UFC Vegas 84 Start Time, Full Fight Details! | UFC Betting Sites

UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev v Walker 2 Weigh-in — Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to action after a brief hiatus to stage its first event of 2024 TONIGHT (Jan. 13, 2024) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the event is a Light Heavyweight rematch between Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker. Meanwhile, a Lightweight fight between Gabriel Benitez vs. Jim Miller will co-headline UFC Vegas 84 after the original Flyweight showcase went up in smoke last-minute (details here).

What’s Hot:

Ankalaev will attempt to get back into the win column for the first time in a long time against Walker. His last win came against Anthony Smith at UFC 277 in mid-2022 (see it again here), and his following two fights resulted in a split draw against Jan Blachowicz, as well as a crazy “No Contest” against Walker, which brings us to present day. Ankalaev has another opportunity to compete for the 205-pound title after his first shot against Blachowicz proved to be disastrous.

As for Walker, prior to his first contest against Ankalaev ended abruptly because of an illegal knee, he was on a three-fight win streak. A title shot likely isn’t in the cards for the winner right away, but a win is still needed so he can stay in the mix. Walker has already stated he wants to move to Heavyweight, but he still has some business to settle at 205 pounds. Walker has always had a tendency to get a bit overzealous, which is something he cant afford to do against someone like Ankalaev, who is all about the fundamentals and hits like a truck. Unless we have a bad case of deja vu, this fight should deliver.

What’s Not:

UFC Vegas 84 suffered a total of three fight changes and three cancelations, so we can’t really be too upset that UFC’s first mixed martial arts (MMA) fight card of the year isn’t the most stacked. But, there are still several intriguing matchups that should make for an interesting night of fights.

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

A fight between Ketlen Vieira vs. Macy Chiasson was scrapped for reasons unknown. Mathew Semeslberger agreed to step in and face off against Preston Parsons after Bassil Hafez was removed from the event. Denys Bondar stumbled upon visa issues, which prevented him from getting to “Sin City” for his fight against Felipe Brunes. As a result, the promotion enlisted Joshua Van to take the fight on short notice. And finally, Manel Kape missed weight, yet again, for his pivotal Flyweight fight against Matheus Nicolau. As a result, the promotion opted to cancel the fight altogether.

Injuries:

UFC Fight Night: Strickland v Magomedov Weigh-in

Yana Santos was set to face Norma Dumont before Santos was removed from the fight because of a broken nose. As a result, Dumont was removed from the event because the promotion was unable find a suitable women’s Featherweight opponent in time (there aren’t many left).

New Blood:

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Featherweight, Jean Silva, will bring his eight-fight win streak with him into the Octagon when he makes his promotional debut opposite Westin Wilson. During his hot streak, Silva has finished seven different opponents, all of them in the first round. As for Wilson, he is coming off a loss to Joanderson Brito, snapping his three-fight win streak.

After turning professional in 2020, Tom Nolan won his first six fights to earn a spot on UFC’s roster, punching his ticket thanks to a knockout win over Bogdan Grad in the first round on Contender Series. He will battle Nikolas Motta, who is just 1-2-1 under the UFC banner. Felipe Bunes hasn’t exactly been lighting it up over the last few years, amassing just a 3-4 record since 2019. Nevertheless, he got the opportunity last-minute to face Van, who is on a seven-fight win streak, which includes victories in his first two fights inside the Octagon.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Farid Basharat is perfect (11-0), including two wins under the UFC banner. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist with six submissions wins to his credit. His opponent, Taylor Lapilus, is also on a hot streak, having won six in a row, including making a successful UFC debut by defeating Caolan Loughran in Sept. 2023.

In the Bantamweight division, Marcus McGhee will take on Gaston Bolanos. The former Bellator MMA veteran has won two straight, including an impressive Octagon debut victory over Aaron Phillips.

In a Welterweight showdown, Mathew Semelsberger will attempt to get back in the win column after losing two in a row. Since he did UFC a solid by taking the fight on short notice, he more than likely won’t get cut should he come up short against Preston Parsons, who is also coming off a loss to Trevin Giles.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Phil Hawes has lost two straight and three of four overall, so going into his fight against Brunno Ferreira, he will have a tad bit more pressure on his shoulders to notch a win. Should he lose his third in a row, he could be on the chopping block. As for Ferreira, he suffered the first loss of his career after winning 10 straight fights, getting knocked out by Nursulton Ruziboev in the first round back in July 2023 (watch highlights).

Interest Level 5/10

UFC’s iron man, Jim Miller, has actually be on a nice roll as of late, winning four of his last five fights. He will look to keep his hot streak going when he takes on Gabriel Benitez, who recently got back to his winning ways after losing two straight. With a win, Miller hopes to secure a spot at UFC 300 after previously competing at UFC 100 and UFC 200.

Ricky Simon was on a hot streak before running into Song Yadong in April 2023. He previously had won five in a row and will now attempt to get back to his winning ways when he battles Mario Bautista, who has won five in a row. Again, this is one of those matchmaking moves that has me puzzled. Bautitsta is on a hot streak, while Simon is coming of a loss … I never understand these types of bookings.

Andrei Arlovski is still trucking along and will compete in fight No. 41 inside the Octagon when he takes on Waldo Cortes-Acosta. But, “The Pitbull” has seen better days because he has lost two in a row and a third straight defeat could very put his UFC career into question.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC Vegas 84 Fight Card:

UFC Vegas 84 Main Event On ESPN+:

205 lbs.: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker

UFC Vegas 84 Main Card on ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):

~~125 lbs.:~~ ~~Matheus Nicolau~~ ~~vs.~~ ~~Manel Kape~~ – CANCELED (details here)
155 lbs.: Gabriel Benitez vs. Jim Miller
135 lbs.: Ricky Simon vs. Mario Bautista
185 lbs.: Phil Hawes vs. Brunno Ferreira
265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta

UFC Vegas 84 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (4 p.m. ET):

135 lbs.: Marcus McGhee vs. Gaston Bolanos
170 lbs.: Preston Parsons vs. Matthew Semelsberger (not Bassil Hafez)
135 lbs.: Farid Basharat vs. Taylor Lapilus
145 lbs.: Westin Wilson vs. Jean Silva (not Gabriel Santos)
155 lbs.: Tom Nolan vs. Nikolas Motta
125 lbs.: Felipe Bunes vs. Joshua Van (not Denys Bondar)
~~135 lbs.:~~ ~~Ketlen Vieira~~ ~~vs.~~ ~~Macy Chiasson~~ — CANCELED (details here)
~~145 lbs.:~~ ~~Norma Dumont vs. Yana Santos~~ — CANCELED (details here)

*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 84 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ ”Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 84: “Ankalaev vs. Walker 2” news and notes, be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.