UFC Fight Night 187: Sandhagen vs Figueiredo

These fighters currently sit at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively, in the rankings, and are looking to cement their positions in the pecking order, while also aiming to set themselves up for another key assignment later in the year.

Two groundfighting specialists who approach the action on the mat from two different directions, Reinier de Ridder and Bo Nickal have proven themselves to be elite UFC middleweights, setting up a clash that could very well shake up the division by the time it’s over.

All action for as long as he’s been in the UFC, Santiago Ponzinibbio is never out of a fight, and he proved it once again in his 19th Octagon appearance in January, as he scored a come from behind knockout of Carlston Harris.

Quietly fighting his way up the bantamweight ladder, Milwaukee’s Montel Jackson ended the silence about his potential last summer with an 18-second knockout of Da’Mon Blackshear that put him in the Top 15 with a rocket heading into tonight’s meeting with Peruvian rising star Daniel Marcos.

A gritty competitor who is always in a memorable scrap, Canada’s Sidey has gone into deep waters in both of his UFC fights against Ramon Taveras and Garrett Armfield, and he expects to bring Smotherman into his world before the final horn sounds.

The fighting pride of Des Moines, Jeremy Stephens knew it wouldn’t be a UFC card in Iowa without him on it, so he called his shot, and now he is back in the Octagon and back at home for what promises to be an explosive showdown with Wales’ Mason Jones.

Bantamweight contenders jockeying for position before Julianna Pena defends her crown against Kayla Harrison next month, Yana Santos and Miesha Tate know the importance of securing an impressive win, and they’ll pull out all the stops to hit their mark.

Even though Ryan Loder and Azamat Bekoev are young in their UFC careers, expectations are high not just for this bout, but the prospect that both middleweights will be battling the elite of the division sooner rather than later.

Brazil’s Rodriguez has long been one of the best 115-pounders of this era, and with wins over Yan Xiaonan, Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas, she’s proved that she still has what it takes to make a run at the championship.

Stepping into the deep end of the pool for a short notice UFC debut against Chris Gutierrez last August, Le proved that he belonged in the big leagues, and now he’ll make his third start in a bout that has the potential to shake things up in the always competitive bantamweight division.

In a wide-open heavyweight division, one win can make a big difference in a fighter’s fortunes, and Thomas Petersen and Don’Tale Mayes have arrived in Iowa determined to get that win and move forward.

The winner of The Ultimate Fighter 30, Juliana Miller made her way to the UFC with a mix of tenacity, a stellar ground game and the willingness to take risks few fighters will in search of a finish. “Killer” Miller makes her first start since the summer of 2023 to battle Ivana Petrovic.