The UFC is back at the Apex for Saturday’s fight night. This is the 100th fight night from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Veteran welterweight contender No. 15 Neil Magny faces rising prospect Carlos Prates in the Main Event. In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt was initially scheduled to face Miles Johns, but Garbrandt had to pull out for undisclosed reasons. Then, on Friday, the new co-main event, Ricky Turcios vs. Bernardo Sopaj, was canceled due to a medical issue with Turcios.
Prates has been on quite the run lately, knocking out nine opponents in the first or second round. He is 20-6 overall while being 3-0 in the UFC. Most recently, Prates knocked out veteran Li Jingliang at UFC 305 in August. Up until this point, Prates hasn’t appeared in a third round.
Magny, 37, has failed to win two consecutive fights since 2022. Most recently, Michael Morales knocked him out in the first round in August. This is a must-win for Magny. He is ranked on the edge of the top 15, and if he loses again, he will likely fall out of the welterweight rankings. Magny has not lost back-to-back fights since his third fight in the UFC in 2013.
On Saturday night, Magny will make his 34th walk to the Octogan, the most in UFC welterweight history. He has also landed the most total and significant strikes in the history of the welterweight division. Magny is a certified legend tied for the UFC’s fourth-most wins (22). Prates is the heavy favorite in this fight at -800, while Magny is +550.
Reinier de Ridder, the former ONE Championship light heavyweight champion, is making his UFC against veteran Gerald Meerschaert in a middleweight bout. ‘The Dutch Knight” is a big -298 on DraftKings sportsbook. He is 17-2 in his MMA career with 15 wins by finish. He is a very well-rounded fighter who can hurt opponents on the feet or the ground.
Although Meerschaert is 2-2 in his last four fights, he is coming off back-to-back victories for the first time since 2021. He submitted Bryan Barberena and Edmen Shashbazyan in the second round in the past eight months. In his first UFC fight, the eight-year UFC veteran will be a good test for de Ridder. Meerschaert’s last nine wins have come by submission. This fight is an excellent matchup featuring two talented finishers, mainly when the contest occurs on the ground.
Here are my best bets for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Prates.
Reinier de Ridder to Win by KO/TKO/DQ or Submission (+110)
Reinier de Ridder is under a lot of pressure for his first fight in the UFC. He is debuting as an experienced veteran of the sport with 19 fights and a championship from one of the biggest MMA organizations in the world. But the UFC is an entirely different experience. The UFC octagon presents a new level of pressure, even if it’s not in front of a big crowd at the Apex.
As I previously mentioned, this contest is between two fighters. Both guys are allergic to boring fights and decisions. De Ridder has only two wins by decision in his MMA career. I think the size advantage will be the difference in this fight. de Ridder has a three-inch edge in height (6’4″ vs. 6’1″). Although Meerschaert is an excellent finisher on the ground, he has a poor 34 percent takedown defense. If de Ridder has a big victory, he could quickly find himself in the rankings.
Matthew Semelsberger Moneyline (+140)
Matthew Semelsberger faces Charles Radtke in a three-round welterweight bout on the prelims. Semelsberger is the underdog in this fight at +140 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Semelsberger has been in the UFC for four years and is 5-5. He won four of his first five fights in the promotion but has hit a rough patch lately. He has lost four of his previous five fights.
But that means that Semelsberger is in a must-win situation. If he loses his fourth straight fight, his time in the UFC may end. He is facing a formidable competitor in Radtke, who is coming off a loss to Carlos Prates. Semelsberger has advantages in height (6’1″ vs. 5’9″) and reach (75″ vs. 72″). This contest will most likely occur on the feet, and Semelsberger lands about 0.5 more significant strikes per minute than Radtke.
Radtke is a slightly more efficient striker but Semelsberger defends strikes at a 54 percent rate. Semelsberger is the more experienced fighter, and if he uses his size to his advantage, he will have a great chance to pick up the upset.
Main Card starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| #15 Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates | 28-13 (22-11 UFC) vs. 20-6 (4-0 UFC) | Welterweight | +550 vs. -800 |
| Gerald Meerschaert vs. Reinier de Ridder | 37-17 (12-9 UFC) vs. 17-2 | W Strawweight | +250 vs. -310 |
| Gaston Bolanos vs. Cortavious Romious | 7-4 (1-1 UFC) vs. 9-2 | Bantamweight | +180 vs. -218 |
| #13 Luana Pinheiro vs. #14 Gillian Robertson | 11-3 (3-2 UFC) vs. 14-8 (11-6 UFC) | W Strawweight | +310 vs. -395 |
| Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dusko Todorovic | 6-0 vs. 12-4 (3-4 UFC) | Middleweight | -485 vs. +370 |
Prelims on ESPN+ start at 4 p.m. ET.
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| #15 Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Denise Gomes | 16-8 (9-8 UFC) vs. 9-3 (3-2 UFC) | Welterweight | +390 vs. -520 |
| Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Zachary Scroggin | 24-8-1 (10-4 UFC) vs. 7-0 | Welterweight | -850 vs. +575 |
| Matthew Semelsberger vs. Charles Radtke | 11-7 (5-5 UFC) vs. 9-4 (2-1 UFC) | Welterweight | +140 vs. -166 |
| Cody Stamann vs. Da’Mon Blackshear | 21-7-1 (7-6-1 UFC) vs. 14-7-1 | Bantamweight | +215 vs. -265 |
| Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trocoli | 5-2 vs. 12-4 | Middleweight | -180 vs. +150 |
| Melissa Mullins vs. Klaudia Sygula | 6-1 vs. 6-1 | W Bantamweight | -258 vs. +210 |
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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