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UFC Fight Night: Luque v Dos Anjos - Weigh-in — Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to action later TONIGHT (Sat., Aug. 12, 2023) with UFC Vegas 78 going down from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the event is a highly-intriguing Welterweight showdown between Vicente Luque and Rafael dos Anjos. In the co-main event, Hakeem Dawodu battles Cub Swanson in a fun Featherweight scrap.

What’s Hot:

Luque recently revealed that he had suffered a brain bleed in his loss to Geoff Neal more than one year ago (highlights), opting to keep quiet and recuperate. Now, the talented 170-pound fighter will get back into the swing of things after suffering that very serious medical issue in an attempt to snap his two-fight losing streak, the first of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career. Luque has long been one of the most talented and, at times, the most underrated fighters in the division. But, his quiet nature outside of the cage is the opposite of what he is like inside because he gets violent rather quickly (11 knockout wins are all the proof we need). Still, Luque has been on a slump and it will be interesting to see if he can get back on track, especially after his brain bleed. A knockout will be the worst case scenario for Luque given his health issue, but he has been cleared to compete.

As for dos Anjos, he is coming off an impressive submission win over Bryan Barberena in Dec. 2022, moving him to 3-1 in his last four fights. It’s a nice turnaround after suffering back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards and Michael Chiesa. “RDA” does not have a ranking spot since his win over Barberena was his first in the division in nearly four years, so he has his work cut out for him moving forward. First things first, however, as Luque is out to make his own progress by getting his first win in two years. If the fight stays standing then Luque has a great shot here, though that isn’t to say that “RDA” is a slouch in the striking department. That said, the Brazilian bomber would love to take the fight to the ground where he may have a slight advantage in the jiu-jitsu department. It’s a great bout between two talented veterans on the hunt for big wins for different reasons. Luque is trying to prevent his stock from tumbling further with a third straight defeat, while “RDA” eyes a second straight win at 170 pounds in order to earn himself another ranking spot.

What’s Not:

Khalil Rountree has quietly racked up three straight wins in the Light Heavyweight division, and one more could be enough to get him into the Top 15. He will attempt to pick up that all-important victory against Chris Daukaus, who has dropped from Heavyweight after three brutal losses. Here we go again with odd match-making. Why on Earth does a streaking fighter get paired up against one in the midst of the worst slump of his UFC career — knocked out three straight times — and is making his debut in a new division? It just doesn’t make sense. Does it even matter anymore?

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

Gaston Bolanos withdrew from his fight against Marcus McGhee for undisclosed reasons and was ultimately replaced by J.P. Buys, who is coming in with three straight losses. McGhee, meanwhile, is on a three-fight win streak and is coming off a UFC debut win over Journey Newson, whom he submitted via rear-naked choke in the second round.

Lando Vannata withdrew from his fight against Mike Breeden for undisclosed reasons. Stepping in to fill the void is Terrance McKinney, who will be making a quick turnaround after suffering a loss last month to Nazim Sadykhov, his second straight defeat. As for Breeden, he has lost two straight, too, so this very well could be a “Loser Leaves Town Match.”

Injuries:

Brady Hiestand was forced out of his fight against Da’Mon Blackshear because of an undisclosed medical issue and was ultimately replaced by UFC newcomer, Jose Johnson, who is currently riding high with a three-fight win streak.

New Blood:

Undefeated prospect, Isaac Dulgarian, brings his perfect record (5-0) to the Octagon as he gears up to face Francis Marshall, who suffered the first loss of his career in his second UFC fight against William Gomis earlier this year. Dulgarian has five first-round finishes on his resume, all of which took place in the span of 13 months, so he is all action with no stop in him.

After winning two straight on the regional circuit, Johnson earned himself a shot on the Contender Series, ultimately defeating Jack Cartwright via unanimous decision. Now, one year removed from that fight he gets his first real shot on the big stage as he takes on Da’Mon Blackshear, who is coming off a knockout win over Luan Lacerda.

Luana Santos will attempt to pick up her third straight win in her UFC debut against Juliana Miller. Santos is 5-1 in her first six professional fights with three of her wins coming by way of submission. As for Miller, she is coming off a loss to Veronica Hardy four months ago, bringing her UFC record to 1-1.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

We’ve discusses several fights on the undercard in previous sections, so let’s touch on the ones we have yet to dissect, shall we?

Martin Buday has quietly won his first three fights inside the Octagon to extend his win streak to 11 in a row. Now, he will attempt to add another notch to his current run when he battles Josh Parisian, who is coming off a loss to Jamal Pogues and is just 1-2 in his last three fights.

Jaqueline Amorim suffered the first loss of her career in her UFC debut against Sam Hughes earlier this year, and now hopes to get back on the winning track — which she has been used to all her career — when she battles Montserrat Ruiz. “Conejo” is coming off a loss to Amanda Lemos, the first loss in her young UFC career.

McKinney got off to a great start to his UFC career thanks to a couple of first round knockout wins, including a seven-second finish of Matt Frevola (see it again here). But, he has been unable to continue with the success because he is just 1-3 since, getting finished in all three losses. His most recent defeat came three weeks ago, so now he is looking for a quick turnaround to right the ship. If he loses his third straight, there is no telling if the promotion will cut him seeing how he is doing the company a solid for stepping in on short notice. Nevertheless, he is on very, very thin ice.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Buys, meanwhile, has yet to win a fight inside the Octagon in three tries, but he will get another shot — possibly his last — when he battles the aforementioned McGhee, who is on a three-fight win streak, winning his UFC debut earlier this year. If Buys loses his fourth straight, you can expect him to get his walking papers.

Interest Level: 5/10

Long-time veteran, Cub Swanson, will participate in fight No. 23 with the promotion when he tangos with Hakeem Dawodu, who — like Swanson — is coming off a loss. Dawodu was last seen losing to Julian Erosa, while Swanson lost to Jonathan Martinez. Both men are just 1-2 in their last three fights. Swanson’s hopes of ever fighting for a UFC title keep dwindling after each fight, but as long as he entertains and puts out maximum effort — which he always does — he’ll always a spot on UFC’s roster.

Jamie Pickett has lost three straight fights and is just 2-5 in his first seven fights with UFC, yet matchmakers somehow came to the conclusion that he deserves main card billing against Josh Fremd, who is also just 1-2 inside the Octagon. It seems long ago that a spot on the main card was reserved for deserving fighters on nice win streaks and momentum. You know, the good old days.

Iasmin Lucindo and Polyana Viana will throw down in a women’s Strawweight scrap that should be rather entertaining. Lucindo picked up her first UFC win three months ago against Brogan Walker, while Viana knocked out Jinh Yu Frey on Nov. 2022, moving her to 3-1 in her last four UFC fights.

Tafon Nchukwi put himself in a pickle after he came in 3.5 pounds heavy for his Middleweight showdown against A.J. Dobson. That’s because the Cameroonian was already coming in on a two-fight losing streak and having lost three of four. As a result of his scale fail, not only does he give up a huge chunk of his purse to Dobson, but he puts more pressure on himself to get the win to prevent getting the pink slip. Dobson, meanwhile, hasn’t exactly been excelling either, losing his only two fights inside the Octagon. Another loss for him could be the end of the road in his young tenure with the promotion.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC Vegas 78 Fight Card:

UFC Vegas 78 Main Event On ESPN/ESPN+:

170 lbs.: Vicente Luque vs. Rafael dos Anjos

UFC Vegas 78 Main Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):

145 lbs.: Hakeem Dawodu vs. Cub Swanson
205 lbs.: Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Chris Daukaus
115 lbs.: Iasmin Lucindo vs. Polyana Viana
185 lbs.: AJ Dobson vs. Tafon Nchukwi
185 lbs.: Josh Fremd vs. Jamie Pickett

UFC Vegas 78 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (4 p.m. ET):

135 lbs.: JP Buys vs. Marcus McGhee
155 lbs.: Mike Breeden vs. Terrance McKinney
145 lbs.: Isaac Dulgarian vs. Francis Marshall
265 lbs.: Martin Buday vs. Josh Parisian
115 lbs.: Jaqueline Amorim vs. Montserrat Conejo
135 lbs.: Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Jose Johnson
125 lbs.: Juliana Miller vs. Luana Santos

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 78 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN/ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 78: “dos Anjos vs. Luque” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.