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This weekend sees the UFC return to the Las Vegas APEX for their first event in two weeks, and while it isn't heavy on name value, it does feature some exciting fighters.
UFC Fight Night: Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez notably features a number of stars with some violent finishes to their name, and with any luck, they'll recreate some of them this weekend.
So, with plenty of knockouts and submissions to choose from, here are the five best finishes from the stars of UFC Fight Night: Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez.
#5. Ryan Spann vs. Dominick Reyes - UFC 281
This weekend's event will see light-heavyweight contender Ryan Spann look to rebuild his octagon career when he faces the relatively unheralded Bogdan Guskov. 'Superman' looked set to make a run at the light-heavyweight title a couple of years ago, but back-to-back losses to Nikita Krylov and Anthony Smith have since derailed him.
That means you have to go back to UFC 281 in November 2022 to find his last win. That victory, though, was probably the biggest of his career, as it saw him defeat former title challenger Dominick Reyes. It was also a very nasty finish.
The fight didn't last long at all, as just over a minute had passed before Spann struck. The two 205 pounders exchanged some feeler strikes, and then as Reyes stepped in, 'Superman' caught him with a one-two that dropped him hard before finishing him with a largely unnecessary follow-up shot.
Sure, it was the third knockout that Reyes had suffered in as many fights, bringing into question the durability of 'The Devastator', but it was also hard to argue with the brutal power of Spann.
If he can land a similar combination to Guskov this weekend, he's highly likely to win.
#4. Uros Medic vs. Matthew Semelsberger - UFC 291
The welterweight bout between Uros Medic and Tim Means is largely flying under the radar coming into this weekend's event, but it could well end up stealing the show.
Means is a veteran of over a decade in the octagon, and he's scored a number of violent finishes over that period. Medic, meanwhile, is 3-2 in the UFC, and has finished all three of his victories by knockout. By far his best finish, though, came last year against Matthew Semelsberger in a truly wild fight that probably deserved to earn both men a bonus award.
The bout was a war from the off, with both men exchanging strikes openly, and early on, it looked like Semelsberger was on his way to a win. He dropped Medic in the first round, and appeared to get the better of things in the second too.
However, 'The Doctor' turned the tables in the third. With just over two minutes remaining, he landed a brutal right hand to the temple that stunned Semelsberger badly.
With his foe wobbled, Medic then threw caution to the wind and nailed him with a spinning back forearm that sent him crashing to the ground. A series of follow-up strikes later and the fight was called off by referee Tyler Tomlinson.
The finish was a demonstration of Medic's killer instinct, and judging by this, Means will need to be very careful until the final buzzer this weekend - if the fight goes that far.
#3. Matheus Nicolau vs. Matt Schnell - UFC on ESPN 42
This weekend's headline fight will see flyweights Matheus Nicolau and Alex Perez go head-to-head. It's probably fair to argue that Brazil's Nicolau isn't the most reliable finisher, with only two of his seven wins in the UFC ending before the final buzzer.
However, his win over Matt Schnell in December 2022 was definitely one for the highlight reel, as Nicolau showed that he carries serious power in his hands to go along with his slick grappling game. The fight actually started off slowly before Nicolau dropped Schnell in the first round, only for 'Danger' to manage to recover. When the Brazilian repeated the trick in the second, that wasn't the case.
This time, Nicolau dropped Schnell twice with left hands before finally sealing the deal with a right haymaker to the side of the head and some quick follow-up shots. It was proof that if given the opportunity, Nicolau could take out his foe with violence, and he'll be looking for similar this weekend.
#2. Alex Perez vs. Jussier Formiga - UFC 250
The first graduate of Dana White's Contender Series to earn a UFC title shot, Alex Perez did so on the back of a run of three wins in a row between March 2019 and June 2020.
It was the final win in that streak, though - a vicious stoppage of former title contender Jussier Formiga - that netted him his shot at then-flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo.
Up to that stage, Perez had demonstrated his fast hands in his knockout of Jose Torres, and his grappling skills in his submission win over Jordan Espinosa. Against Formiga, though, he showed he could kick like a mule, too. Perez began to kick Formiga's lead leg from the off in the bout, and within a few moments, it was clear that the Brazilian wasn't quite equipped to defend the attack well.
The graduate of DWCS didn't let up, though, and kept on hammering the leg, while showing no fear of Formiga's striking in return. Eventually, a big kick dropped the Brazilian, and when he got to his feet, another one put him right back down. This time, he was not able to get back up.
Not only was it fascinating to see Perez score a rare TKO win via leg kicks, but it was also brutal, too, and it was hard not to feel bad for Formiga, who couldn't put any weight on the leg post-fight.
Perez has not won a bout since, but if he can produce anything like this showing against Matheus Nicolau this weekend, that unfortunate trend should change.
#1. Ariane Lipski vs. Luana Carolina - UFC Fight Island 2
While there are plenty of ruthless finishers in action at this weekend's UFC event, the one to produce the most memorable finish is flyweight contender Ariane Lipski.
'The Queen of Violence' has not always lived up to her nickname in the octagon, falling to defeat in five of her 11 trips there. However, when she fought Luana Carolina in the summer of 2020, fans were treated to a glimpse of exactly why she'd been given her moniker.
Within seconds of the fight getting underway, Lipski dropped her fellow Brazilian with a flurry of punches, and immediately jumped on her to finish the job. Carolina was able to survive, but ended up in a duelling leglock position, and unfortunately for her, Lipski was quick on the draw.
'The Queen of Violence' locked up a kneebar and wrenched the hold so aggressively that Carolina outright screamed in agony as she tapped, with her leg being bent in a completely unnatural direction. It was one of the most visually shocking tapouts in UFC history, and not only did it win Lipski a $50k bonus, but it was also named as the submission of the year at the end of 2020.
Only time will tell if she can repeat something similar against Karine Silva this weekend, but the fact that she has such abilities in her arsenal makes her fight a must-see affair.
