UFC Fight Night 236 Fight Card: Youth vs Experience Throughout the Entire Card

The UFC is going back to the APEX for the second week in a row and this time, we have a far more exciting card. A mixture of fan-favorite veterans, rising stars, and promising debutants to keep us entertained until UFC 298 next week. Here is our early analysis of the most exciting fights on the UFC Fight Night 236 fight card.

UFC Fight Night 236 Fight Card: Everything You Need to Know

UFC Fight Night 236 Co-Main and Main Events

• Middleweight: Jack Hermansson (23-8-0) vs Joe Pyfer (12-2-0)
• Featherweight: Dan Ige (17-7-0) vs Andre Fili (23-10-0)

Jack Hermansson spent years in the Top 10 of the middleweight division but never reached the level that is needed to become a title contender. He returns to the octagon for the first time since late 2022 in a final attempt to revive his career.

Joe Pyfer showed that he means business by winning all three of his UFC appearances since his triumph at Dana White's Contender Series, which earned him a contract. This bout is the ultimate test that will show if Pyfer is good enough to break into the Top 10.

In the co-main event, we have two featherweight veterans – Dan Ige and Andre Fili. Ige began his UFC career with six wins in his first seven bouts between 2018 and 2020. His biggest win came over Edson Barboza, who was already far beyond his peak. As soon as he reached the highest level, it became clear that Ige was not made from championship material and he lost four of his last six bouts.

His opponent, Andre Fili, has been performing in the UFC since 2013 and his career has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs. He never made it past two wins in a row in the UFC and his promotion record is 11-9-0 (and one NC).

UFC Fight Night 236 Main Card

• Middleweight: Jack Hermansson (23-8-0) vs Joe Pyfer (12-2-0)
• Featherweight: Dan Ige (17-7-0) vs Andre Fili (23-10-0)
• Middleweight: Robert Bryczek (17-5-0) vs Ihor Potieria (19-5-0)
• Middleweight: Brad Tavares (20-9-0) vs Gregory Rodrigues (14-5-0)
• Lightweight: Michael Johnson (22-19-0) vs Darrius Flowers (12-6-1)
• Middleweight: Rodolfo Vieira (9-2-0) vs Armen Petrosyan (9-2-0)

The remaining fights from the main card of the UFC Fight Night 236 fight card will feature both legends of the sport and fighters who are looking for their breakthrough.

Michael Johnson vs Darrius Flowers is a great example. First of all, why is Johnson still trying to fight at this point? We all love to see him and we remember his peak from 2012-2015 but he lost 11 out of his last 16 bouts since then. He is simply being used as a gatekeeper for promising prospects and Darrius Flowers is one of those fighters. He lost his debut in July 2023 and will be looking for his first UFC win on Saturday.

In one of the more interesting showdowns, we will watch a traditional clash between a striker and a grappler. Rodolfo Vieira won four of his first six UFC appearances while Armen Petrosyan amassed a 3-1 record to date. This is one of those matchups whose outcome can't be predicted.

In another main card bout from the UFC Fight Night 236 fight card, Gregory Rodrigues will try to put veteran Brad Tavares to sleep after their original bout from UFC 283 was canceled. Rodrigues has become one of our favorite fighters on the roster, especially after he overcame one of the worst cuts we have ever seen and beat Njokuani.

Last but not least, Robert Bryczek vs Ihor Potieria. An unusual match for a main card as Bryczek will make his promotional debut against Potieria, who agreed to move down a division on short notice.

UFC Fight Night 236 Prelims

• Welterweight: Trevin Giles (16-5-0) vs Carlos Prates (17-6-0)
• Lightweight: Bolaji Oki (8-1-0) vs Timothy Cuamba (8-1-0)
• Women's Strawweight: Loma Lookboonmee (8-3-0) vs Bruna Brasil (9-3-1)
• Light Heavyweight: Devin Clark (14-8-0) vs Marcin Prachnio (16-7-0)
• Welterweight: Max Griffin (19-10-0) vs Jeremiah Wells (12-3-1)
• Light Heavyweight: Zac Pauga (7-2-0) vs Bogdan Guskov (14-3-0)
• Featherweight: Fernie Garcia (10-4-0) vs Hyder Amil (8-0-0)
• Bantamweight: Daniel Marcos (15-0-0) vs Aoriqileng (25-10-0)

This will be an unusually long card unless someone fails to cut weight and we lose a fight or two. If not, we will see eight prelim battles on the UFC Fight Night 236 fight card. Several fighters will make their debut in the octagon.

Trevin Giles, who has been moving up and down through the weight classes will welcome debutant Carlos Prates, who secured his contract with a convincing win at DWCS.

Bolaji Oki was originally supposed to make his debut against veteran Damir Hadzovic but will now face Timothy Cuamba, who agreed to step in on short notice. Cuamba is another fighter who won his contract during the last season of Dana White's Contender Series.

The only women's matchup on this card will be between Loma Lookboonmee, who amassed a 5-2 record since joining the promotion, and Bruna Brasil, who scored 1-1 since her debut in April 2023.

These are our favorite bouts from the prelims of the UFC fight card this weekend. This diverse mix of debutants, veterans, and prospects who are looking to make the next step forward is enough to make us tune in from the start of the event. Oftentimes, the earliest low-profile bouts end up being the best on the card. Overall, we expect this event to be much better than last week's entertainment.