Islam Makhachev-Thiago Moises Headline Saturday’s UFC Card

Lightweight contenders Islam Makhachev and Thiago Moises will get the main event treatment this Saturday at UFC Fight Night.

The card takes place from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Along with Makhachev vs. Moises, Miesha Tate makes her return to the Octagon, as the former champion faces Marion Reneau. 

Khabib Nurmagomedov protégé Makhachev (19-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) aims to leave no doubt that he is destined to challenge for the UFC lightweight championship in the near future. Among the most dominant forces in MMA today, Makhachev holds the record for the least strikes absorbed per minute in UFC history, a distinction he earned with intimidating performances over Drew Dober, Davi Ramos and Gleison Tibau. 

Moises (15-4, fighting out of Indaiatuba, Brazil) has his sights set on keeping his current momentum going and securing the biggest win of his young career. A signee from Dana White’s Contender Series, the 26-year-old Moises recently found his footing in the talent-rich lightweight division when he rattled off three straight exciting.

Reneau (9-7-1, fighting out of Visalia, Calif.) looks to deliver another stellar performance and show why she is one of the elite in women’s MMA. Reneau showed off her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt skills in her debut with a Performance of the Night submission win over former UFC champion Jessica Andrade and then followed up this performance with equally notable finishes over Milana Dudieva, Talita Bernardo and Sara McMann. 

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Tate (18-7, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) steps back into the Octagon for the first time in almost five years, looking to remind everyone of the skills that earned her UFC gold. Among the most popular athletes in MMA, Tate secured her first shot at the belt with victories over former title challengers Liz Carmouche, Sara McMann and Jessica Eye before defeating Holly Holm for the title. 

Additional bouts on the card include

• Jeremy Stephens (28-18, 1 NC, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) locks horns with Mateusz Gamrot (18-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Lubon, Poland) in a lightweight bout guaranteed to deliver action
• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenom Rodolfo Vieira (7-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on fellow grappling specialist Dustin Stoltzfus (13-2, fighting out of Germersheim, Germany) at middleweight
• An exciting featherweight bout sees Gabriel Benitez (22-9, fig8hting out of Tijuana, Mexico) face off with The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Billy Quarantillo (15-3, fighting out of Tampa, Fla.)
• Welterweights Daniel Rodriguez (14-2, fighting out of San Gabriel, Calif.) looks to spoil the UFC debut of newcomer Preston Parsons (9-2, fighting out of Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) who replaces Abubakar Nurmagomedov on short notice
• No. 14 ranked women’s strawweight Amanda Lemos (9-1-1, fighting out of Para, Brazil) aims to defend her spot in the rankings against Montserrat Conejo (10-1, fighting out of Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico)
• Khalid Taha (13-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany) intends to stop Sergey Morozov (16-4, fighting out of Aktau, Kazakhstan) from earning his first UFC victory in a bantamweight bout
• Dana White’s Contender Series signee Miles Johns (11-1, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) looks to make it two finishes in a row when he takes on Anderson dos Santos (21-8, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) at bantamweight
• Francisco Figueiredo (12-3-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Condor, Para, Brazil) has his sights set on continuing to build his own legacy at flyweight when he battles Malcolm Gordon (12-5, fighting out of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada)
• Alan Baudot (8-2, fighting out of Paris, France) seeks to secure his first emphatic UFC finish against Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Rodrigo Nascimento (8-1, fighting out of Belo Horizonte, Brazil)