This Saturday, the UFC hosts its first event of the year at the UFC Apex. The main event features two ranked bantamweights: No. 9 Mario Bautista (16-3) and No. 11 Vinicius Oliveira (23-3). While the matchup appears designed to deliver a striking battle, the two fighters bring very different styles.
Bautista relies on his power and timing to hurt his opponents. We saw that in his last fight against Umar Nurmagomedov (20-1), where he was able to land clean shots on the Russian contender.
Oliveira, on the other hand, is known for his creativity. He rose to prominence with a spectacular flying knee knockout against Bernardo Sopaj at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev. However, since that performance, he has earned three decision victories against solid competition. In this fight, the key will be which fighter can impose his style over five rounds — especially since the bout could end at any moment.
In the co-main event, the UFC gives Kyoji Horiguchi (16-3) another major test in his second fight of his second stint with the organization. The Japanese star faces No. 6-ranked flyweight Amir Albazi (23-3). Four months after his win over Ulanbekov, Horiguchi has the opportunity to confirm the hype surrounding his return, ten years after his first title shot — and the final fight of his first UFC run — against the legendary Demetrious Johnson.
Albazi, meanwhile, is coming off a loss to Brandon Moreno in 2024 and withdrew from his most recent scheduled bout against rising prospect Tatsuro Taira.
Elsewhere on the card, a promising bantamweight clash features Jean Matsumoto (17-1) against the undefeated Farid Basharat (14-0). Jailton Almeida (22-4) also returns following his loss to Alexander Volkov in what was widely considered a disappointing performance. Looking to bounce back, Almeida now faces Rizvan Kuniev (13-3), an unranked contender. With this card, the organization has a chance to identify new contenders across multiple divisions, but who will rise to the occasion ?
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