UFC Vegas 107’s Awesome Prelims This Saturday Night

UFC Vegas 107 Featured Prelim: Jafel Filho vs. Allan Nascimento

At the top of the bill on the undercard is a battle in the UFC’s 125-lb division. Jafel Filho (16-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will be making his fourth trip to the Octagon when he takes on Allan Nascimento (20-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC.) Filho, who has a 4-1 record in his last five fights and is on a two-fight winning streak, hasn’t made a walk to the cage for an MMA fight since March of last year.

That evening, he scored a first-round submission via rear-naked choke against Ode Osbourne (13-8, 1 NC MMA, 5-6 UFC) during UFC Vegas 88. Filho’s contest against Nascimento was supposed to have already occurred ahead of UFC Vegas 107.

Initially, the two were to meet last August in the same UFC Apex facility before the bout was scrapped due to the latter becoming ill. More than nine months removed from the original date, can Filho score another victory in the featured prelim?

As far as Allan Nascimento is concerned, postponed fights have unfortunately become habitual. In the last two years, he’s been booked to appear in four contests, including the original contest against Filho. None of the fights took place.

To find the last time Nascimento set foot in the Octagon, you’d have to go back to January of 2023, when he finished Carlos Hernandez (10-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) with a first-round submission via rear-naked choke. At the moment, he’s got a 3-2 record in his last five bouts. How will his long-awaited return go?

UFC Vegas 107 Co-Featured Prelim: No. 3 Contender Ketlen Viera vs. No. 5 Contender Macy Chiasson

Immediately beforehand, the co-featured prelim of UFC Vegas 107 features one of only two all-ranked affairs on the evening, this one happening at women’s bantamweight. No. 3 contender Ketlen Viera (14-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) meets up with No. 5 contender Macy Chiasson (10-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC). This contest was to have happened in Seattle back in February, but the fight was called ahead of the card in the Pacific Northwest amid the latter withdrawing.

Viera enters UFC Vegas 107 having posted a record of 3-2 in her last five fights. Last October, she dropped a unanimous decision to Kayla Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) during UFC 307 in Salt Lake City. Given that Kayla Harrison is a tough customer at the shop, expect Viera to fight with frustration on Saturday night.

A victory here would mean a probable UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship fight against the winner of the Kayla Harrison vs. Julianna Pena contest. Can Viera bounce back?

Across the way, Macy Chiasson will be making the walk in Enterprise sporting a 3-2 record of her own. Up to now, she’s on a two-fight winning streak, one that was extended back in June of last year with a second-round TKO (doctor’s stoppage due to a cut) over Mayra Bueno Silva (10-5-1, 1 NC MMA, 5-5-1, 1 NC UFC) in UFC 303. With Chiasson having had 11 months between fights, how much ring rust does she have?

UFC Vegas 107: Trevin Giles vs. Andreas Gustafsson

Also on the UFC Vegas 107 card, you’ll see a contracted catchweight at 180 lbs between Trevin Giles (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) and Andreas Gustafsson (11-2 MMA, UFC promotional debut). This fight was only agreed to late last week in the wake of Gustafsson’s original opponent, Jeremiah Wells, withdrawing from the show on May 20 because of injury.

Giles will be making the walk this weekend  with a 2-3 record in his last five fights. Presently, he’s dropped three in a row. Last November, he sustained a unanimous decision defeat to Mike Malott (12-2-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in Edmonton.

Another loss in UFC Vegas 107 will mark four defeats in succession. He’s in must-win territory on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Andreas Gustafsson will be making his UFC promotional debut this weekend having gone 4-1 over the course of his last five bouts and has won three in a row. Back in August of last year on Contender Series, he scored a second-round knockout (knees to the head) against Pat Pytlik (9-2 MMA), a veteran of Canada’s Unified MMA, securing his UFC contract at the end of the night.

This is the third time that Gustafsson has been scheduled to make his debut appearance in the promotion. Past bookings in January and March of this year went unrealized. He’s on a hot streak, but only time will tell if he keeps it up.

UFC Vegas 107: Kurt Holobaugh vs. Jordan Leavitt

Earlier on the UFC Vegas 107 prelims, action happens at 155 when Kurt Holobaugh (21-9, 1 NC MMA, 2-6 UFC) takes on Jordan Leavitt (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC.) Holobaugh is in the midst of his second tour of duty in the UFC, having won his way back to the promotion on The Ultimate Fighter television series in 2013.

Since rejoining the organization, he’s gone 2-1 as part of a 3-2 clip in his last five professional fights.

Holobaugh will be facing a quick turnaround going into UFC Vegas 107, as he last fought March 15, losing by unanimous decision to Alexander Hernandez (16-8 MMA, 8-7 UFC) in UFC Vegas 104. By the time the card kicks off this upcoming weekend, just 77 days will have passed between fights. Will the short hiatus bring another victory?

In the other corner, Jordan Leavitt touches down in Nevada with a mark of 3-2 himself. Most recently, he lost by way of first-round rear-naked choke submission to Chase Hooper (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in 2023. Other than losing on points in a grappling match in Karate Combat this time last year to Ethan Crenlinstein, he’s been out of action since then. Is victory in the cards for Leavitt this weekend?

Final Thoughts

Which prelim or prelims are you looking forward to on UFC Vegas 107?