On the other side, the 28-year-old Song is hopeful a win over O’Malley will get him over the hump and in the title picture in earnest. Since joining the roster in November 2017 as a 19-year-old, Song tallied an 11-3-1 record. His most-recent effort came in Seattle where he defeated UFC legend Henry Cejudo via Technical Decision.
Before they battle on the main card, Nurmagomedov hopes to bolster his case for a second shot at gold when he takes on Figueiredo. Nurmagomedov bounced back from his decision loss to Dvalishvili well, defeating Mario Bautista via decision at UFC 321. Wanting to remain active, Nurmagomedov booked this matchup with Figueiredo before the belt changed hands at UFC 323, so he is keen to set himself up for a title shot later in 2026 with a win over the Brazilian. Figueiredo returned to the winner’s circle in October with a decision win over Montel Jackson. After joinging the bantamweight division in December 2023, the former champ rallied off three-straight wins before dropping bouts to Yan and Cory Sandhagen, stymieing his momentum. A win over Nurmagomedov could catapult the 38-year-old back into the thick of the title discussion.
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Once the dust settles from UFC’s back-to-back numbered events, the Octagon returns to Meta Apex for a bantamweight headliner between Bautista and surging Brazilian contender Vinicius Oliveira. Bautista, 32, failed to extend his 8-fight winning streak when he ran into Nurmagomedov, but he has consistently shown his quality for the last seven years on the roster. Now, it’s his turn to thwart a streaking prospect.
Since earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2023, Oliveira has dazzled with an exciting style and action-forward approach. His debut represented a lot of his best qualities as he went to war with Benardo Sopaj for nearly all of three rounds before landing a flying knee in the waning moments to get the stoppage win. The highlight-reel KO helped earn him both Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses. He followed that with decision wins over Ricky Simón, Said Nurmagomedov and Kyler Phillips to prove he very much deserves a shot at someone in the Top 10.