5 questions that could be answered at UFC Fight Night: Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales

This weekend sees the UFC return to the Las Vegas APEX. This Fight Night event is not loaded with star names, but could be exciting nonetheless.

UFC Fight Night: Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales will see a big welterweight bout in the headliner, as well as a bunch of other fun-sounding fights.

There won't be too much interest in this one, but given there's no event next weekend, it should still be worth watching.

Here are five questions that could be answered at UFC Fight Night: Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales.

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#5. Will Julian Erosa produce another wild finish?

While he isn't considered a title contender at 145 pounds, it's probably fair to describe Julian Erosa as one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC right now.

'Juicy J' has stepped into the octagon on 14 occasions, winning eight fights and losing six. Remarkably, just three of those bouts have gone the distance.

What makes Erosa so exciting, though, isn't just his finishing rate. It's the wild range and style of his finishes. 'Juicy J' has scored knockouts with flying knees and punches, and has used bulldog chokes, brabo chokes and guillotines to score submissions.

On the flip side of this, he's also been knocked out on seven occasions in his career, including five times in the UFC. Essentially, he's the ultimate glass cannon.

Win or lose against Melquizael Costa this weekend, then, we should expect a wild finish of some kind, especially as Costa has been the distance just twice in six visits to the octagon.

The big question is whether 'Juicy J' can come out on the right end of things. If he can do so, not only is he likely to win a $50k bonus, but he'd be on a four-fight win streak - meaning the top 15 wouldn't be too far away.

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#4. Could Nursulton Ruziboev be a dark horse at 185 pounds?

While he's largely unknown to all but hardcore UFC fans, Nursulton Ruziboev has one of the most extensive and impressive records in the 185-pound division.

The native of Uzbekistan has 48 professional fights to his name, and sports an overall ledger of 35-9-2-2.

Given he only started fighting in 2014, that's an average of nearly five fights per year, a pretty insane schedule by anyone's standards.

Since arriving in the UFC, 'Black' has gone 3-1, scoring all three of his wins via KO or TKO. His only loss came on relatively late notice at 170 pounds against Joaquin Buckley, who is now a genuine welterweight title contender.

So could Ruziboev be a dark horse of sorts at 185 pounds? Based on the dangerous striking skills he's shown so far, he could be, even if his issues on the ground against Buckley could be a red flag.

Dispatching veteran Dustin Stoltzfus this weekend won't move 'Black' into the top fifteen, but if he can score another big KO, then there'll definitely be more hype around him. Therefore, his bout will be well worth keeping an eye on.

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#3. Can Mairon Santos become the first TUF champion to find success in a while?

One of the most curious fights set to go down this weekend pits dangerous striker Sodiq Yusuff against TUF 32 winner Mairon Santos.

Interestingly enough, there are a number of questions around this bout. Firstly, it's set to take place at 155 pounds, despite both men usually fighting at 145 pounds. The fact that it's been booked on about a month's notice explains this, although Yusuff has reportedly suggested he'll stay at lightweight for the foreseeable future.

So how both men will cope in a heavier weight division is a question mark in itself, although neither should hold too much of an advantage in that sense.

The bigger question is whether Santos can establish himself as a fighter to watch. 'The Legend' won TUF 32 last year and has an impressive record of 15-1.

However, he only scraped past the unheralded Francis Marshall in his first post-TUF bout in March, and whether he's got the striking ability to deal with the powerful Yusuff remains to be seen.

If he can pull it off, though, he might find himself on the fast track up the rankings, whether that's at 145 pounds or 155 pounds.

If that's the case, then he'd be a rare example of a TUF champion finding success in the modern era - a throwback to the days of Rashad Evans and Michael Bisping, rather than following in the footsteps of the likes of Muhammad Usman and Brad Katona.

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#2. Can Paul Craig rescue his UFC career with a win?

This weekend's co-headliner features the return of veteran Paul Craig. 'Bearjew' will be fighting at 205 pounds for the first time since 2023, and to say he needs to win would be an understatement.

Craig is coming into this weekend's event on the back of three straight losses, and he is 1-5 in his last six bouts in the UFC.

Sure, he didn't perform badly at all in his last fight - a close loss to Bo Nickal - but it's probably safe to say that if he loses this weekend, his UFC career will be over.

Craig has been doubted before, to be fair. Nobody expected him to pull off wins over the likes of Magomed Ankalaev, Shogun Rua or Jamahal Hill, and yet his record boasts victories over all of them.

Still, a fighter can't live on past victories forever, and it's hard to believe the UFC will keep him around if he's on a four-fight skid.

Thankfully, he should stand a chance of winning this weekend, as opponent Rodolfo Bellato is largely unheralded and only struggled to a draw with a rusty Jimmy Crute last time out.

All the pressure will be on Craig, though, and whether the Scotsman can pull off one more stirring victory is one of this weekend's most intriguing questions.

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#1. Does Gilbert Burns have enough left in the tank?

This weekend's headline bout will feature two top-rated welterweights, as prospect Michael Morales will attempt to claim the biggest win of his UFC career to date. Attempting to stop the explosive Ecuadorian will be former title challenger Gilbert Burns.

For Morales, this fight essentially represents a free hit. He's 17-0, but at 25 years old, this is his first bout against a truly elite-level foe. A loss wouldn't really harm him, and it'd be easy to imagine him rebounding in the future.

Burns, though, has far more pressure on his shoulders. 'Durinho' has not only lost his last three UFC fights in a row, but his last win came over Jorge Masvidal, who retired directly afterwards.

Sure, there's no shame in losing to Belal Muhammad, Sean Brady and Jack Della Maddalena. One is the current welterweight champ, one the former, and one the No.1-ranked contender in the division.

However, a loss here would definitely bump the stock of Burns downwards. Instead of being a gatekeeper to the elite, suddenly he'd been seen purely as a gatekeeper - moving into the spot that Neil Magny once occupied before his recent slide.

If 'Durinho' has designs on being more than that, then, he needs to win here. The big question is whether he actually can at this stage.

His bout last year with Della Maddalena showed the best and worst of his game at this point. He's still more than willing to exchange with his foes, he still has powerful takedowns, and while he didn't come close to submitting the Aussie, we know how dangerous he is in that regard.

On the flip side, exchanging with someone as dangerous as Morales would be a mistake, and against 'JDM', just as he did against Brady, he definitely tired down the stretch.

Essentially, then, this fight should give us a signpost into what the future holds for 'Durinho'. The Brazilian will undoubtedly be hoping it's still bright for him.