There’s a variety of exceptional top-level MMA events for fight fans to sink their teeth into this weekend. Cage Warriors 188 goes down in Dublin, Ireland, while over in Poland, two of the sport’s strongest men—Eddie Hall and Mariusz Pudzianowski—are set to go head-to-head at KSW 105.
Stateside, the biggest event of the weekend takes place in Kansas City, Missouri, as the T-Mobile Center plays host to UFC on ESPN 66. The event lost its original main event between light heavyweight contenders Khalil Rountree Jr. and Jamahal Hill, but the replacement headliner is arguably an even more exciting matchup.
Let's take a look at the fights that make up the main card at UFC Fight Night: Prates vs. Machado Garry this weekend.
Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates (170 pounds)
Losing the bout between Rountree Jr. and Hill was certainly a blow to this weekend’s event, but the prospect of watching Ian Machado Garry (15-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) take on Carlos Prates (21-6 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will definitely have fans in Kansas City licking their lips.
Just as he did in December when he faced Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, Garry has once again jumped at the chance to derail one of the biggest hype trains in the UFC’s welterweight division.
Prates had a sensational debut year in the UFC throughout 2024, winning all four of his fights inside the Octagon by knockout and earning four Performance of the Night bonuses in the process.
"The Nightmare" was originally scheduled to face Geoff Neal at UFC 314 earlier this month, but when “Handz of Steel” pulled out due to injury, Garry stepped up to give the Brazilian a far more enticing matchup.
Garry will be looking to return to the win column this weekend after suffering the first loss of his UFC career against Rakhmonov. After becoming the first UFC welterweight to make "Nomad" look beatable, the Irishman may well be on the verge of entering the title conversation with a win this weekend.
Anthony Smith vs. Mingyang Zhang (205 pounds)
Anthony Smith (37-21 MMA, 13-11 UFC) will make his 25th walk to the Octagon in this weekend’s co-main event, marking the final appearance of his career.
“Lionheart” has been competing in the UFC since 2016 and famously challenged Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title in 2019. After losing three of his last four fights, the 36-year-old is set to hang up the gloves following Saturday’s event.
Smith will face a fighter at the opposite end of his UFC journey in his farewell bout: Mingyang Zhang (18-6 MMA, 2-0 UFC). The rising Chinese prospect notched two first-round knockouts and earned two Performance of the Night bonuses in 2024. He’ll be looking to add Smith’s illustrious name to his growing list of conquests on Saturday.
Giga Chikadze vs. David Onama (145 pounds)
After winning the first eight fights of his UFC career, Giga Chikadze (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) is navigating the first rough patch of his time in the promotion, with losses to Calvin Kattar and Arnold Allen surrounding a win over Alex Caceres.
The Georgian veteran faces a tough test this weekend in David Onama (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who has won five of his last six fights inside the Octagon.
Michel Pereira vs. Abus Magomedov (185 pounds)
After leaving the welterweight division and moving up to 185 pounds in 2023, Michel Pereira (31-12 MMA, 9-3 UFC) appeared to hit the ground running, securing three consecutive first-round finishes to make a statement in his new weight class.
That momentum came to a halt when he was stopped by Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez in the fifth and final round of their bout at the UFC Apex last October.
"Demolidor" looks to bounce back this weekend against German-based Dagestani standout Abus Magomedov (27-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC), who submitted Brunno Ferreira in his last appearance at UFC 308.
Randy Brown vs. Nicolas Dalby (170 pounds)
Two seasoned veterans with a proven track record of delivering exciting fights will meet this Saturday night, as both men look to bounce back from recent losses.
Randy Brown (19-6 MMA, 13-6 UFC) is coming off a split decision loss to Bryan Battle at UFC 310 in December, while "Danish Dynamite" Nicolas Dalby (23-5-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC) suffered the same outcome against Rinat Fakhretdinov last June.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. André Muniz (185 pounds)
Ikram Aliskerov (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) returns to action for the first time since his devastating short-notice loss to Robert Whittaker last June.
Prior to that setback, the Russian standout had impressed with two first-round finishes over Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves, announcing his arrival in the UFC’s middleweight division.
He now faces Brazilian grappler André Muniz (24-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a bout that has been booked twice before but fell through due to injuries and visa issues on Muniz’s part.
