Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Craig

Ranked middleweights looking to close out the year with another quality effort face off in the main event as Brendan Allen and Paul Craig go head-to-head in the final bout at the APEX this year.

Allen earned a trio of victories in 2022 and looks to accomplish the same feat with a victory this weekend, entering his first scheduled UFC main event having earned five straight wins, with each of the last three coming by way of rear-naked choke submission. The 27-year-old Louisiana native has always flashed upside, but now seems to be putting it all together, fighting with more poise and confidence than at any other point of his career.

Welterweights meet in the co-main event as Michael Morales puts his undefeated record on the line against Australian veteran Jake Matthews in Saturday’s penultimate pairing.

Brandishing a perfect 15-0 mark that includes wins in each of his first three UFC appearances, Morales looks to keep his methodical march up the rankings going as he returns to the APEX this weekend. After impressing on Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), the Ecuadorian prospect posted stoppage wins over Trevin Giles and Adam Fugitt in his rookie year on the roster, and followed that up with a hard-fought decision nod over Max Griffin at the start of July.

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Still just 29 years old, Matthews has been on the UFC roster for a decade and has more appearances inside the Octagon (18) than Morales does fights. After opening his time at welterweight with six wins in seven starts, the former TUF Nations contestant has alternated losses and wins over his last four, offering glimpses of quality athleticism and finishing instincts.

While not quite your classic “prospect versus veteran” clash, this is a bout designed (I think) to get another read on how Morales acquits himself against an opponent with far more experience in the Octagon, while upping the level of finishing threat from his last outing. Matthews may have shown some inconsistency over his last four, but he also ran through Andre Fialho and dominated Darrius Flowers, and clearly has the skills to do the same to his 25-year-old adversary here if Morales isn’t on point on Saturday night.

Chase Hooper vs Jordan Leavitt

Chase Hooper and Jordan Leavitt face off in the middle of this weekend’s main card in a lightweight clash that should be all kinds of fun.

Hooper made his UFC lightweight debut last time out and looked sharp, turning in a solid all-around effort against Nick Fiore to get himself back into the win column and maintain his pattern of alternating wins and losses inside the Octagon. The Oregon native continues to grow into his considerable frame and his understanding of how to deploy his weapons effectively at this level, and remains the kind of young fighter that is worth keeping an eye on as he looks to earn consecutive victories inside the Octagon for the first time.

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A member of the DWCS Class of 2020, Leavitt also rebounded with his most impressive outing to date last time out, earning a Performance of the Night bonus for his first-round stoppage win over Victor Martinez. The Syndicate MMA representative is 4-2 in the UFC, 11-2 overall and, like Hooper, is still working to sharpen his striking and turn it into a strong compliment for his quality grappling.

Both of these athletes are still putting the pieces together, and pairing them off together is the right decision for each of them at this point in their development. This one could play out in any number of ways, but the grappling fanatic in me hopes we get a scramble-filled battle on the canvas full of attacks and counters, submission attempts and defenses.

Payton Talbott vs Nick Aguirre

Recent DWCS winner Payton Talbott makes his promotional debut this weekend, facing off with Nick Aguirre in a main card clash in the bantamweight division.

Unbeaten in six pro starts, Talbott scored a unanimous decision win and UFC contract in August, rallying after dropping the opening round to defeat Reyes Cortez Jr. A Las Vegas native, Talbott had finished each of his previous fight outings inside the distance, and will look to get back to his fight-ending ways in his homecoming this weekend.

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Aguirre made his first trip into the Octagon earlier this year, stepping in on short notice and dropping a decision to Dan Argueta. It was the first career loss for the McKendree University alum, and you can be certain that “Slick Nick” will want to avoid that loss turning into a losing streak when he steps in with Talbott on Saturday evening.

Luana Pinheiro vs Amanda Ribas

It’s a meeting between ranked Brazilian strawweights as Luana Pinheiro welcomes Amanda Ribas back to the 115-pound ranks this weekend.

After missing all of 2022 recovering from a knee injury, Pinheiro pushed her winning streak to nine with a split decision victory over Michelle Waterson-Gomez at UFC 287 in Miami. The 29-year-old currently sits at No. 9 in the rankings, and her ceiling remains undefined as she continues posting victories with each step up in competition.

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Ribas fights at strawweight for the first time in two years, looking to showcase the form that carried her to a unanimous decision win over Virna Jandiroba in her last appearance in the division. She went 1-2 in her last three fights at flyweight, most recently landing on the business end of things in a clash with Maycee Barber, yet is still an intriguing addition back into the mix because we’ve seen her succeed against quality competition in the past.

More than any other bout on the card besides the main event, this is a high-stakes battle that is going to tell us a great deal about where each of these two women currently stand in the division and what is reasonable to expect from them going forward. This is Pinheiro’s toughest assignment to date, while also being a great measuring stick opportunity for Ribas, and it will be fascinating to see how things play out when these compatriots clash inside the Octagon.

Jonny Parsons vs Uros Medic

The prelims wrap with an outstanding pairing in the featherweight division, as Jonathan Pearce returns to take on Joanderson Brito.

Unbeaten in five starts in the 145-pound weight class, Pearce broke into the rankings earlier in his run, but has since fallen out as a result of an extended stay on the sidelines. He earned a trio of wins in 2022, and profiles as a potential dark horse in the division if he can keep his run of positive results going through this one.

Brito has rebounded from a loss to Bill Algeo in his promotional debut with three straight first-round stoppage wins, blasting through veteran staple Andre Fili in 41 seconds before dispatching late replacements Lucas Alexander and Westin Wilson in his last two outings. The 28-year-old Brazilian has gone 13-1-1 over his last 15 outings, and will look to take a big step forward with a victory here.

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Heavyweight neophytes square off here as Britain’s Mick Parkin welcomes Brazilian Caio Machado to the UFC.

Following a first-round upset win on Season 6 of the Contender Series, Parkin showed heaps of promise in his promotional debut victory over Jamal Pogues earlier this summer in London. Machado won a decision over an unengaged Kevin Szaflarski to run his winning streak to seven and garner this opportunity, but now the former Battlefield Fight League champ needs to show he has the goods to compete at this level.

Jeka Saragih vs Lucas Alexander

Road to UFC finalist Jeka Saragih returns to action against Lucas Alexander in what should be a spirited featherweight affair this weekend.

Saragih, the first Indonesian to compete in the UFC, was stopped by Anshul Jubli in the lightweight finale in February, but now drops down a division to see if the 145-pound ranks are a more suitable fit. After falling to Brito in his short-notice debut, Alexander bounced back with a unanimous decision win over veteran Steven Peterson last time out, getting himself moving in the right direction again while pushing his record to 8-3 overall.

Lucie Pudilova vs Ailin Perez

It’s a meeting between 29-year-old bantamweights looking to head into 2024 on a high note here as Lucie Pudilova shares the Octagon with Ailin Perez.

Pudilova made her return to the UFC last August with a win over Wu Yanan, but landed on the wrong side of a debated split decision verdict last time out, halting her tidy three-fight winning streak. Perez looked infinitely better in her second UFC appearance in July, registering a unanimous decision win over Ashlee Evans-Smith to move to 8-2 overall.

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Flyweights Charles Johnson and Rafael Estevam get the call to open the show this weekend in Las Vegas.

Johnson looked to be building a little momentum when he kicked off his 2024 campaign with a first-round stoppage win over Jimmy Flick that gave him consecutive UFC victories, but since then, “InnerG” has dropped back-to-back decisions to Ode Osbourne and Cody Durden. After a pair of cancelled bouts, the 27-year-old Estevam finally makes his promotional debut, carrying an 11-0 record with seven finishes into his first appearance under the UFC banner.