The UFC Vegas 108 card is ever changing, with a late alteration to the main event making this show an unpredictable one.
The planned fight between Tatsuro Taira and Amir Albazi has been cancelled, as an injury to Albazi has forced Hyun Sung Park to step in at the last moment.
The Road to UFC Season 2 Flyweight winner stepped in on just a week’s notice to compete in his first main event fight, which could have huge repercussions for a future title fight.
While fans are disappointed they won’t see two of the top Flyweights battle it out on top of the card, this should be an exciting main event at the end of an exciting card.
Here’s everything you need to know about the full fight card for UFC Vegas 108.
Tatsuro Taira vs. Hyun Sung Park
This bout could be huge for Park, who has the chance to leapfrog up the Flyweight rankings by beating the #6-ranked Flyweight in the UFC in Taira.
Taira has already made history as the first fighter born in 2000 to win a main event, and at the age of 25 already has an impressive record of 17-1.
That 1 was sadly in his last fight, where Brandon Royval got the win over the Japanese fighter who will be looking to bounce back at UFC Vegas 108.
He should have the skill and experience to beat Park, but with so little time to prepare for the late addition, who knows what will happen once that bell rings?
Mateusz Rębecki vs. Chris Duncan
Two Lightweights with good records, hoping to break into the upper echelons of the UFC, will face off at UFC Vegas 108 in the co-main event of the show.
Both Mateusz Rębecki and Chris Duncan are 32, with four wins in their last five, and are knocking on the door of being a top fighter in the future.
Rębecki is the favorite for this one, but either man could take home the win in what should be a competitive bout in Las Vegas.
Elves Brener vs. Esteban Ribovics
Elves Brener could be looking at his final UFC fight if he doesn’t pick up the win over Esteban Ribovics in his next fight in the promotion.
The Brazilian has had a tough time as of late. After winning his first three fights in the UFC, Brener suffered back-to-back losses to Myktybek Orolbai and Joel Alvarez, disappointing against opponents he really should have beaten.
“El Gringo” is coming off a loss of his own and will be motivated to not make it two in a row as he hopes to rank in the top 15 Lightweights in the promotion.
Karol Rosa vs. Nora Cornolle
The sole women’s fight on the UFC Vegas 108 main card pits two women looking to cement themselves in the top 10 against one another.
Karol Rosa and Nora Cornolle are ranked #10 and #12, respectively, in the Women’s Bantamweight division. While they are still a long way from a shot at the champion Kayla Harrison, a win would go a long way to setting up more big fights with a view of a later title shot.
Cornolle has the better record going into the fight, winning her last three fights, while Rosa’s spotty record could prove her downfall in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Neil Magny vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Neil Magny looks to be the favorite as he faces Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos just weeks after his UFC 318 fight was cancelled.
The UFC veteran is in his twelfth year with the promotion, but is in bad form after losses to Carlos Prates and Michael Morales will have dented his confidence leading up to UFC Vegas 108.
38-year-old dos Santos should not be a worry for the Welterweight, and he looks confident to add to his record of the most wins in UFC Welterweight history.
Danny Silva vs. Kevin Vallejos
UFC fans will be delighted to see Kevin Vallejos back in the octagon following his round 1 TKO victory over Seung Woo Choi back in March this year.
The Argentinian fighter won his first UFC fight in style and will now look to build on that with a win over Danny Silva, who himself won his first two fights in the promotion.
This fight could make or break both men, and it will be interesting to see how the loser reacts after the fight between the two prospects.
Prelims
Five fights have been announced for the UFC Vegas 108 prelims so far. The first is a Bantamweight bout between Rinya Nakamura vs. Nathan Fletcher, with Nakamura looking to get back on track after a loss to Muin Gafurov ended his unbeaten run in the UFC.
Meanwhile, two Middleweight bouts have been booked for the UFC Apex. Both Rodolfo Vieira vs. Tresean Gore and Nick Klein vs. Andrey Pulyaev are on the prelims and could have huge implications for the division going forward.
Meanwhile, Rafae Estevam will hope to break into the top 20 Flyweight rankings by beating Felipe Bunes, while the sole women’s fight on the prelims pits Piera Rodriguez against Ketlen Souza in a strawweight bout.