Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 311: Makhachev vs Tsarukyan 2

It’s a classic “prospect versus veteran” pairing here as undefeated up-and-comer Payton Talbott takes on experienced Brazilian Raoni Barcelos.

Talbott followed up his debut win in November 2023 with a pair of finishes in 2024, first stopping Cameron Saaiman in the second round before pinning Yanis Ghemmouri in 19 seconds at UFC 303. Barcelos, who has filled that role against Umar Nurmagomedov in and Kyler Phillips recently earned a third-round stoppage win over Cristian Quinonez in his lone appearance in 2024, moving to 18-5 overall with the win.

Jailton Almeida vs Serghei Spivac

Top 10 heavyweights Jailton Almeida and Serghei Spivac look to start the year by taking a big step forward when they share the Octagon on Saturday’s televised kickoff.

ICYMI: Final results from UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2

After collecting wins in each of his first six UFC starts, Almeida suffered his first setback last year when he fell to Curtis Blaydes before bouncing back with a first-round submission win over Alexandr Romanov. In his only appearance of the year, Spivac avenged an earlier loss to Marcin Tybura, dispatching the Polish veteran in under two minutes to move to 7-2 over his last nine outings.

Zachary Reese vs. Azamat Bekoev

Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) grad Zachary Reese gets a late change in opponents on Saturday, welcoming Azamat Bekoev to the UFC.

Reese bounced back from a loss in his promotional debut in late 2023 with a pair of wins last year, making quick work of Julian Marquez before going the distance with Jose Medina in August. Bekoev arrives in the UFC on a six-fight winning streak, having won the interim LFA middleweight title, unifying the belts and then successfully defending his title over his last three fights.

Grant Dawson vs Diego Ferreira