The inaugural UFC event in 2025 features a number of experienced fighters, including strawweights Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas, but there are also some top prospects who will be competing in He made his debut at the Fight Night event at Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Jacobe Smith, Austin Bashi, Marco Tulio and Bruno Silva are all considered for the 2024 Dana White class. White earned a UFC contract following his win on Contender Series Season 8 and will both compete this weekend. Smith and Bash, in particular, will be viewed as high-ceiling fighters on Saturday.
Smith is a 9-0 welterweight who turns 29 next week. He’ll face crafty submission artist Preston Parsons, and Smith will enter the cage with an All-American Wrestling base and plenty of power in his hands. Smith is a heavy favorite looking to make an immediate impact in his rookie season in the UFC at 170 pounds.
Bash is only 23 years old, but already has a professional record of 13 wins and 0 losses. The 145-pound prospect showed off his fighting IQ and raw physicality with a win over Dorian Ramos at the DWCS in September. His opponent on Saturday will be Christian Rodriguez, which will be Bash’s first challenge at the UFC level.
UFC fight night
Mackenzie Dern takes on Amanda Ribas in a rematch at the first live event of 2025. Watch UFC Fight Night: Dunn vs. Ribas 2 on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet+ on Saturday, live at 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT
Rodriguez, who last appeared in July at Fight Night, suffered his second professional loss after making a tactical error against Julian Erosa and finishing late in the first round. He lost by submission – but he had already made a name for himself by handing his opponents their first professional defeat. Rodriguez is the only man to defeat popular rising star Raul Rosas Jr. so far, with Rodriguez also handing Cameron Sayman his first career defeat following the win.
“My speed, my pressure and my game are going to break him,” a confident Bash said during a media conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
“The thing about me is, no matter what the media says, no matter how big anyone tries to hype me up, I think the reason I’m undefeated and continue to beat these guys is because I throw all that out the window and I don’t think anything of it. “
One thing Bashi is definitely thinking about is how his 2025 will unfold. The Michigan native said Wednesday that his goal this year is to be in the top 15 by the end of December. A win over Rodriguez would be an ideal start.
“I expected to finish him by TKO or rear-naked choke at the end of the second round or early in the third,” Bash said. “If you go and see me fight in the zone scene you’ll see who I fight, I only fight tough guys. Literally since my debut I’ve been thrown to the wolves and now I Already played 13 games and have a record of 13-0.”
Marco Tulio won 2-0 on the Contender Series. He defeated Yousri Belgaroui in 2023 but failed to secure a UFC contract until defeating Matthieu Duclos in August this year to earn a chance to compete in a major event.
The Brazilian has a career record of 12-1, with eight of those wins coming via knockout or technical knockout. He will make his UFC debut on Saturday against Ukrainian Ihor Potieria, who is 1-4 in his last five UFC fights.
Former UFC title holders like Sean O’Malley and Jamahal Hill got their start through DWCS, and other stars and up-and-coming contenders like Bo Nickal, Jack Della Maddalena, Caio Borralho, Carlos Ulberg, Anthony Hernandez Hernandez, Payton Talbott, Grant Dawson, Joe Pyfer. and Rosas Jr. et al.
In addition to Smith and Bash, there are two other undefeated fighters set to step into the Octagon this weekend.
Nurullo Aliev and Magomed Gadzhiyasulov will both look to improve to 10-0 on Saturday. Aliyev and Gagiasulov are also veterans of the Contenders Series, with Aliyev set to be contracted in 2022 and Gagiasulov in 2023.
Aliyev has only fought once in the UFC since competing in DWCS, a preliminary card against 2019 DWCS competitor Joe Solecki. Gadzhiyasulov met Class of 2024 Bruno Lopes.
Saturday’s Fight Night takes place at the UFC Apex, which is also the venue for the Contender Series, so the atmosphere will be familiar to the aforementioned UFC rookies.
The full card for UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 and projected fight order…
—Mackenzie Dunn vs. Amanda Ribas
——Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Carlston Harris
——Cesar Almeida vs. Abdul Razak
——Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopilov
——Christian Rodriguez vs. Austin Bash
——Punahel Soriano vs. Uros Medici
——Jose Johnson VS Felipe Bunes
——Marcus Tullius vs. Ihor Boteliya
——Thiago Moises VS Trey Ogden
——Preston Parsons vs. Jacob Smith
——Ernesta Careket vs. Nicole Cagliari
——Magomed Gadgiasulov vs. Bruno Lopez
——Fatima Klein vs. Victoria Dudakova
— Joe Solecki vs. Nurulo Aliyev
