The UFC is in Kansas City, Missouri, and two of the best rising Welterweight contenders are facing off in the Main Event. No. 7 Ian Machado Garry takes on No. 13 Carlos Prates in a short-notice fight. Garry is coming off his first career loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December 2024. Prates from the Fighting Nerds has started his UFC career with four straight knockouts.
In the last few years, the Fighting Nerds from Brazil have taken the UFC by storm. Caio Borralho, Jean Silva, Mauricio Ruffy, and Carlos Prates are a combined 24-0 in the UFC. Prates knocked out Li Jingliang and Neil Magny in his previous two fights. He has not appeared in a third round in his four bouts in the UFC. Prates has 19 knockouts in his 21 wins in his MMA career. He has won 11 straight fights, with 10 coming by knockout. Each member of this team has a calm demeanor and presence when they step into the UFC Octagon. Each one of them possesses supreme confidence and seems primed for greatness.
Although Garry looked good and put up a competitive fight against Rakhmonov, he still didn’t get the victory. He needs to win this fight to prove he is still among the elite welterweights in the world. Machado Garry is the favorite at -155 on DraftKings Sportsbook while Prates is a +130 underdog. Garry is 8-1 in the UFC with three knockouts. Prates and Garry each look like former title challengers, but only one can come out as the victor in this contest. Will Prates’ win streak continue, or can Garry get back in the win column?
A perennial contender in the light heavyweight division, Anthony “Lionheart” Smith is likely going to make his final appearance in his MMA career on Saturday. Smith is facing Zhang Mingyang, who is a devastating finisher riding an 11-fight win streak. Smith is a big +320 underdog, while Mingyang is -410 to win this bout. This is Smith’s 60th fight in his career and 25th in the UFC.
Veteran No. 12 Giga Chikadze is facing David Onama in a featherweight bout on the Main Card. Chikadze missed weight on Friday as he weighed in at 147 pounds. The Featherweight limit is 146 pounds for non-title bouts. Chikadze began his UFC career on a seven-fight win streak, but since then, he has suffered two defeats in his last three contests. Onama, 30, is six years younger and has a three-fight win streak. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Onama is the favorite in this fight at -198.
The Prelims begin at 6:00 p.m. ET, with the Main Card starting at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and ESPN2. Check out the entire 14-fight card below.
Main Card | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| #7 Ian Machado Garry vs. #13 Carlos Prates Main Event: | 15-1 (8-1 UFC) vs. 21-6 (4-0 UFC) | Welterweight | -155 vs. +130 |
| #15 Anthony Smith vs. Zhang Mingyang | 38-21 (13-11 UFC) vs. 18-6 (2-0 UFC) | Light Heavyweight | +320 vs. -410 |
| #12 Giga Chikadze vs. David Onama | 15-4 (8-2 UFC) vs. 13-2 (5-2 UFC) | Featherweight | +164 vs. -198 |
| #14 Michel Pereira vs. Abus Magomedov | 31-12 (9-3 UFC) vs. 27-6-1 (3-2 UFC) | Middleweight | -142 vs. +120 |
| Randy Brown vs. Nicolas Dalby | 19-6 (13-6 UFC) vs. 23-5-1 (7-4-1 UFC) | Welterweight | -278 vs. +225 |
| Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz | 15-2 (2-1 UFC) vs. 24-6 (6-2 UFC) | Middleweight | -500 vs. +380 |
Prelims | 6:00 p.m. ET | ESPN 2/ESPN+
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| Matt Schnell vs. Jimmy Flick | 16-9 (6-7 UFC) vs. 17-8 (2-3 UFC) | Flyweight | -185 vs. +154 |
| Evan Elder vs. Gauge Young | 9-2 (2-2 UFC) vs. 9-2 | Lightweight | -205 vs. +170 |
| Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castaneda | 21-6-2 (9-3-1 UFC) vs. 21-7 (4-3 UFC) | Featherweight | -148 vs. +124 |
| Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Alatengheili | 16-7-1 (4-3-1 UFC) vs. 17-9-2 (5-2-1 UFC) | Bantamweight | -520 vs. +390 |
| Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Cameron Saaiman | 8-0 vs. 9-2 (3-2 UFC) | Bantamweight | -125 vs. +105 |
| Jaqueline Amorim vs. Polyana Viana | 9-1 (3-1 UFC) vs. 13-7 (4-6 UFC) | W Strawweight | -800 vs. +550 |
| Timmy Cuamba vs. Roberto Romero | 8-3 (0-2 UFC) vs. 8-4-1 (0-1 UFC) | Featherweight | +100 vs. -120 |
| #14 Chelsea Chandler vs. Joselyne Edwards | 6-3 (2-2 UFC) vs. 14-6 (5-4 UFC) | W Bantamweight | +245 vs. -305 |
