Best fights and fighters to watch at UFC Fight Night Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev

Get ready for this Saturday's UFC Fight Night card.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The UFC returns home to Las Vegas, NV his weekend for a UFC Fight Night event headlined by a pair of the promotion’s top flyweights.

The Main Event

The main event will see Manel Kape attempt to defend his #6 flyweight ranking against the #8-ranked Asu Almabayev.

Manel Kape fights Bruno Silva at Amalie Arena. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Kape was originally scheduled to meet Brandon Royval in a potential flyweight title eliminator before Royval suffered an injury, and now “Starboy” will try to hand Almabayev his first loss since 2017.

Asu Almabayev fights CJ Vergara during UFC 299 at Kayesa Center. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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The Co-Main Event

The night’s co-main event is an intriguing middleweight matchup between Cody Brundage and Julian Marquez.

Gregory Rodrigues fights Julian Marquez during UFC Fight Night at Moody Center. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Marquez enters the night with his UFC roster spot in jeopardy after suffering three-straight losses via stoppage, while Brundage is looking to collect his first victory since 2023 after a submission-loss to Bo Nickal and No Contest against Abdul Razak Alhassan last year.

Bo Nickal fights Cody Brundage during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Fights You Don’t Want To Miss

Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics

This lightweight bout features two fighters looking to extend their respective win streaks in a matchup that should produce fireworks.

Daniel Zellhuber fights Esteban Ribovics during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at Sphere. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Ribovics has scored three-straight wins and put in a Fight of the Night-winning performance in his last outing against Daniel Zellhuber after dropping his UFC debut in 2023, and longtime UFC veteran Haqparast is currently on his best run in the promotion after collecting four victories in a row.

Nasrat Haqparast fights Landon Quinones during UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena. / Jasmin Frank-Imagn Images

Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson

These two welterweights have gone the distance a combined three times in their respective pro careers, and that alone makes it a must-watch affair for fans.

Danny Barlow moves fights Josh Quinlan during UFC 298 at Honda Center. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Barlow went three full rounds for the first time against Nikolay Veretennikov in August for his second UFC win, and Patterson will be eager to spoil the American’s undefeated record after rebounding from being stopped in his UFC debut with back-to-back submissions.

Yohan Lainesse talks with Sam Patterson after their fight during UFC 297 at ScotiaBank Arena. / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

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Fighters to Watch

Charles Johnson

Sitting at #12 in the UFC flyweight rankings, Johnson has curiously been relegated to the prelims for this matchup with Ramazonbek Temirov.

Charles Johnson knocks out Joshua Van during UFC Fight Night at Ball Arena. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

“InnerG” certainly doesn’t have an easy task on his hands against an experienced fighter on a lengthy win streak in Temirov, but a fifth-straight win would all but guarantee Johnson a chance to break into the flyweight Top 10 in his next outing.

Mario Pinto

Undefeated in his professional career, Pinto is set to make his UFC debut after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in October.

Mario Pinto punched his ticket to the UFC with a stoppage-win on Dana White's Contender Series. / (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

The 26-year-old faces fellow Contender Series veteran Austen Lane, who looked in danger of being cut from the UFC before he scored an upset-win against Robelis Despaigne in his last outing.

Andrea Lee

A 13-fight veteran of the UFC, Lee enters this matchup with JJ Aldrich on a five-fight skid that dates back to 2021.

Andrea Lee fights Natalia Silva during UFC 292 at TD Garden. / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

It’s not often that fighters are allowed even four losses in a row before exiting the UFC, so Lee will be fighting with some considerable urgency on Saturday night and would almost certainly be cut from the promotion if she were to suffer another loss.

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UFC Fight Night Main Card

• Main Event: Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev

• Co-Main Event: Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez

• Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics

• Hyder Amil vs. William Gomis

• Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson

UFC Fight Night Preliminary Card

• Austen Lane vs. Mario Pinto

• Ricardo Ramos vs. Chepe Mariscal

• Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. John Castañeda

• Danny Silva vs. Lucas Almeida

• Andrea Lee vs. JJ Aldrich

• Charles Johnson vs. Ramazan Temirov

• Montana De La Rosa vs. Luana Carolina

More UFC & MMA News

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