Preview: UFC Fight Night 245 Prelims

The UFC's second straight week in the Apex comes with six prelims, led by one of the better fights on the card; fresh off dropping a main event in April, Matheus Nicolau finds himself holding down the featured spot against top flyweight prospect Asu Almabaev. Past that, there are some points of intrigue; bantamweight Jean Matsumoto looks to continue proving that he's a prospect to watch with a win over Brad Katona, former strawweight title challenger Jessica Penne is back in action, and heavyweight prospect Robelis Despaigne looks to get his hype train back on track after a disheartening performance in his last bout.

Flyweights
Matheus Nicolau (19-4-1) vs. Asu Almabaev (20-2)
Odds: Almabaev (-175), Nicolau (+145)

Matheus Nicolau is coming off his first UFC main event, but the Brazilian's career has as little momentum as it's had in a while. A surprising cut back in 2018 as the UFC was tearing down its flyweight division, Nicolau eventually made his return to the promotion in 2021 and immediately looked like a dark horse contender. His return win over Manel Kape was a fairly complete picture as far as Nicolau's approach; he can be patient to a fault in waiting to counter his opponents, but he's typically been able to bank on his combination of size, speed and accuracy to keep opponents at bay and cause them a ton of frustration while winning rounds - if not finding a knockout blow. Nicolau was firmly in the championship picture heading into 2023, but his style has greatly worked against him in his last two fights, knockout losses to Brandon Royval and Alex Perez; Royval's size and Perez's consistent pressure were each enough to blow through Nicolau's defenses, catching him before he settled into the fight and making him pay for handing his opponents the initiative. Nicolau looks to rebound with a win over Asu Almabaev, who's certainly earned the biggest shot of his career thus far through his performances, if not his level of competition. Kazakhstan has been sending some high-level talent to the UFC in recent years, and that certainly includes Almabaev, an athletic wrestler that's been able to overpower and outpace his opponents for the better part of half a decade, which includes his three wins in the UFC thus far. That makes this an interesting test for both men; Nicolau is clearly the most capable neutralizer that Almabaev has faced to date, but the Brazilian also hasn't faced much in the way of dedicated wrestlers in recent years. Almabaev's striking is purely a means to an end at this level, so there's a decent chance that Nicolau can frustrate him on the feet enough to keep him at bay more often than not, but the lean is that the Kazakh can get in on enough takedowns to bank two rounds, even if this might be far from a dominant win; the pick is Almabaev via decision.

Jump To »
Nicolau vs. Almabaev
Katona vs. Matsumoto
Edwards vs. Vidal
Penne vs. Reed
Martinez vs. Ardelean
Lane vs. Despaigne