UFC Fight Night 234 Fight Card: Big Rematches in the Main and Co-Main

Well, we are back. More specifically, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is back after several weeks without events. In the first headliner, Magomed Ankalaev will try to redeem himself against Johnny Walker after their shocking first match in October. Here is the UFC Fight Night 234 fight card.

UFC Fight Night 234 Fight Card: Everything You Need to Know

Three whole weeks without mixed martial arts is a long time, especially if you are a dedicated fan. The first fight card of the year will not include any title fights, obviously, but we believe that it is fairly stacked for a Fight Night. Apart from the highly-anticipated headliner, there are several rising stars on the card, as well as fan-favorite veterans and fighters who have to prove themselves in 2024.

UFC Fight Night 234 Fight Card: Co-Main and Main Events

• Light-Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev (18-1-1) vs Johnny Walker (21-7-0)
• Flyweight: Matheus Nicolau (19-4-1) vs Manel Kape (19-6-0)

Magomed Ankalaev is in an inconvenient position after the draw against Blachowicz and the No-Contest against Walker in their first bout in October. Back then, Ankalaev resorted to an illegal knee strike during a clinch in the first round and after the doctor checked on Walker, the referee declared it an NC. It was a shocking decision that was supposed to be a disqualification win for Johnny. Days later, the UFC scheduled a rematch for the first event of the year.

In the co-main event of the UFC Fight Night 234 fight card, we will see another rematch. What a way to end the first card of the year. The difference here is that Kape and Nicolau met three years ago and the match was as competitive as they get. It ended with a split decision in favor of Matheus Nicolau.

Since then, Manel Kape won four fights in a row while Nicolau went on to win three more before losing to Brandon Royval in April 2023. This was his last appearance.

UFC Fight Night 234 Fight Card Main Card

• Light-Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev (18-1-1) vs Johnny Walker (21-7-0)
• Flyweight: Matheus Nicolau (19-4-1) vs Manel Kape (19-6-0)
• Lightweight: Jim Miller (36-17-0) vs Gabriel Benitez (23-11-0)
• Bantamweight: Ricky Simon (20-4-0) vs Mario Bautista (12-2-0)
• Middleweight: Phil Hawes (12-5-0) vs Bruno Ferreira (10-1-0)

There are three more bouts on the main card of the UFC Fight Night 234 fight card and we have the legendary Jim Miller back in the octagon for his 55th professional bout. The man with the most matches and wins in the promotion has won four of his last five bouts and despite his age (40), he shows no signs of slowing down. His opponent, Gabriel Benitez, has been moving up and down through the divisions and has yet to find his place in the UFC.

Ricky Simon had five wins in a row in the bantamweight division but lost to Song Yadong in his latest scrap. With 8 wins in 11 UFC bouts, he should be motivated to get back to the winning ways and seal his position in the Top 15. As for his opponent, Mario Bautista, he is also looking towards the official rankings and a win here will surely help him replace Simon. Bautista is on a 5-win streak.

In the earliest main card bout, Phil Hawes will face Bruno Ferreira. Hawes has been terribly inconsistent since joining the UFC and had 4 wins and 3 defeats. His opponent did not have the perfect start either, winning one and losing one since his debut in the promotion.

UFC Fight Night 234 Fight Card Prelims

• Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski (34-22-0) vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta (10-1-0)
• Welterweight: Matthew Semelsberger (11-6-0) vs Preston Parsons (11-4-0)
• Bantamweight: Marcus McGhee (8-1-0) vs Gaston Bolanos (7-3-0)
• Bantamweight: Farid Basharat (11-0-0) vs Taylor Lapilus (19-3-0)
• Featherweight: Westin Wilson (16-8-0) vs Jean Silva (1-0-0)
• Lightweight: Nikolas Motta (13-5-0) vs Tom Nolan (1-0-0)
• Flyweight: Joshua Van (9-1-0) vs Felipe Bunes (13-6-0)

We have five main card bouts and seven prelims on the UFC Fight Night 234 fight card. After three weeks without events, we would watch even the worst card imaginable. Fortunately, we have a solid one to kickstart the new year and we can expect a lot of action from the prelims.

Andrei Arlovski returns to the octagon for the 59th time in his career. Will this be the last appearance for the 44-year-old Belarusian? He lost two in a row and generally fought only once in 2023. His opponent is an exciting prospect and we hardly expect an upset here.

Semelsberger has had no success in the UFC and will try to end his losing streak against one of the most inactive fighters on the roster. Presto Parsons has fought only three times in the last three years.

Marcus McGhee and Gaston Bolanos are two young men who want to prove themselves in the 135-pound division and this is a match that should end in the first round. In the earlier Bantamweight scrap, Farid Basharat will try to extend his unbeaten streak to 12 against the exciting Taylor Lapilus.

Nikolas Motta and Tom Nolan should be another wild one as Motta has never reached the scorecards during his UFC career. And he is extremely inconsistent – you never know what he will do. His opponent will make his UFC debut after only a single professional match before joining the promotion.

The opener of the UFC Fight Night 234 fight card should be no less exciting. Joshua Van agreed to fight on short notice and he won his two matches since joining the UFC last year. His opponent was also supposed to make his debut last summer but had to withdraw from his match. Both fighters will be eager to prove themselves in 2024.