by Preview first provided by the UFC and prediction below it provided by Vince McKee
Las Vegas – UFC® returns to Meta APEX on September 26 with a card featuring exciting matchups across several divisions and headlined by No. 12 ranked UFC bantamweight contender Raul Rosas Jr. as he faces proven veteran and No. 13 ranked Raoni Barcelos. Also on the card, The Ultimate Fighter season 34 concludes with two can’t-miss finale fights as Mehemmedeli Osmanli collides with Ilimbek Akylbek uulu at bantamweight and Melissa Amaya faces Tina Black at women’s strawweight.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROSAS Jr. vs. BARCELOS takes place Saturday, September 26 in Las Vegas. The prelims will air at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT, followed by the main card airing at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. All bouts will stream live on Paramount+.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROSAS Jr. vs. BARCELOS will go on sale Friday, August 28 at 10 a.m. PT and are available at AXS.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. UFC Fight Club® will have the opportunity to purchase tickets on Wednesday, August 26 at 10 a.m. PT via the website UFCFightClub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, August 27 at 10 a.m. PT. To access the pre-sale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
Meta APEX VIP Experience packages are available via On Location, UFC’s Official VIP Experience Provider. Enjoy exclusive access with an official ticket package that includes premium seating, all-inclusive hospitality, in-seat beverage service, meet-and-greets with UFC Octagon Girls and more. Visit UFCVIP.com for more information.
Rosas Jr. (12-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) aims to deliver in his first UFC main event. One of the standout young stars in the UFC, he first made waves when he was signed as the youngest athlete in the promotion’s history at just 17 years old. Rosas Jr. has since proven himself with wins over Rob Font, Vince Morales and Ricky Turcios. He now intends to earn his sixth-consecutive victory and continue his ascent up the bantamweight ranks.
Barcelos (22-5, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) looks to take down another notable opponent in highlight-reel fashion. A well-rounded competitor, Barcelos is currently on the best win streak of his UFC career with five victories in a row, including those over Payton Talbott, Cody Garbrandt and Cristian Quinonez. He now plans to continue his run in dominant fashion by taking out Rosas Jr.
The Ultimate Fighter season 34 bantamweight finale features a collision of two young UFC hopefuls as Azerbaijan’s Osmanli (12-1, fighting out of Baku, Azerbaijan) meets Kyrgyzstan’s Akylbek uulu (10-3, fighting out of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan). Osmanli, one of the breakout stars from this season, reached the finals following two impressive submission wins and now intends to keep his finish streak alive with another impressive showcase. Dominant grappler Akylbek seeks to impose his will and display the skills that earned him wins over some of the most talented athletes in the house on the way to securing a UFC contract.
The Ultimate Fighter season 34 also featured one of the most stacked women’s strawweight casts of all time, with Amaya (8-0, fighting out of Spokane, Wash.) and Black (15-4, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) battling their way to the finale. Constant underdog Amaya proved herself with entertaining performances over two of Team Bisping’s top picks and now has her sights set on making it three in a row. Black, the first women’s strawweight pick from Team Cormier, charged her way through the bracket, showing off well-rounded skills and now aims to prove she belongs by earning a UFC contract.
Additional bouts include:
- No. 4 ranked women’s bantamweight contender Norma Dumont (13-3, fighting out of Minas Gerais, Brazil) returns to the Octagon against No. 5 Ailin Perez (13-2, fighting out of Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Montel Jackson (15-4, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) looks to avenge his UFC debut loss to Ricky Simon (22-7-1, fighting out of Vancouver, Wash.) in a rematch at bantamweight
- An entertaining light heavyweight bout sees Rodolfo Bellato (13-3-1 1NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) take on Christian Edwards (8-5, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.)
- Rodolfo Vieira (11-5, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) faces Robert Bryczek (18-7, fighting out of Bielsko-Biała, Poland) in a middleweight tilt
- An all-action bantamweight bout pits Brady Hiestand (9-2, fighting out of Spokane, Wash.) against Rinya Nakamura (10-1, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan)
- Josiah Harrell (11-1, fighting out of Columbus, Ohio) looks to make a statement when he faces Elves Brener (16-6, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) at lightweight
- John Castaneda (21-8-1, fighting out of Minneapolis, Minn.) and Alatengheili (17-10-2, fighting out of Shanghai, China) lock horns at bantamweight
- Women’s strawweight action sees Vanessa Demopoulos (11-8, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) battle Yazmin Jauregui (11-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico)
For the latest information on bout announcements and additional information for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are subject to change. Please click here to apply for media credentials for the event.
Predictions
| Weight Class | Fighter | Fighter | Prediction | |
| Bantamweight | Raul Rosas Jr. | vs. | Raoni Barcelos | Raul Rosas Jr. |
| Middleweight | Rodolfo Vieira | vs. | Robert Bryczek | Rodolfo Vieira |
| Bantamweight | Mehemmedeli Osmanli | vs. | Ilimbek Akylbek uulu | Mehemmede Li Osmandi |
| Women’s Strawweight | Melissa Amaya | vs. | Valesca Machado | Valesca Machado |
| Bantamweight | Brady Hiestand | vs. | Rinya Nakamura | Rinya Nakamura |
| Preliminary card (Paramount+) | ||||
| Middleweight | Mickey Gall | vs. | Sedriques Dumas | Sedriques Dumas |
| Women’s Strawweight | Vanessa Demopoulos | vs. | Yazmin Jauregui | Yazmin Jauregui |
