2-0 in the UFC entering the fight, Pericic was fighting for the third time well inside 12 months and hoping to book a fourth date inside that mark. Gaziev, fighting for the first time in 2026, was looking to shake off a loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

The big boys met in the middle of the Octagon to set off the second fight of the main card, with the fans hoping for fireworks after a lackluster Tuivasa vs. Sutherland. Pericic found success first, landing a low kick on the outside leg of Gaziev. Quickly, though, the two were trading in the pocket, with Shamil Gaziev clipping Pericic before bringing him down to the ground for his first takedown.

Back to his feet, Pericic was still caught in the grasp of the No. 14-ranked heavyweight in the world, Shamil Gaziev, who let go with a number of clinch strikes before the referee broke them up. With the two back in striking range, Brando Pericic started unloading countless power shots, wobbling Gaziev back to the cage. Gaziev continued to survive, throwing power right back in the face of Pericic, as both men absolutely slugged it out for the remainder of the first round. It was a difficult round to score, as each had their moments, but Pericic’s shots seemed to have a much bigger impact.

Round two was a continued throwdown from round one, with the heavyweights showing little regard for striking defense. Pericic started to take the lead in numbers, with his speed giving him a clear advantage on the feet. After stringing a few straights together, the “Balkan Bear” hurt Gaziev, finishing him off with a power right hand that crumbled the ranked heavyweight to the ground.

Brando Pericic moved to 7-1, earning his third straight knockout in three UFC appearances. Likely to have a number next to his name soon, Pericic called for a spot at UFC Serbia later this year.

Official Results: Brando Pericic def. Shamil Gaziev via R2 KO, 3:44

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Bryczek, a former champ in Poland’s FEN and Oktagon MMA athlete, was 1-1 in the octagon to date.

Rowston got the party started with a few kicks to the body to set his range, but Bryczek brought forward pressure early. Bryczek had some difficulty getting past the long arms and high volume of feints from Rowston, though he eventually found his flow, landing a beautiful series of hooks to the body. Rowston, clearly a bit rattled from the shots, responded with a takedown to bring the Polish middleweight to the ground. However, it wasn’t long before the two returned to the feet, where Rowston resumed his success at range. With around a minute left, the Australian went back to the grappling, bringing Bryczek to the mat for the remainder of round one and landing crushing elbows from top position.

Bryczek continued moving forward in the second round, chopping at the lead leg of Rowston, though again he found himself in trouble with the Australian’s reach. After sticking a few stiff straights that stopped Bryczek in his tracks, Rowston returned the fight to where he dominated at the end of the first round. Around three minutes of ground-and-pound ensued once Rowston found himself postured up, with a vulnerable Bryczek in his guard, to close the second.

Round three was more of the same for the home fighter, Cam Rowston, who found a quick early takedown. Bryczek did not offer much resistance, but kept his wits about him while scrambling from bottom position. Rowston continued to mix it up well, staying busy with ground-and-pound and transitioning forward while looking to end the fight. Despite his efforts, Poland’s Robert Bryczek survived all 15 minutes, forcing the two middleweights to the scorecards.

All three judges scored the fight in favor of the “Battle Giraffe,” as the 31-year-old extended his win streak to seven and moved his record to 15-3.

Official Result: Cam Rowston def. Robert Bryczek by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)

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At UFC Perth on Saturday, in a 190lb catchweight bout, Malkoun looked to build on that success against veteran Gerald “GM3” Meerschaert.

The two got things kicked off in the center of the Octagon, with Meerschaert trying to apply early pressure. Malkoun responded with a few straight shots, finding a vulnerable target in Meerschaert at range. Soon after, however, Malkoun made the questionable decision to initiate the grappling, which Meerschaert was able to reverse into top position. Not much came from it for the veteran, but Meerschaert rode out the remainder of the round, likely banking round one with control time.

Round two looked slightly different for the Australian, as this time he kept the majority of the fight standing against the much slower Meerschaert. Fighting behind a consistent jab, Malkoun walked the American down toward the cage and found success striking. Neither man truly landed anything of major significance, despite Malkoun putting Meerschaert in troubling situations multiple times.

Hesitance continued to plague both fighters in round three, but midway through the second minute, the striking started opening up as the two middleweights traded shots. Malkoun was seemingly on his bike, moving around the outside while mixing in another surprising takedown attempt. Still crafty at an older age, Meerschaert locked up a guillotine submission as the final 30 seconds came off the clock. However, the Australian, Jacob Malkoun, persevered, surviving GM3’s last attempt at victory.

When it went to the scorecards, Jacob Malkoun earned a unanimous decision win, moving to 10-3 in his career. On the other side, Gerald Meerschaert dropped to 37-22, with a move to light heavyweight likely in the cards next.

Official Result: Jacob Malkoun def. Gerald Meerschaert by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)

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The Fight Night card will take place on June 20, 2026, headlined by a matchup between two top-ranked flyweights. This time under the UFC banner, #2 Manel Kape (22-7) will get another crack at #5 Kyoji Horiguchi (36-5). The two first met back in 2017 in the final round of the RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix, where Horiguchi defeated Kape by submission.

Also officially added to the card is a women’s bantamweight clash between #15 Bia Mesquita (7-0) and Melissa Mullins (7-2). It’s an interesting booking, as Mesquita is coming off a breakout submission win over Montse Rendon, while Mullins receives ranked opposition after a decision loss to Darya Zheleznyakova.

Moving to the men’s flyweight division, undefeated André Lima (11-0) returns to battle veteran Kevin Borjas (10-5). It has been over a year since Lima’s last Octagon appearance, and he’ll look to make it two consecutive finishes against Borjas, who has been active himself. Facing a quick turnaround after being knocked out by Imanol Rodriguez in February, Borjas will be desperate to defy the odds and get back on track with a win over Lima.

Another undefeated prospect, Navajo Stirling (9-0), will look to score his second UFC finish, this time against improved competition in Ion Cutelaba (20-11-1). Both light heavyweights were victorious in their most recent appearances, though Cutelaba will give Stirling a new look in the cage, as his last two wins have come by submission.

A fiery featherweight matchup is also set, as Hyder Amil (11-2) and Christian Rodriguez (12-4) fight for security on the roster. Both men are staring at two losses in their last two outings, but a competitive throwdown could be in order, with major implications for the future of their UFC careers.

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Murtazali Magomedov (10-0) will face Melsik Baghdasaryan (8-3) in his promotional debut on June 20, 2026 as first reported by MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin.

Murtazali Magomedov has his UFC debut set!
He is taking on Melsik Baghdasaryan on June 20th, per sources pic.twitter.com/FCXIKiqEzv

— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) April 29, 2026

Magomedov later confirmed the booking on social media.

Coming off a stellar performance on this past season’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series, Murtazali Magomedov enters the promotion with all ten of his victories coming by finish. Fighting out of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the undefeated 26-year-old previously held the Octagon League featherweight title before earning his opportunity to fight in front of the UFC brass. Now, he’ll chase another title on the biggest stage in the world, but first, he takes on Melsik “The Gun” Baghdasaryan.

Baghdasaryan has had an up-and-down start to his UFC career, holding a 3-2 record inside the Octagon. Injuries and inactivity have limited the 34-year-old to just five fights since earning a contract back in 2020. Most recently, Baghdasaryan entered the cage in February 2025 against surging contender Jean Silva at UFC Seattle, where he suffered a viral first-round knockout loss. “The Gun” will look to return to the win column in this matchup and spoil the debut of the intriguing Murtazali Magomedov.

The two will go head-to-head at the UFC Apex on June 20, adding to a loaded UFC Vegas 119 card. The event is headlined by the rematch between Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi and also features the return of undefeated prospects André Lima and Navajo Stirling.

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Jackson has been one to watch, putting together a 9-3 record in the UFC and most recently competing against ex-flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo. While that fight didn’t go his way, he remained inside the top 15 and was getting a solid matchup with Brazil’s Barcelos, himself 10-4 inside the Octagon.

Jackson got the party started immediately, knocking Barcelos to the ground with a quick short shot to the 14 fight veteran. Referee Jason Herzog did an excellent job of allowing Barcelos to recover from the massive strike from Jackson, as the Brazilian quickly returned to his feet to recover.

Back at range, Barcelos was susceptible to the straight punches from Jackson, seemingly still out of sorts from being knocked down in the first 30 seconds of the round. After a shaky sequence on the feet, the Brazilian finally found some success in the back half of round one, finding a double-leg shot to bring the American down, then picking him up and slamming him back down to the mat.

Jackson was able to survive at first, though he was again brought back to the ground with a gorgeous level change. As the final seconds ticked off the clock in round one, Barcelos started cinching in a deep rear-naked choke. Saved by the bell, Jackson continued on to the second round with no significant damage after a back-and-forth first round. Barcelos, on the other hand, was wearing some of Jackson’s power straights.

Round two was more of the same from the two bantamweights, with Montel Jackson attempting to keep the fight at a distance while Barcelos searched for level changes to bring the opposition to the mat. The Brazilian got much better results this time, repeatedly winning positioning along the cage and taking Jackson to the ground. Once again, the two ended the round with Barcelos tying up a rear-naked choke submission on Jackson’s back, the veteran finding himself coming closer to the finish.

It was potentially anyone’s fight as the two bantamweights entered the final round of their three-round affair. Jackson continued to fight well on the feet, trying to deter Barcelos from coming inside on him. With around a minute and a half left, Montel Jackson landed his best strike of the round: a flush head kick directly upstairs on Barcelos. Though the momentum quickly faded for the American, as Barcelos was able to grab hold of Jackson in the final seconds, pulling off a beautiful trip and ending the third round in a row on Jackson’s back.

With the fight going to the scorecards, both bantamweights felt they had done enough to earn the decision victory. Ultimately it was the veteran Raoni Barcelos who got his hand raised via split decision over Montel Jackson. Potentially big things are ahead for the Brazilian, as he’ll likely hold a ranking come next week.

Official Result: Raoni Barcelos def. Montel Jackson by split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)

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With a treasure chest of gold medals from the jiu-jistu world, Vieira was looking to find consistency in MMA, after falling to Bo Nickal in his last fight. McConico was also coming off a loss, against Baisangur Susurkaev.

Vieira got off to a quick start, swarming Eric McConico with a power takedown that dropped the American into a vulnerable position. It was dangerous waters early for McConico, though the crafty defender was able to return to his feet quickly after. A series of chain takedown attempts ensued as Vieira looked to find the same success as his first shot, though McConico stayed disciplined as the round came to a close.

Round two was much more favorable for Eric McConico. He let his hands go and was beautifully accurate, walking down a tiring Vieira. A big round one from the Brazilian virtually left him with no gas tank midway through the fight, with Vieira finding his only success by holding McConico against the cage. With a few seconds left in the round, McConico exploded out of Vieira’s grasp, landing a couple of strikes to stamp the round in his favor.

Vieira’s game plan didn’t change in round three either, with the Brazilian continuously attempting to slow down McConico with level changes. Again, the American stayed composed and defensively responsible, protecting himself from any major damage before finding his way off the cage and out of Vieira’s range. The tide turned for good once the two found each other at range with a minute left. McConico, in much better physical shape and striking well, sealed the deal on the feet, outstriking Vieira until the fight’s close.

McConico earned the unanimous decision victory as the fight reached the scorecards, finding himself back in the win column and evening his UFC record at 2-2. For Vieira, he’ll be forced to face the tough reality of two consecutive losses, dropping the Brazilian to 11-5.

Official Result: Eric McConico def. Rodolfo Vieira by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)

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Durden had lost four straight and six of his last seven, though that run did include a loss to current champ Joshua Van. Still, a pink slip loomed if the short-notice Durden couldn’t correct course, while Filho was coming off an October win against Clayton Carpenter.

Round one started with an aggressive Durden, charging at Filho to open up his strikes. The Brazilian was able to survive Durden’s first flurry, eventually bringing him to the ground, where the two got into some heavy grappling exchanges.

Neither man was able to truly separate himself in the first, though it appeared Jafel Filho was winning the majority of the ground game, likely edging him toward a 10-9 round.

Halfway through the second round, Durden was finally able to get Filho in a vulnerable position, though the Brazilian responded with an upkick that landed right on Durden’s eye. Shortly after, there was a stoppage when the grounded Filho was axe-kicked in the groin by Durden.

Once they returned to the feet, it was competitive as the two exchanged in the pocket, with Durden taking a slight advantage on the feet. It wasn’t long, however, before Filho enticed Durden back to the mat, threatening with a rear-naked choke as the round came to a close.

Round three was all Durden. With seemingly much more in the tank, Durden led the dance against Filho until the fight’s close. The Brazilian, typically used to a shorter fight, was out of gas, giving up dominant position to Durden in the final seconds of the last round.

It was a close fight, but a decisive one to the judges, as Cody Durden came away with the unanimous decision victory on less than a week’s notice. “Custom Made” finds himself back in the win column, while Jafel Filho loses a big one, dropping to 17-5.

Official Result: Cody Durden def. Jafel Filho by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

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Canada’s Jourdain went into the bout looking at it as an opportunity to break into the top 15, given Phillips had previously been ranked. “The Matrix,” meanwhile, said this week that he wasn’t focused on the numbers.

The two all-action fighters kicked things off for the Winnipeg crowd, with Phillips applying pressure early. Jourdain drew some oohs and ahhs with his first flying knee of the night, living up to his nickname, “Air Jourdain.” Disregarding the flashiness, Phillips continued to push forward, landing the first takedown of the fight.

Having submitted four of his past five opponents, Jourdain threw up a triangle choke from the bottom, but to no avail. Phillips used the opportunity to advance position, transitioning forward on the ground.

After around three minutes of control from Kyler Phillips, Jourdain was able to return to his feet, swarming the American with a number of strikes. Some damage began to show around Phillips’ eye as a close, competitive round came to an end.

More pressure from Phillips followed in round two, as he found an early trip to bring Jourdain back to the mat. The Canadian stayed tricky off his back, eventually working his way up while landing strikes in the process.

The temperature turned up in the back half of round two, with Phillips looking a bit spent after absorbing several shots to the body from Charles Jourdain. Trying to shore up his defense, Phillips leaned on his weight to hold Jourdain along the cage, but it wasn’t long before the Canadian slipped free and opened up with heavy striking.

With 30 seconds left in the round, Jourdain threw everything he had at Phillips to put a stamp on it, including a rolling thunder kick that just missed as the clock hit zero.

Likely even at 1–1 after two rounds, it was anyone’s fight heading into the third. Phillips opened well on the feet, lulling Jourdain into a sense of security before changing levels for a takedown.

It was short-lived on the ground for Phillips, but once Jourdain got back up, the American continued to find success on the feet, even as Jourdain seemed to catch a second wind.

Another flying knee came from Jourdain in an attempt to shift the momentum of round three, but Phillips smartly used his grappling to tie up the off-balanced Canadian and bring him back down.

Impressively, Jourdain made it back to his feet once more, using a kimura grip to rotate out from underneath Phillips. He went back to the flying knee again- this time landing clean on Phillips’ left eye, cutting him open in the biggest moment of the fight. Jourdain pressed forward with a flurry, knocking Phillips off balance multiple times before partially landing another rolling thunder as the final seconds ticked away.

With the fight going to the scorecards, the hometown fighter, Charles Jourdain, was awarded a unanimous decision victory, setting himself up for ranked opposition next. Jourdain moves to 18-8-1, with three consecutive victories to his name. On the other side, Phillips drops to 12-5-0, facing his third straight loss since defeating Pedro Munhoz back at UFC 299.

Official Result: Charles Jourdain def. Kyler Phillips via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3) 

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Taking on Brazilian Thiago Moises on the Fight Night event’s main card, it remained to be seen how the crowd would react. Probably not all that enthusiastically.

Moises started the fight by using his physicality to set the tone against Gauge Young, finding some success early in the grappling. Young tried to stay active while remaining defensive, but was quickly brought back to the ground through a series of chain takedowns.

The Brazilian grew more dangerous as the round progressed, tying Young up in several vulnerable positions before landing some nasty elbows to close round one.

Round two was much more defensively sound for “Gee Money,” as he denied a number of takedowns from the pressuring Moises. The two began trading in the middle of the octagon, but Young started to lead the dance, directing where the fight was going.

Forced to counterstrike, Moises was accurate, landing a few hooks in range of Young and ending the round well with a clean combination after being denied on the ground once again.

Young’s success continued into the third round, with momentum fully shifted in the American’s favor. Moises attempted a number of takedowns, but ended up on his back, which drew a rain of boos from the Canadian crowd. Young began celebrating in response, but he was in for a surprise when Moises fired back – ruining his chances at a finish bonus and perhaps letting him back into the fight.

The two men threw down as the final round came to a close, and with the fight going to the scorecards, Gauge Young earned his second consecutive victory in the UFC.

Official Result: Gauge Young def. Thiago Moises via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

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