The UFC will hold its 100th Las Vegas Fight Night event this Saturday as the UFC APEX will play host to UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Prates.
The event features a 12-fight card that showcases seasoned veterans, talented newcomers, and a host of rising stars, all looking to claim important victories at the UFC’s home base.
Ahead of fight night in Sin City, we highlight four fights worth keeping a close eye on as the UFC kicks off its November schedule.
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UFC Vegas 100: 4 fights to follow
Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates
The main event features a welterweight clash between two 170-pounders at very different stages in their respective careers.
Neil Magny has been an ever-present in the UFC’s welterweight rankings and remains the yardstick many up-and-coming fighters want to measure themselves against. Sometimes labeled as the division’s gatekeeper, Magny is considered by many as the man to beat to land a fight with the division’s elite.
“The Haitian Sensation” has alternated wins and losses through his last eight outings, with wins over Max Griffin, Daniel Rodriguez, Philip Rowe and Mike Malott offset by losses to Shavkat Rakhmonov, Gilbert Burns, Ian Machado Garry and Michael Morales.
Magny will be looking to bounce back into the win column when he faces another rising star of the welterweight division, Carlos Prates.
The Brazilian hasn’t lost since 2019, and since then, he has built an impressive 10-fight win streak, with his last nine victories all coming inside the distance.
Since earning a spot in the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series, Prates has finished Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke and Li Jingliang, all with strikes to put himself in striking distance of the welterweight rankings.
Victory over Magny should ensure he achieves ranked status next week, and he’ll set his sights on the division’s top 10.
It’s a fight that could add another dangerous new contender to the welterweight rankings, or it could see Magny return to form after his first-round TKO loss to Morales in August.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Reinier de Ridder
If you’re a fan of the grappling arts, the middleweight co-main event could be right up your alley. Both Gerald Meerschaert and Reinier de Ridder prefer to get their work done on the mat. And, with a staggering 40 submission finishes between them, it should make for fascinating viewing when the action goes to the ground.
Meerschaert is as seasoned as they come and has claimed 29 of his 37 career victories via submission. The Milwaukee native is a veteran of 54 career bouts and is in excellent form, having claimed back-to-back submission victories over Bryan Barberena and Edmen Shahbazyan earlier this year.
The win over Shahbazyan not only earned “GM3” a Performance of the Night bonus, it also saw him surpass the great Anderson Silva in the UFC record books as the man with the most middleweight finishes in UFC history.
He’ll look to extend that record with his 30th career submission when he faces former two-division ONE Championship world champion de Ridder, who used his dominant ground game to capture the promotion’s titles at 205 and 225 pounds.
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“The Dutch Knight” recently departed the Singapore-based fight promotion and signed with the UFC, and after undergoing assessments at the UFC Performance Institute, has opted to compete in the middleweight division.
The 34-year-old has black belts in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and plans to fight his way to the top as quickly as possible. But to do that, he’ll have to go through Meerschaert, a tough proposition for anyone at 185 pounds, especially on the ground.
It should be a great matchup between two of the best middleweight grapplers in the UFC.
Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson
Judo meets BJJ in a battle between ranked strawweights as Brazil’s Luana Pinheiro faces Canada’s Gillian Robertson in a great piece of matchmaking.
Pinheiro currently sits one place above Robertson in the 115-pound rankings, but with the Brazilian on a two-fight skid and Robertson on a two-fight win streak, the momentum looks to be with “The Savage” heading into fight night this weekend.
She’s been on a hot streak inside the Octagon! 🔥@Savage_UFC looks to continue climbing the strawweight rankings when she opens up the main card this weekend at #UFCVegas100!
[ LIVE on @ESPNPlus | 7pmET/4pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/cwO6OOXI0X
— UFC (@ufc) November 5, 2024
Pinheiro has looked to stand and bang with most of her opponents in the UFC so far but has a strong judo base she can turn to if needed. Her grappling defense is sure to be tested by Robertson, who is the all-time record holder for submission finishes by a female fighter in the UFC.
Robertson has her sights set on another finish and a third straight win, while Pinheiro is desperate to bounce back to winning ways. With two super-motivated fighters chasing the win, this one should be fun for as long as it lasts.
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Matthew Semelsberger vs. Charles Radtke
A scan further down the UFC Vegas 100 fight card unearths a welterweight fight that, on paper, could deliver a Fight of the Night contender.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow, Matthew Semelsberger returns keen to turn his recent form around after losing his last three fights.
Standing across the cage is another fighter with a point to prove. Charles “Chuck Buffalo” Radtke. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships welterweight champion got off to a flying start in the UFC with back-to-back victories, but he’s looking to bounce back after a loss to Carlos Prates last time out.
Both men have a penchant for getting involved in knock-down, drag-out wars, and their 170-pound clash on the preliminary card could produce a wild battle. An action-packed fight looks guaranteed, but the identity of the winner is anyone’s guess.
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