All eyes are focused on Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272.
But the undercard for Saturday’s event features some intriguing bouts.
Set from the T-Mobile Arena just outside Las Vegas, the main card airs live on pay-per-view. The featured prelims will be on ESPN and ESPN+, with early fights on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.
Here’s a closer look at the four scheduled featured prelim bouts for the event.
Jalin Turner vs. Jamie Mullarkey
The prelim main event will see Jalin Turner and Jamie Mullarkey square off in the light heavyweight division.
Turner, a 26-year-old rising prospect, comes in off three straight finishes. He submitted Uros Medic in September to improve to 11-5. All 11 of his career wins have come via finish, including eight by knockout.
Overall, Turner is 4-2 in the UFC with a win on Dana White’s Contender Series also on his resume.
Mullarkey rebounded from back-to-back losses in his first two UFC appearances to finish both Khama Worthy and Devonte Smith last year. He is now 14-4 overall with 10 wins by knockout and three more via submission.
In 2016, Mullarkey faced current UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski for the AFC featherweight title.
Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan
Our attention zones in on the women’s strawweight ranks with Marina Rodriguez and Yan Xiaonan going to war. Rodriguez is looking to continue her climb to title contention status.
In October, she picked up a decision over Mackenzie Dern in the main event that earned her “Fight of the Night” status. Rodriguez has won three in a row, including a victory over Michelle Waterson at flyweight.
She fought Randa Markos and Cynthia Calvillo to draws around wins over Tecia Torres and Jessica Aguilar from 2018-2019.
Xiaonan was bested by Carla Esparza last May, ending her six-fight win streak that started when she signed with the UFC. Prior to that, her only non-win was a no-contest in China since 2010.
Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Two light heavyweights looking to make a statement meet when Nicolae Negumereanu and Kennedy Nzechukwu battle. Negumereanu has claimed two wins inside the Octagon since suffering his first loss in 2019.
That includes a finish of Ike Villanueva in October and a decision over Aleksa Camur. He put together nine straight finishes to begin his career.
Nzechukwu had his three-fight win streak snapped by Da Un Jung in November. He had won 10 of his first 11 including three inside the Octagon – two of which were finishes.
Maryna Moroz vs. Mariya Agapova
Maryna Moroz has reeled off back-to-back decision wins since returning to flyweight. That includes a “Fight of the Night” with Mayra Bueno Silva. However, that was her last fight, and it came in 2020.
Moroz will need to show she has not lost her touch when she faces Mariya Agapova. Of her 10 career wins, five have been by submission for Moroz.
Agapova has reeled off four wins in her last five, including submissions that earned her “Performance of the Night” status. She choked out Sabina Mazo in October.
