*Aljamain Sterling looks to secure a takedown on Movsar Evloev. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

The UFC returns to its headquarters at the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, with an exciting Fight Night card. There’s plenty of high-level matchups and outstanding fighters all looking to put on a show inside the Octagon on Saturday. In the co-main event, two dangerous female Bantamweights will collide when Norma Dumont takes on Joselyne Edwards. In the main event, we’ll see a former champion, Aljamain Sterling, square off with a streaking contender in Youssef Zalal. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann

*Marcus Buchecha looks to secure a kimura lock on Martin Buday. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Heavyweight Bout

Marcus Buchecha: 5-2-1, 1 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Ryan Spann: 23-11-0, 6 KO/TKO, 14 Sub.

Buchecha has won two of his last five fights, with one draw, and is seeking his first UFC victory. He’s a highly accomplished BJJ practitioner, holding a spot in the IBJJF Hall of Fame and multiple gold medals in high-level competition. He’s not a particularly technical striker, but he has solid power in his hands and a good chin. Buchecha usually won’t waste much time before attempting a takedown, typically a powerful blast double-leg, and will quickly establish a dominant position on the mat. Once the fight hits the mat, he’s very efficient and tough to escape from, rarely wasting energy or losing control of his opponent. Training at American Top Team, he’s always working for a finish in top position and can find submissions with impressive speed from seemingly any position. Buchecha has proven to be a quick finisher in his brief MMA career, having secured all his victories in 3:30 or less.

*Ryan Spann stuns Ovince Saint Preux with a heavy left hand. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Spann has won two of his last five bouts, holding UFC victories over #9 ranked Light Heavyweight Dominick Reyes (16-5-0), Ovince Saint Preux (27-18-0), and Ion Cutelaba (20-11-1). He’s an aggressive power puncher with outstanding submission skills. He throws everything with bad intentions, often opening with heavy kicks before closing the distance and throwing bombs. Spann is willing to exchange on the feet but often shoots for a takedown early on and averages over one takedown per fifteen minutes. Training at Fortis MMA, he’s very active in top position and will immediately look to advance, posture up, or secure a submission. He has an outstanding guillotine and will regularly look to lock it in, whether he’s standing or on the mat, and has earned eleven victories via guillotine choke. Spann is at his best early on, with eighteen of his twenty finish wins coming in the first round.

#14 Montel Jackson vs. Raoni Barcelos

*Montel Jackson finishes off Da’Mon Blackshear after flooring him with a straight left hand. Credit: Bloody Elbow.*

Bantamweight Bout

Montel Jackson: 15-3-0, 8 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Raoni Barcelos: 21-5-0, 8 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Jackson has won four of his last five outings and holds UFC victories coming over Da’Mon Blackshear (17-8-1), Julio Arce (21-7-0), and Daniel Marcos (18-1-0). He’s a well-rounded fighter with one-punch knockout power and excellent wrestling skills. He won’t telegraph punches, throwing every shot with impressive speed and power while remaining technical and picking his shots. Jackson will regularly blitz forward to unload a quick combination of straights and hooks before returning to range unscathed. He’s landing, on average, three takedowns per fifteen minutes in the UFC and will constantly look to posture up and land damage when in top position. He’s highly elusive and defensively sound, rarely absorbing much damage and typically staying out of the pocket where he can use his length. Jackson has outlanded all of his twelve UFC opponents and has scored at least one knockdown in seven of his last nine fights.

*Raoni Barcelos pops Trevin Jones with a stinging left hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Barcelos has won four of his last five fights, with UFC victories coming over #11 ranked Bantamweight Payton Talbott (11-1-0), Ricky Simón (22-7-1), and Cody Garbrandt (15-7-0). He’s an experienced scrapper with sharp, technical striking and fantastic grappling skills. He throws everything with power while remaining technical and precise, picking his shots and staying composed throughout. Barcelos has great distance management and head movement, but he’s willing to exchange inside the pocket and take a shot to land one. He’s a lifelong grappler with a background in freestyle wrestling and a black belt in BJJ, landing, on average, over two takedowns per fifteen minutes. He has smothering control and won’t get wild on top, usually focusing on maintaining his position and hunting for submissions instead of landing ground-and-pound. Barcelos is comfortable anywhere the fight goes, but he’s at his best on the mat, having landed at least one takedown in each of his last five fights.

Davey Grant vs. Adrián Luna Martinetti

*Davey Grant digs a vicious knee to the body of Ramon Taveras. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Bantamweight Bout

Davey Grant: 17-8-0, 4 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.

Adrián Luna Martinetti: 17-1-0, 4 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.

Grant has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over #10 ranked Bantamweight Marlon Vera (23-12-1), 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.

*Adrian Luna Martinetti tags a battered Mark Vologdin with a stiff left hand. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Martinetti is on a fifteen-fight win streak and making his UFC debut. He’s a marauding brawler who always comes forward and never backs down from a fight. He’s comfortable anywhere and has a very fluid style, not necessarily fighting with a rigid game plan, and engages in the fight wherever it goes. He’s an unpredictable striker who favors volume over power, often extending 7 or 8 punch combinations, battering his opponent’s head and body. Martinetti is relentless, always coming forward to keep throwing with no concern about taking a shot to land one. Training at Entram Gym, he’s a brown belt in BJJ and has good entries on his takedowns, often waiting for his opponent to get comfortable striking before shooting in. He’s as active in top position as he is on his feet and will constantly look to posture up and do damage. Martinetti is coming off one of the greatest Contender Series fights of all time with Mark Vologdin, where he landed 223 total strikes.

Rafa García vs. Alexander Hernandez

*Rafa García rains down ground and pound shots onto Jared Gordon after dropping him with a right hand. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Lightweight Bout

Rafa García: 18-4-0, 2 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Alexander Hernandez: 18-8-0, 8 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

García has won four of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Jared Gordon (21-8-0), Clay Guida (38-22-0), and Vinc Pichel (14-5-0). He’s a well-rounded, gritty fighter who’s comfortable anywhere the fight goes. Often at a reach disadvantage, he’s constantly looking to close the distance, regularly coming forward with heavy hooks and overhands. García has solid cardio, pushing a consistent pace throughout, and is always willing to exchange inside the pocket. Training at Bloodline Combat, he’s landing, on average, over three takedowns per fifteen minutes and has excellent timing, never telegraphing his shots. He’s a grinder in top position, constantly advancing and landing ground and pound to wear down his opponents. García is always dangerous, especially early on, with five of his eight submissions coming in the first round.

*Alexander Hernandez lands a stinging right hand on Diego Ferreira. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Hernandez has won three of his last five fights, holding UFC victories over #12 ranked Lightweight Beneil Dariush (23-7-1), Diego Ferreira (19-7-0), and Jim Miller (38-19-0). He’s a technical, elusive striker with impressive precision and power in his hands. He’s very light on his feet and has excellent footwork, staying in constant motion and rarely lingering in one spot. Hernandez favors power over volume and will remain patient and cautious while waiting for openings to land power shots. He’s dangerous in the clinch and can do serious damage with little space, especially with his knees, elbows, and straight punches. Training at FactoryX Muay Thai, he’s averaging more than one takedown per 15 minutes and holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but he’s comfortable on his feet and won’t often rely on his grappling. Hernandez has secured five of his eight knockouts in the first round and is at his most dangerous early on.

#3 Norma Dumont vs. #11 Joselyne Edwards

*Norma Dumont lands a thudding overhand right on a bloodied Irene Aldana. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Women’s Bantamweight Bout

Norma Dumont: 13-2-0, 0 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Joselyne Edwards: 17-6-0, 7 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.

Dumont is on a six-fight win streak and holds UFC victories over #4 ranked Bantamweight Ketlen Vieira (15-5-0), #6 ranked Bantamweight Irene Aldana (15-8-0), and #8 ranked Bantamweight Karol Rosa (19-7-0). She’s an elusive striker with solid power and strong grappling to back it up. She holds a black belt in Sanda and uses a very upright stance with her hands down, making her unpredictable and rarely telegraphing her intentions. Everything Dumont throws is heavy, especially her kicks, which she usually opens with before letting her hands go. She has excellent defensive skills and almost always dishes out more damage than she takes, having successfully defended 65% of significant strikes attempted on her in the UFC. Training at Chute Boxe DL, she has a black belt in BJJ and averages over one takedown per fifteen minutes, but is most comfortable on her feet and won’t force the fight to the mat. Dumont has outlanded nine of her eleven UFC opponents and rarely takes much damage, averaging just 31 significant strikes absorbed per fight.

*Joselyne Edwards blasts Priscila Cachoeira with a vicious left hand. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Edwards has won four of her last five bouts, with UFC victories coming over #13 ranked Bantamweight Nora Cornolle (9-4-0), Priscila Cachoeira (13-8-0), and Chelsea Chandler (6-4-0). She’s a power-punching boxer who pushes a heavy pace from the opening bell. She throws everything with knockout intent and is willing to exchange in the pocket, but she has sharp hands and won’t get wild. Edwards constantly pressures her opponent, fighting behind her jab and landing heavy kicks before blitzing into the pocket to unload powerful combinations. Although she generally favors her boxing, she can occasionally get flashy with her striking, mixing in spinning backfists or elbows. Training at Kings MMA, she holds a purple belt in BJJ and is willing to bring the fight to the mat, often shooting for takedowns early, and is capable of brutal slams. Edwards has finished four consecutive opponents, with two wins by submission and two by knockout, and is dangerous at all times.

#5 Aljamain Sterling vs. #7 Youssef Zalal

*Aljamain Sterling unloads ground and pound shots onto Calvin Kattar. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Featherweight Bout

Aljamain Sterling: 25-5-0, 3 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Youssef Zalal: 18-5-1, 4 KO/TKO, 10 Sub.

Sterling has won three of his last five outings and holds UFC victories over Bantamweight champion Petr Yan (20-5-0), #4 ranked Bantamweight Cory Sandhagen (18-6-0), and #11 ranked Featherweight Brian Ortega (16-5-0). He’s an excellent grappler with fantastic wrestling and a lethal submission game. He has smothering top control, regularly posturing up to do damage while looking for submission openings. Sterling has solid kickboxing to back up his grappling, with impressive speed in both his hands and his kicks. He has the cardio to push a furious pace for all 25 minutes, whether on the feet or on the ground. Training with the Serra-Longo Fight Team, he’s landing, on average, about five takedowns per fight in his last five appearances. Seven of Sterling’s eight submissions have come via a choke, so he’s extremely dangerous if he can find his opponent’s neck.

*Youssef Zalal forces Josh Emett to submit with a vicious armbar. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Zalal is on an eight-fight win streak and has UFC victories over Josh Emett (19-7-0), Calvin Kattar (23-10-0), and Billy Quarantillo (18-7-0). Now on his second run in the promotion, he’s a well-rounded fighter with solid wrestling and technical kickboxing. He’s constantly moving, using his footwork to hold the center and keep his opponent on the outside. Zalal has outstanding elbows and knees and won’t get sloppy, never telegraphing his attacks. Training at FactoryX Muay Thai, he has excellent wrestling and is averaging over two takedowns per fifteen minutes in the UFC. He won’t force anything on the ground, remaining patient and keeping himself in advantageous positions. Zalal has never been finished in his career and is willing to engage the fight anywhere.

Best Bets

Ryan Spann by KO/TKO: This is an exciting matchup of two dangerous Heavyweights. Although they both have solid skill sets, Spann is not only the more well-rounded fighter but also the much more experienced of the two. Buchecha is a legend in the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but he has had only 8 professional fights, whereas Spann has had 15 fights in the UFC alone and faced plenty of high-level competition. While Spann has struggled at times in his UFC tenure, his biggest weakness is power-punchers, and Buchecha’s striking is not much to write home about. Along with his sizable advantage in the striking department, I believe he has the wrestling to keep this fight standing, forcing Buchecha to go toe-to-toe with him rather than use his BJJ. I expect Spann to come out guns blazing in this fight, forcing Buchecha onto his back foot early while denying any takedown attempts. The longer this fight stays standing, the worse it gets for Buchecha, and I don’t think it will take long for Spann to find the shot that ends Buchecha’s night and earns him a knockout victory.

Norma Dumont Moneyline: This is a fight between two high-level Bantamweights that I’ve been looking forward to. Both of these women have great technical skills and pack a solid punch, but I believe Dumont’s elusiveness and grappling will be the deciding factor. Edwards, although she has great kicks, favors her hands and is always coming forward to throw, which I believe plays right into Dumont's game. In her fight with Irene Aldana, another boxing-heavy fighter, she did a fantastic job with her footwork and kicks, avoiding Aldana’s punches while floating on the outside and landing heavy kicks. I expect a similar game plan from Dumont here, along with some takedowns mixed in, since she often uses her grappling when facing strikers. I expect Dumont to be in perpetual motion, using Edwards’ aggressiveness to lead her around the cage and drawing her into Dumont’s offense. As the fight continues, I expect Dumont to secure takedowns, control Edwards, drain her cardio, and limit her power punches en route to a seventh straight victory.

Sterling vs. Zalal Over 4.5 Rounds: This is a fantastic matchup between two very high-level, well-rounded fighters. They’re very similar in skill, and I believe they cancel each other out in many ways, which should allow this fight to last longer. Zalal has been on a tear since re-entering the UFC, submitting four of his last five opponents, but none of them had the grappling pedigree of Sterling, who’s never been submitted in his professional career. Sterling has solid striking but favors his wrestling and has won the majority of his fights by decision, with his most recent finish coming in 2022 over TJ Dillashaw. I expect this fight to largely play out on the mat, especially since both fighters have been talking about testing each other’s grappling throughout the week. I believe they’re relatively evenly matched on the feet as well, so even if it stays standing, I’d anticipate many close exchanges and both men fighting cautiously. Ultimately, I expect this fight to be close wherever or however it plays out, and I’m confident it will last at least four and a half rounds.

UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal Preview