UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Rakic - May 14, 2022: Know the prelim fighters competing at the event

UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Rakic will be the next Fight Night effort from the world's premier MMA promotion. It has a series of exciting matchups lined up for the fight fans. The event will go down this Saturday, May 14, at the UFC's Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the main event, former champion and No.1-ranked contender Jan Blachowicz will lock horns with No.3-ranked surging prospect Aleksandar Rakic in a light heavyweight showdown. Both fighters will look to insert themselves into the UFC title picture with a statement-making win.

The co-headliner of UFC Fight Night this weekend will also feature a light heavyweight encounter as Ion Cutelaba takes on the No.13-ranked contender Ryan Spann.

While the main card will undoubtedly produce fireworks, the preliminary card is also lined up with a host of intriguing matchups involving several emerging talents across divisions.

The UFC Fight Night preliminary card is set to kick off at 7:30 PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT.

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UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Rakic prelim card fighters

Here is a list of all the preliminary card fights for this weekend's UFC Fight Night event:

Viviane Araujo vs. Andrea Lee

Michael Johnson vs. Alan Patrick

Virna Jandiroba vs. Angela Hill

Tatsuro Taira vs. Carlos Candelario

Nick Maximov vs. Andre Petroski

Viviane Araujo

Viviane Araujo (10-3) will head into UFC Fight Night this Saturday looking to rebound from her unanimous decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian last May. The Brazilian went 4-2 in the promotion with that loss.

Andrea Lee

Andrea Lee (13-5) registered the first TKO win and first submission win of her 8-fight UFC career in her last two trips to the octagon. 'KGB' is now 2-3 in her last five bouts.

Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson (19-17) will be desperate to end his four-fight skid when he makes his 25th appearance under the UFC banner this Saturday. 'The Menace' suffered his most recent loss to Clay Guida via unanimous decision in February. Johnson's last UFC win was against Artem Lobov in October 2018.

Alan Patrick

Much like his opponent, Alan Patrick (15-3) also doesn't have a strong recent record inside the cage, going winless in his last three bouts. The Brazilian's most recent fight ended in a no-contest after an unintentional eye gouge from Mason Jones last June.

Virna Jandiroba

Virna Jandiroba (17-3) has lost two of her last three bouts in the promotion, with her latest defeat coming at the hands of Amanda Ribas via unanimous decision in October. 'Carcara' will now look to get back into the win column against an opponent who is also searching for a win.

Angela Hill

Angela Hill (13-11) has had a roller-coaster of a career in the UFC since her debut in February 2017. 'Overkill' has lost four of her last five bouts with her most recent defeat coming against Amanda Lemos in December.

Tatsuro Taira

Young Japanese sensation Tatsuro Taira is set to begin his UFC career on the back of 10 straight victories. The 22-year-old has finished all of his last three opponents in the first round.

Carlos Candelario

Carlos Candelario (8-1) suffered his sole career loss at Dana White's Contender Series (2021) against Victor Altamirano via split decision. 'The Cannon' will be determined to get back to winning ways when he takes on Taira this weekend.

Nick Maximov

Nick Maximov will go into UFC Fight Night this Saturday with an undefeated 8-0 record. The 24-year-old will be looking to secure his first finish in the UFC since making his promotional debut last September.

Andre Petroski

Andre Petroski (7-1) got off to a strong start in his UFC career, winning both of his fights via finishes. The 30-year-old will look to carry that momentum into his third promotional appearance when he takes on an undefeated opponent at UFC Fight Night this Saturday.

Watch UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Rakic fight preview below: