While I’ve been banging this particular drum for a couple of weeks now, with each passing series of fights, more excitement ensues, further proving my thesis. Some may want to call that premature because 20 percent of the season remains, while others may suggest that I have just doomed us to a lackluster final two weeks, but the facts speak for themselves: 35 new additions through eight weeks, 28 finishes in 40 fights, and at least one sub-90-second win in each of the last six weeks.
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Will the torrid pace and tremendous performances continue this week? Only time will tell, but for now, take a look at what’s on tap for the penultimate week of Season 9.
Lucas Caldas vs Magomed Zaynukov
The fifth lightweight bout of the season is the first closing assignment for the 155-pound ranks, as Lucas Caldas and Magomed Zaynukov face off to wrap up Week 9 at the UFC APEX.
Representing Nova Uniao, the 29-year-old Caldas has a 6-1 record, with all six of his wins coming inside the distance, his only loss coming by way of disqualification, and a Since Score of +1.0. He’s only been out first round twice in his career and has never seen the third, so expect the Brazilian striker to be looking to close things out in a hurry here.
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Zaynukov carries a perfect 7-0 record (-4.0 Since Score) into this one, having earned finishes in each of his first five fights before going the distance in his last two outings. A member of the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov School, the 30-year-old Russian will aim to join his many teammates and training partners on the roster by showing out opposite Caldas on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
Adrian Luna Martinetti vs Mark Vologdin
Bantamweights 17 and 16 fights respectively share the Octagon here as Adrian Luna Martinetti takes on Mark Vologdin.
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Just 30 years old, but fighting consistently since 2017, Martinetti trains at the UFC PI and Entram Gym in Mexico and carries a 14-fight winning streak into this one. He’s 16-1 as a pro with 10 stoppages (-7.0 Since Score), but has faced a number of inexperienced opponents, including facing a debuting fighter last time out.
Vologdin touches down in the Nevada desert with a 12-3-1 record (-9.5 Since Score) and a seven-fight winning streak, having earned each of the last five of those victories inside the distance. The Allstars Training Center representative is a Kyokushin Karate stylist who understandably idolizes Georges St-Pierre, and looks to land on the roster alongside his teammate, middleweight champ Khamzat Chimaev, with an impressive victory here.
Imanol Rodriguez vs Roque Conceicao
Imanol Rodriguez and Roque Conceicao go head-to-head in what should be a fast-paced flyweight battle in the middle of Tuesday’s five-fight slate.
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The second member of the flyweight cast from the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter to compete this season on Dana White’s Contender Series, Rodriguez lost to eventual winner Joseph Morales in the semis and aims to bounce back here. The unbeaten Mexican prospect is 5-0 as a pro (-3.0 Since Score), with all his wins coming by stoppage before the third round.
Sporting a 10-2 record (+2.0 Since Score) and a three-fight winning streak, the 25-year-old Conceicao is an interesting prospect with some serious finishing instincts. He’s earned all but one of his wins inside the distance, eight by stoppage due to strikes, and it will be curious to see how that impacts things here.
Luis Felipe Dias vs Donavon Hedrick
Welterweights with differing levels of experience share the Octagon in this one as Luis Felipe Dias takes on Donavon Hedrick.
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Dias is the most experienced fighter on Tuesday’s slate, having amassed a 15-5 record (+11.5 Since Score) that includes bouts against UFC alums Marcin Bandel and Wendell Oliveira, and former DWCS contestant Vanilto Antunes. This will be his first appearance in a little over two years, so it will be interesting to see how much rust, if any, the Brazilian is carrying once things get underway at the APEX on Tuesday.
Fighting out of Longwood, Florida, Hedrick has gone 6-0 as a pro (-7.0 Since Score) with six first-round stoppage wins after posting a 5-0 mark with five finishes as an amateur. This is a short-notice opportunity for Hedrick, who has been out of action since last June, and has fought just twice since the tail end of 2022.
Luke Fernandez vs Rafael Pergentino
Light heavyweights with matching 5-0 records — and matching -1.0 Since Scores — open the show this week, as Luke Fernandez and Rafael Pergentino clash to kick things off.
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The current CFFC titleholder, Fernandez won the title back in December with a second-round stoppage win over Peter New in December 2023 and has successfully defended it twice since then. The 30-year-old Dante Rivera protégé only made his pro debut in March 2023, and steps in here for his third fight in 11 months.
Pergentino makes his first trip down to the 205-pound ranks here, looking to extend his five-fight finishing streak in his clash with Fernandez. Like his opponent, the 23-year-old Pergentino is also less than three years into his pro career, and trying to follow the path blazed by two others from his home state, Caio Borralho and Joanderson Brito.
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