The second UFC pay-per-view event of 2025 gets underway tonight in Sydney, Australia. The main card is spearheded by two championship bouts as both Dricus Du Plessis and Zhang Weili look to defend their titles against Sean Strickland and Tatiana Suarez.
As is the norm when the world's leading organization holds an event down under, the preliminary card has it's fair share of Australian fighters making up the numbers, although the bulk of those in action this time around may not be recognizable to a lot of UFC fans.
Established names such as Dan Hooker, Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, Robert Whittaker and Jack Della Maddalena are absent from this weekend's card, giving the lineup outside of the main and co-main events somewaht of an unfamiliar feel.
Let's take a look at some of the action on the prelims:
Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos (145 lbs)
Hometown favorite Jack Jenkins (13-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) comes into this bout full of confidence following his KO win over Herbert Burns at UFC 305. His opponent Gabriel Santos (11-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) picked up his first victory inside the Octagon at the third time of asking against Yizha in his last outing but the Brazilian may find his job is on the line should he suffer another defeat this weekend.
Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (155 lbs)
In another exciting matchup on the prelims, two hard-hitting lightweights are set to clash. Tom Nolan (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) from Brisbane has impressed fans with his performances inside the Octagon. At just 24 years old, Nolan made a statement with a knockout of Bogdan Grad on Dana White’s Contender Series in late 2023. However, his UFC debut in January 2024 didn’t go as planned, with a loss to Nikolas Motta.
Despite the setback, "Big Train" bounced back just four months later, finishing Victor Martinez in the first round at the UFC Apex. He followed that up with a win against Alex Reyes at UFC 305.
Meanwhile, Borshchev (8-4-1 MMA, 3-3-1 UFC) has showcased flashes of brilliance since joining the UFC in 2021. With impressive knockout victories over fighters like Chris Duncan, Maheshate Hayisaer, and Dakota Bush, Borshchev has proven he’s more than capable of ending a fight with one punch.
Cong Wang vs. Bruna Brasil (125 lbs)
Chinese star Cong Wang (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) returns to the Octagon just ten weeks after her last bout, which ended in her being choked to sleep by Gabriella Fernandes at UFC Macao in November.
Her opponent Bruna Brasil (10-4-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will be familiar to Irish and UK audiences, having picked up decision victories over both Shauna Bannon and Molly McCann recently.
Aleksandre Topuria vs. Colby Thicknesse (135 lbs)
Although two talented young prospects will be making their UFC debuts here, all eyes will likely be on their cornermen. Aleksandre Topuria (5-1) is the younger brother of UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, and his opponent Colby Thickness (7-0) is a training partner of Alexander Volkanovski, and both men will be in the respective newcomer's corners come fight night.
Kody Steele vs. Ronzhu (155 lbs)
Another unbeaten prospect, Kody Steele (7-0), makes his Octagon debut on Saturday. The Syndicate MMA product punched his ticket into the UFC when he finsihed Cage Warriors star Chasen Blair with a devastating body shot on the most recent season of Dana White's Contender Series.
Kevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef (170 lbs)
Kevin Jousset (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) had an impressive to life in the UFC in 2023 when he picked a piar of wins over Kenan Song and Kiefer Crosbie. the Frenchman, who trains at City Kickboxing in New Zealand, lost his only bout in 2024 when he was finished by Brian Battle at UFC Paris.
His opponent Jonathan Micallef (7-1) makes his UFC debut this weekend having submitted Mohamed Ado on Dana White's Contender Series in September.
Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli (155 lbs)
Quillan Salkilld (7-1) is another product of Dana White's Contender Series making his debut this weekend. The Perth native is a former Eternal MMA champion and has finsihed 5 of his 7 professional victories inside the distance.
Anshul Jubli (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) returns to action for the first time since being knocked out by Mike Breedn at UFC 294 back in October of 2023.
