brawler with excellent boxing and a dangerous right hand. He has strong counterstriking and is comfortable fighting on his back foot, regularly slipping big shots before returning with offense of his own. Training at UKF Gym, Acosta is light on his feet for a Heavyweight and moves in and out of the pocket quickly, rarely absorbing much damage. He favors power over volume and remains patient throughout, fighting behind his jab and looking for openings to land the knockout blow. While he won’t usually initiate grappling exchanges, he has demonstrated a solid ability to return to his feet. Acosta is always willing to exchange inside the pocket and have a wild brawl, and he has earned two Performance of the Night bonuses in his last five UFC appearances.
Johnny Walker attempts a wild flying knee on Anthony Smith. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Walker has won two of his last five fights and has UFC wins over #6-ranked Light Heavyweight Khalil Rountree Jr. (15-7-0), Zhang Mingyang (19-8-0), and Ryan Spann (24-12-0). He is a lengthy, unorthodox striker with an outstanding kicking game. He’s in perpetual motion and often floats along the outside, looking to control the pace and distance. Although not as wild as when he first entered the UFC, he still has an arsenal of flashy attacks and can produce a highlight-reel knockout at any time. He’s a massive 6’6”, typically has a height and reach advantage, and uses it well, constantly blasting his opponents with strikes from range. Training at Porrada Training Center, Walker won’t typically take it to the mat, but he will land devastating ground-and-pound if he finds himself in top position. In 33 professional fights, Walker has gone the distance only five times, always leaving everything inside the cage.
Best Bets
Marcos Degli Moneyline: This is an excellent matchup of two talented Flyweights. Both have well-rounded skills, but I believe Degli is the more powerful striker and can outmatch Raposo on the mat. Although Raposo has shown some power in his hands during his UFC tenure, he hasn't produced a finish and has largely been in close fights where he never quite pulls away. Degli has seen the judges’ scorecards just once in his last sixteen fights and has controlled most of his opponents wherever the fight goes. Both tend to be patient and pick their shots on their feet, and patience favors Degli, not Raposo, since Degli only needs a few clean shots to put someone away. Raposo is a solid wrestler, but Degli is the far more explosive of the two, and with the constant knockout threat on the feet, I’m confident he’ll be able to take Raposo down if he opts to. I expect this fight to have a bit of a feeling-out process, with both taking their time and looking for openings to land combinations, with Degli landing the bigger shots early on. As the fight continues, I expect Degli to control the striking exchanges, deny any takedowns, and land repeated power shots en route to a debut victory.
Lucas Fernando Moneyline: This is a great matchup between two rapidly rising Light Heavyweight prospects. Although both have excellent finishing abilities, I believe Fernando's technical striking and takedown defense will be the deciding factor. Elekana has scored two straight submission wins, but he struggled on his feet in both fights and held a clear grappling advantage, allowing him to take the fight to the ground and secure the submission. Unlike either of Elekana's last two opponents, Fernando is both an outstanding striker and a proficient grappler, with a black belt in BJJ and strong takedown defense. I expect Fernando to control the striking exchanges from the opening bell, forcing Elekana onto his back foot and battering him with clean, heavy punches and kicks. As the fight continues, I expect Elekana to grow desperate, pursuing takedowns, wearing down his cardio and allowing Fernando to fully dictate the pace and distance of the fight. Ultimately, I expect a dominant, impressive showing from Fernando that will result in his second UFC victory.
Johnny Walker Moneyline: This is an intriguing matchup of two Heavyweight strikers that I’ve been looking forward to. Either has the power to produce a knockout at any time, but I believe Walker has a far more diverse striking attack and will get the better of Acosta on their feet. Acosta heavily relies on his right hand and typically looks to brawl, not throwing many kicks or posing much of a threat from range. Walker, as usual, holds a reach advantage and has a huge arsenal of kicks and unorthodox attacks that can be used from range to back up the power in his hands. Acosta has also repeatedly struggled with his grappling and takedown defense, and although Walker won’t usually take the fight to the mat, he has a definite grappling advantage and can fall back on it if needed. I expect these two to meet in the center of the Octagon early on and let their hands go, with Walker doing constant damage with kicks from range and body shots. As Walker continues to land, I expect Acosta to slow, not offering much output while headhunting with power shots, allowing Walker to fully open up with his striking and use his full array of attacks. I believe this will be a very entertaining fight with plenty of exciting striking exchanges, but I’m confident that Walker will emerge the victor.
