The main card kicks off with a fascinating lightweight tilt between streaking Frenchman Fares Ziam and Long Island stalwart Matt Frevola.
Ziam began his UFC tenure with a loss and was 2-2 after four fights, but since then, the tall and rangy 27-year-old has posted three straight wins. He spoiled the promotional debut of Michal Figlak two years back in Paris, then bested veteran Jai Herbert before posting a split decision win over his friend and former training partner Claudio Puelles earlier this year to move to 15-4 overall.
Three straight first-round stoppages from the start of 2022 through to UFC 288 last May put Frevola in the Top 15 in the lightweight division heading into his UFC 295 showdown with Saint Denis at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately for “The Steamrolla,” he landed on the business of a first-round finish, and returns here for the first time since, looking to get things moving in a positive direction again.
This is a critical bout for each man, as Ziam needs to show he can contend with a battle-tested veteran like Frevola, while the 34-year-old New Yorker has to show that he can bounce back and still hang with the ascending class in the lightweight ranks. However this one plays out, it should be exciting for as long as it lasts.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Ion Cutelaba vs Ivan Erslan
The prelims wrap with what should be a banger, as Ion Cutelaba welcomes Ivan Erslan to the Octagon for the first time.
Now in his ninth year on the UFC roster, Cutelaba has established himself as an all-action fighter in the light heavyweight division, with only four of his previous 16 appearances going the distance. The 32-year-old Erslan is 14-3 overall and has won his last nine inside the distance while competing primarily for KSW.
