UFC Vegas 91 Start Time, Full Fight Details!

After a rare week off to get over the UFC 300 hangover, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is right back at UFC APEX to stage UFC Vegas 91 later TONIGHT (Sat., April 27, 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the ESPN+-streamed event will be a men’s Flyweight fight between Matheus Nicolau and Alex Perez. In the co-main event, Ryan Spann battles Bogdan Guskov in a Light Heavyweight affair.

What’s Hot:

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The Flyweight division — perhaps thanks to a spectacular and exciting quadralogy between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo — is still alive and well on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster despite past rumblings of its eventual demise. And the promotion’s next two events will be headlined by four talent 125-pounders. at UFC 301 next Saturday night, division champion, Alexandre Pantoja, will defend his title against Steve Erceg (yes, you read that correctly).

This week, however, two struggling contenders — who are still ranked in the Top 10 — will collide to see who gets back in the win column as Matheus Nicolau takes on late replacement, Alex Perez. Nicolau had his six-fight win streak spanned by Brandon Royval, who knocked him out a year ago in the very first round. Speaking of which, that’s a pretty lengthy layoff for Nicolau, so it will be interesting to see just how he reacts coming off the loss and time on the sidelines.

As for Perez, he agreed to take the fight after Manel Kape bowed out with an injury — the second time he’s been forced out of a fight against Nicolau. Perez taking the fight is a pretty smart move because he is on a three-fight losing streak, and should he lose this fight it won’t hurt his stock (at least not that much) because he is doing UFC a solid. A win, on the other hand, puts him back in the win column by taking out a Top 5 opponent. It’s pretty much win-win for him.

What’s Not:

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We just came off the “best card in MMA history,” so let’s not start complaining too much here. It’s not that deep, sure, but it is still made up of some intriguing and competitive bouts.

Original Card vs. Actual Card:

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The event was originally set to be headlined by Manel Kape taking an Matheus Nicolau before a rib injury forced Kape out of the fight, paving the way for Alex Perez to step in and fill the void. Anshul Jubli withdrew from his scheduled bout against Maheshate Hayisaer for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Gabriel Benitez, who is looking to get back into the win column after losing to Jim Miller via submission earlier this year. That loss was “Moggly’s” third in last four fights, so he needs a win in a big way. As for Hayisaer, he is 0-2 in his first two fights inside the Octagon, so another loss could send him packing. Lando Vannatta withdrew from his fight against UFC newcomer, James Llontop, and was replaced by Gabriel Green.

Injuries:

Other than Kape’s unfortunate injury, no other fights were axed as a result of health concerns.

New Blood:

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James Llontop will make his UFC debut after earning his spot on the UFC roster following an impressive win against Malik Lewis on the Contender Series in Sept. 2023. “Goku” is currently on a 12-fight win streak, racking up six knockout wins during that span. As for his opponent, Chris Padilla, he will also be making his UFC debut. He has fought just about everywhere, competing for Bellator MMA, BRAVE, King of the Cage amongst other promotions. Now, he gets to prove his worth on the biggest stage of them all.

Jhonata Diniz earned his spot on the UFC roster after an impressive showing on the Contender Series, defeating Eduardo Neves via first-round knockout. In fact, since making his debut in 2022, Diniz has won all six of his fights in the very first round via strikes. Whether or not he can keep that streak going inside the Octagon, remains to be seen, and he will try to do that to Austen Lane who, interestingly enough, is coming off a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Justin Tafa.

How The “Prelims” Look:

In women’s Strawweight action, Ketlen Souza looks to pick up her first win with the promotion after coming up short in her debut against Karine Silva in June 2023. She will be facing off against Marnic Mann, who also threw up a dud in her promotional debut against Josefine Lindgren Knutsson.

In the Heavyweight division, Don’Tale Mayes aims for a trip back to the winner’s circle an a bit more consistency when he goes toe-to-toe against Caio Machado. Mayes is 1-2-1 in his last four outings, while Machado had his seven-fight win streak snapped at the hands Michael Parkin in his UFC debut in Nov. 2023.

In Lightweight action, both Austin Hubbard and Michal Figlak are coming off losses and are in dire need of a win. The unfortunate part about this is that one man will be losing his second straight, unless there’s a draw or a no contest (NC).

Longtime UFC veteran Rani Yahya is now in his thirteenth year with the promotion and has never really gotten over the hump. He is coming off a tough loss at the hands of Montel Jackson, who knocked him out in the very first round over a year ago. He will try to get back on track against Victor Henry, whose fight against Javid Basharat was rule a no contest (NC) in 2023.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

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In her first three fights under the UFC banner, Na Liang has come up short. To make matters worse for herself, she was stopped by KO/TKO on each occasion, which makes her a prime candidate to get cut should she lose her fourth straight when she goes head-to-head against Ivana Petrovic. Speaking of which, Petrovic could use a win of her own after throwing up a stinker in her UFC debut, losing to Luana Carolina via unanimous decision at a year ago.

Interest Level: 5/10

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In the co-main event of the event, Ryan Spann will attempt to snap his two-fight win streak, coming up short in back-to-back fights against Nikita Krylov and Anthony Smith, so “Superman” hasn’t exactly looked super. All of that said, he is still just one spot away from cracking the Top 10. As for his opponent, Bogdan Guskov, he picked up his first win inside the Octagon after losing his UFC debut, defeating Zac Pauga via first-round knockout just two months ago (see it here).

In women’s Flyweight action, Ariane Lipski and Karin Silva will go toe-to-toe in a fight between two surging contenders. Lipski is currently on a three-fight win streak, which is the best run she’s had with the promotion. As for Silva, she has won eight straight fights and is unbeaten in five years. After making her way to the Octagon via the Contender Series. she has won her first three fights with the promotion via first-round submission. She does indeed have the “Killer” mentality, and if Lipski isn’t on her “A” game she could be taking a nap or tapping for dear life.

The Featherweight division has a new champion in Ilia Topuria, and now all rising contenders are working hard toward one day getting their shot at gold, and David Onama and Jonathan Pearce are no different. There respective roads to the top will be long and grueling. Pearce was choked out by Joanderson Brito six months ago, while Onama scored a one-punch knockout win over Gabriel Santos 10 months ago.

Tim Means finally got back into the win column in his last fight be knocking out Andre Filaho five months ago, snapping his three-fight losing streak. His horrid streak got him out of the TOp 15, and rightfully so, and now he will look for a way back by building some momentum. He will go to battle against Uros Medic, who is just 3-2 inside the Octagon.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC Vegas 91 Fight Card:

UFC Vegas 91 Main Event On ESPN/ESPN+:

125 lbs.: Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez

UFC Vegas 91 Main Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):

205 lbs.: Ryan Spann vs. Bogdan Guskov
125 lbs.: Ariane Lipski vs. Karine Silva
265 lbs.: Austen Lane vs. Jhonata Diniz
145 lbs.: Jonathan Pearce vs. David Onama
170 lbs.: Tim Means vs. Uros Medic

UFC Vegas 91 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (4 p.m. ET):

135 lbs.: Rani Yahya vs. Victor Henry
155 lbs.: Austin Hubbard vs. Michal Figlak
265 lbs.: Don’Tale Mayes vs. Caio Machado
125 lbs.: Marnic Mann vs. Ketlen Souza
155 lbs.: Chris Padilla vs. James Llontop
125 lbs.: Ivana Petrovic vs. Liang Na
155 lbs.: Gabriel Benítez vs. Maheshate Hayisaer

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 91 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ preliminary card matchups, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN/ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 91 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archives here and here. For the updated and finalized “Nicolau vs. Perez” fight card and ESPN/ESPN+ lineup click here.