Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Vancouver

Streaking Dutch standout Reinier de Ridder looks to continue making his case for a title shot, while Brendan Allen aims to catapult himself into the thick of the chase in this fascinating main-event pairing.

Making his fourth appearance of the year and fifth start in less than a year, de Ridder arrives in Vancouver with a 4-0 record inside the Octagon, coming off a split decision win over former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. He’s elevated his performance with each subsequent appearance, following his debut third-round win over Gerald Meerschaert with finishes of Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal before edging out “The Reaper” in Abu Dhabi this past summer.

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Allen raised his hand to fill in for Anthony Hernandez when “Fluffy” was forced to withdraw with an injury. After losing to Hernandez in February, the Louisiana native rebounded with a unanimous decision victory over Marvin Vettori in his home state of Louisiana at UFC 318, moving him to 8-2 over his last 10 appearances.

The most intriguing element here is the impact this contest can have on the title picture in the 185-pound weight class. Nassourdine Imavov is the clubhouse leader for the next title opportunity after beating Caio Borralho in Paris, but de Ridder can make more of a discussion with a fifth straight victory here. While Allen likely won’t vault into the championship conversation with a win, given that he lost to Imavov last September, he can shake things up by scoring another victory here.

Additional Main Card Matchups

Kevin Holland vs Mike Malott

The ever-active Kevin Holland makes his first business trip to Canada, where he faces off with the leader of the “Maple Leaf Militia,” Mike Malott, in a tremendous bit of welterweight matchmaking.

Holland kicked off the year as a middleweight, losing to de Ridder in January, before dropping back down to welterweight and earning consecutive wins over Gunnar Nelson and Vicente Luque. Last time out, he landed on the wrong side of the scorecards in a competitive back-and-forth tussle with Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 318, moving to 15-11 with one no contest inside the Octagon.

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Malott makes his fifth straight start on Canadian soil, looking to build on his second-round knockout win over Charles Radtke at UFC 315 in Montreal this past May. The Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) grad has gone 5-1 since arriving in the UFC and is 12-2-1 overall, having earned finishes in all but one of those wins.

Holland has a ton of experience and is a challenging matchup for anyone, both because of his all-around toolkit and his constant chatter in the cage. Malott is a laser-focused competitor with a complete skill set and the backing of the partisan crowd. This one is going to tell us a great deal about where each man stands in the division and should be captivating for as long as it lasts.

Marlon Vera vs Aiemann Zahabi

Marlon “Chito” Vera returns to action for the first time in over a year, stepping in against streaking French-Canadian Aiemann Zahabi in this pairing of Top 10 bantamweights.

The 32-year-old Vera went 0-2 in 2024, falling to Sean O’Malley in their championship clash at UFC 299 before dropping a second consecutive unanimous decision to former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in August. The veteran is just 1-3 over his last four after posting four-straight wins to vault into title contention and will look to regroup by halting Zahabi’s ascent.

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Over his first four years on the UFC roster, Zahabi went just 1-2, taking a long break following his knockout loss at UFC 217 and again after his setback against Vince Morales. Since returning in February 2021, the 37-year-old has gone 6-0, climbing into the Top 10 in the 135-pound weight class on the heels of his come-from-behind win over UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo at UFC 315 in his hometown of Montreal earlier this year.

Can Vera get back in the win column, or will Zahabi continue earning the biggest win of his career each time out by adding another victory to his current run of success?

Manon Fiorot vs Jasmine Jasudavicius

It’s a matchup of Top 5 flyweights as Manon Fiorot meets Jasmine Jasudavicius.

Fiorot suffered her first UFC setback and just the second loss of her 14-fight career at UFC 315, landing on the wrong side of the cards in a hard-fought title fight against UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. “The Beast” owns wins over ranked standouts Jennifer Maia, Katlyn Cerminara, Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield, and will look to right the ship immediately here.

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Niagara Top Team’s Jasudavicius enters on a five-fight winning streak, having most recently submitted former strawweight titleholder Jessica Andrade in May. She’s continued to improve each time out, is 4-0 when competing in Canada, and will have the partisan crowd at Rogers Arena all fired up as she makes the walk this weekend.

With Shevchenko set to defend the title against strawweight queen Zhang Weili in December, things at the top of the division are going to slow down a little, potentially creating an opportunity for the winner of this one to work into a No. 1 contender’s match in the first half of 2026. Regardless of how things shake out in the division, this is an outstanding matchup with significant divisional ramifications and one of the best non-title fights of the month.

Cody Gibson vs Aoriqileng

Aggressive bantamweight veterans Cody Gibson and Aoriqileng share the Octagon in Vancouver with plans on getting things moving in the right direction again.

The former TUF finalist Gibson posted a pair of wins in the back half of 2024, including a unanimous decision victory over Canadian Chad Anheliger in Edmonton last November. But he ran into dangerous grappler Da’Mon Blackshear back in March, losing by submission to fall to 3-6 inside the Octagon over his tour stints with the promotion.

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Aoriqileng returns to Vancouver looking for his first win in a touch over two years, having most recently dropped a unanimous decision to Raul Rosas Jr. to open UFC 306 last year at Sphere. He faced Zahabi the last time the Octagon was set up inside Rogers Arena and was knocked out in just over a minute, so he’ll be looking to replace those memories with something much more positive this time around.

Will Gibson get right back into the win column or can “The Mongolian Murderer” exorcise the ghosts of Vancouver visits past by collecting his fourth UFC victory on Saturday?

Kyle Nelson vs Matt Frevola

Canadian veteran Kyle Nelson moves back up to lightweight in the main card opener, where he faces off with New Yorker Matt Frevola.

After making eight of his last nine starts in the 145-pound weight class, the 34-year-old Nelson returns to lightweight for the first time since facing Jai Herbert in the summer of 2022. “The Monster” was one of the unbeaten Canadians last time the UFC was in Vancouver, and will look to start another run of success by bouncing back with a strong showing here.

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Three straight first-round finishes carried Frevola into the Top 15, but he’s been stopped in each of his last two outings and looks to hit reset here. Competing for the first time in over a year, “The Steamrolla” is 11-5-1 overall and can always be counted on for an entertaining scrap.

With both men looking to steady themselves and set a baseline for where they stand in the ultra-competitive 155-pound weight class, expect this one to start quickly and continue to run hot for as long as it lasts on Saturday evening.

Preliminary Card Pairings

Charles Jourdain vs Davey Grant

Charles Jourdain looks to build on his successful bantamweight debut from last year when he steps in opposite British veteran Davey Grant in the final preliminary card bout of the weekend.

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Jourdain dropped to the 135-pound weight class in the back half of last year, debuting with a second-round submission win over Victor Henry in Edmonton. The 39-year-old Grant remains a stalwart in the bantamweight ranks, entering off consecutive decision wins over Blackshear and Ramon Taveras, and having won four of his last five.

Bruno Silva vs HyunSung Park

Brazil’s Bruno Silva faces South Korea’s HyunSung Park in this intriguing flyweight pairing.

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Currently stationed at No. 14 in the divisional rankings, the 35-year-old Silva has suffered consecutive third-round stoppage losses to Joshua Van and Manel Kape after earning four-straight stoppage wins of his own. Park stepped up on short notice earlier this year to face Tatsuro Taira and was submitted in the second round, halting his 10-fight winning streak and bouncing him from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Danny Barlow vs Djorden Santos

DWCS alums Danny Barlow and Djorden Santos clash in this matchup of welterweights looking to right the ship after suffering setbacks in their most recent appearances.

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Barlow suffered the first loss of his professional career earlier this year in a clash with Sam Patterson, getting knocked out by the lanky Brit in the first round. Santos debuted inside the Octagon in March at UFC 313, dropping a unanimous decision to former LFA champ Ozzy Diaz.

Kyle Prepolec vs Drew Dober

Veterans Kyle Prepolec and Drew Dober square off in what promises to be an early contender for Fight of the Night in Vancouver.

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Prepolec got a short-notice call up in May where he lost to Benoît Saint Denis, dropping him to 0-3 inside the Octagon. An all-action fan favorite, Dober touches down in British Columbia looking to halt a three-fight slide and earn his first victory in a little over two years.

Stephanie Luciano vs Ravena Oliveira

It’s an all-Brazilian battle in the strawweight division as Stephanie Luciano welcomes Ravena Oliveira back to the Octagon.

Luciano opened her UFC career by winning her rematch with Talita Alencar last August after the two battled to a draw on Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, but she landed on the unhappy side of a split decision verdict against dogged American Sam Hughes last time out. Oliveira makes her sophomore appearance under the UFC banner this weekend, stepping in for the first time since dropping her debut to Tainara Lisboa two years ago.

Azamat Bekoev vs Yousri Belgaroui

Promising middleweight freshman Azamat Bekoev takes on former Glory kickboxer Yousri Belgaroui in this pairing that was rescheduled from August.

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Bekoev has been one of the more impressive UFC rookies this year, earning a pair of first-round stoppage wins over Zachary Reese and Ryan Loder to run his winning streak to eight while establishing himself as one to watch in the 185-pound weight class. Belgaroui, who trains alongside two-time light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira, who reclaimed his title earlier this month at UFC 320, earned a win in his second DWCS appearance last season and looks to impress by halting the ascent of the streaking Russian Bekoev in this one.

Melissa Croden vs Tainara Lisboa

Canadian newcomer Melissa Croden and Brazil’s Tainara Lisboa are tasked with opening the show at Rogers Arena this weekend.

Sporting a 6-2 record and coming off back-to-back stoppage wins under the LFA banner, Croden looks to establish herself as a person of interest in the bantamweight division straight out of the gates here. Lisboa began her UFC tenure with back-to-back wins, but then suffered a submission loss in her return to action after an 18-month layoff earlier this year in a bout with Luana Santos.