UFC Vegas 90 Start Time, Full Fight Details!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back at the Apex to stage UFC Vegas 90 later TONIGHT (Sat., April 6, 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Middleweight rematch between Brendan Allen and Chris Curtis. In the co-featured bout of the night, Alexander Hernandez will battle Damon Jackson in a Featherweight affair.

What’s Hot:

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Brendan Allen has competed from Light Heavyweight all the way down to Welterweight and in between. But where he has really shined is in the Middleweight division where he is currently ranked No. 7. Winner of five straight, Allen will look for a jump up the rankings by taking out Chris Curtis, the last man to defeat him. Curtis stopped Allen in 2021 via technical knockout (TKO) so revenge is the name of the game.

Curtis, meanwhile. has been up and down since defeating Allen, racking up just a 3-2-1 record since, which is the reason why he is only ranked No. 14 in the division. Still, this is a great opportunity for “The Action Man” to up his stock and crash the Top 10. And since he has that win over Allen (see it again here), his confidence is sky high. But he can’t get too over-confident because Allen has improved drastically since the loss and is firing on all cylinders at the moment.

Original Card vs. Actual Card:

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The main event was originally set to feature Marvin Vettori taking on Allen. But after “The Italian Gangster” suffered a “freak injury” the fight was axed, paving the way for Curtis to step in and fill the void.

Injuries:

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Other than Vettori’s injury, there were no other reported cancellations due to injuries for this event. However, Alateng Heili came down with an illness and was forced out of his fight against Victor Hugo. Stepping in to fill the void is Pedro Falcao, who will be making his UFC debut. We will have more on that below. Also, Cynthia Calvillo was forced out of her scheduled fight against Piera Rodriguez after she came in four pounds heavy. Piera will be paid her “show” money, while Calvillo’s steady decline in MMA continues.

New Blood:

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Two Contender Series alumni will be battling one another in their UFC debut, as Cesar Almeida battles Dylan Budka in a Middleweight scrap. Budka, who carries with him a 7-2 record, earned his spot on the roster with a unanimous decision win against Chad Hanekom in Sept. 2023. As for Almeida, he is 4-0 in his career and secured his spot on the UFC roster by defeating Lucas Fernando, also via unanimous decision, in Aug. 2023. After making his pro MMA debut in 2016, Almeida then took a four year break from fighting before returning in 2021.

Jean Matsumoto will official make his debut after shining on the Contender Series as he has been booked to face off against Dan Argueta in a Bantamweight affair. A veteran of the fight game for six years now as a professional, Matsumoto has racked up an impressive 14-0 record with eight stoppages. As for Argueta, he is just 1-1-2 so far under the UFC banner, with his last two fights ending in No Contests (NC). He is hoping for a more definitive ending this time around.

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Undefeated (11-0) Heavyweight prospect, Valter Walker — which could very well be the coolest name in MMA at the moment — will step into the Octagon for the first time to battle Lukasz Brzeski, who is 0-3 in his first three attempts with the promotion. It’s an odd pairing to say the least, booking an undefeated big man to face a man who has struggled mightily and has yet to secure a win so far under the UFC banner. But here we are.

Pedro Falcao is a 13-year veteran of the MMA fight game, and he finally will have his chance to prove his worth on the big stage. Falcao will step in for Alateng Heili against Victor Hugo. Falcao is currently on a five-fight win streak and won his fight on the Contender Series via knockout three years ago. He will now get to show off his stuff against a man who hasn’t tasted defeat in nearly a decade and has won 13 straight fights.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

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We have discussed the majority of the undercard in the previous section, so let’s take a look at the other three bouts we have yet to touch on. Headlining the “prelims” is a Welterweight fight between Court McGee and Alex Morono. McGee’s window of opportunity to actually make a splash inside the Octagon fizzled because he was never truly consistent when it came to getting wins. In fact, he has a horrid 10-11 record inside the Octagon and is just 2-5 in his last seven fights. As for Morono, he is 5-2 in his last seven, so he has enjoyed much success. Still, this fight might be competitive, and if Morono can score another big win it could get him closer to the Top 15.

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In women’s Bantamweight action, Norma Dumont will face former women’s Featherweight champion, Germain de Randamie. Dumont has quietly gone 6-2 in her UFC career and is currently on a three-fight win streak, though she has yet to secure a finish inside the Octagon. As for de Randamie, she will be making her long-awaited return to action after being out of the game for 3.5 years. “Iron Lady” was last seen defeating Juliana Pena in Oct. 2020, and took time off and eventually gave birth to her first child in March 2023. Now, she is on the hunt to recapture UFC gold, starting with the red-hot Dumont.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

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During the disastrous UFC Vegas 90 weigh ins, both Nora Cornolle and Melissa Mullins came in heavy for their scheduled Bantamweight bout. They will both be fined and now the fight will take place at a catch weight of 139 pounds. I get that Cornolle is 7-1 and Mullins is undefeated at 6-0 and both proved victorious in their respective debuts last year, but this is a bad look. Now, they will have to put on a great show — even in defeat — if they want to get back in the good graces of the promotion after their scale fails so early in their respective UFC careers.

Interest Level: 5/10

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In the co-main event of the evening, Alexander Hernandez and Damon Jackson collide in a Featherweight affair. And let’s be honest, pitting two struggling combatants to be the co-main event was a bit urprising. To make matters worse, Hernandez missed weight (badly) and will be forced to cough up 20-percent of his purse. Hernandez is just 1-3 in his last four fights and is just 4-6 during his time with the promotion, which I bet most people haven’t realized. As for Jackson, he did enjoy a four-fight win streak once upon a time, but he is currently riding a two-fight skid into this fight, so he needs a win in the worst way because I wouldn’t put it past the promotion to consider cutting him if he loses his third straight.

Morgan Charrière mad a splash in his UFC debut by knocking out Manolo Zecchini in Sept. 2023, which was good enough to land him a spot on he main card in just his second fight with the promotion, Currently riding a four-fight win streak, he will battle Chepe Mariscal, who is red-hot with five straight wins, which includes winning his first two fights under the UFC banner.

In the Lightweight division, Ignacio Bahamondes will face off against Christos Giagos. Bahamondes was riding high with an impressive three-fight win streak before he ran into Ľudovít Klein, who snapped his run in Aug. 2023. Giogos, meanwhile, has really been struggling, losing three of his last four, which makes him a perfect candidate to get the axe if he comes up short. He has been with the promotion for six years now, but he hasn’t been able to make much of an impact.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC Vegas 90 Fight Card:

UFC Vegas 90 Main Event On ESPN+:

185 lbs.: Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis

UFC Vegas 90 Main Card on ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET):

145 lbs.: Alexander Hernandez vs. Damon Jackson
145 lbs.: Morgan Charriere vs. Chepe Mariscal
155 lbs.: Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Christos Giagos
265 lbs.: Valter Walker vs. Lukasz Brzeski
155 lbs.: Trevor Peek vs. Charlie Campbell

UFC Vegas 90 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (3 p.m. ET):

170 lbs.: Court McGee vs. Alex Morono
135 lbs.: Norma Dumont vs. Germaine de Randamie
135 lbs.: Pedro Falcao vs. Victor Hugo
115 lbs.: Piera Rodriguez vs. Cynthia Calvillo CANCELED!
135 lbs.: Dan Argueta vs. Jean Matsumoto
185 lbs.: Dylan Budka vs. Cesar Almeida
139 lbs.: Nora Cornolle vs. Melissa Mullins

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 90 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card matchups, which are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 6 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 90 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized “Allen vs. Curtis 2” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.