As for this week’s action, coverage begins at 6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT ESPN+FX, and UFC Fight Pass with the early preliminaries. Late prelims follow at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on ESPN+ and FX before moving on to the final PPV main card of the year at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.
If no eleventh-hour adjustments to the itinerary are necessary, the final version of UFC 323 will feature a fourteen-fight slate from the No. 1 MMA promotion in the world.
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UFC 323 Featured Prelim: No. 13 Contender Grant Dawson vs. Manuel Torres
At the top of the bill for the UFC 323 undercard on Saturday night, you’ll see a lightweight showdown that pairs No. 13 contender Grant Dawson (23-2-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) with Manuel Torres (16-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC). All fights mentioned herein are an advertised maximum of three rounds of five minutes per round.
Dawson enters the preliminary round of UFC 323 with a record of 4-1 in his last five fights. Currently he has won three fights in a row. On January 18, he defeated Diego Ferreira (19-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) by unanimous decision after three rounds at UFC 311 on January 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
Grant Dawson has been out of action for most of 2025. He books the pay-per-view slate on Saturday with an appearance at UFC 323. Can he end the year with his fourth straight win?
On the other side, Manuel Torres will enter the preliminary round next weekend after winning 4-1 on his own. On March 29, he headed to Mexico City for a first-round knockout victory over Drew Dober (28-15, 1 NC MMA, 14-11, 1 NC UFC). This earned Torres the $50,000 (USD) bonus for the Performance of the Night Award.
This was Torres’ fourth post-fight bonus in his last five fights since joining the UFC. He knows how to secure the bonuses by hitting highlights on the reels, but is there another bonus waiting for him? Only time will tell.
UFC 323 Co-Featured Prelim: Terrance McKinney vs. Chris Duncan
Immediately before that, the fight on the undercard features action in the lightweight ranks as Terrance McKinney (17-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) battles Chris Duncan (14-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC).
This is a rescheduling of a canceled fight from October 14, 2023. That evening’s scheduled bout was scrapped after Duncan was unable to travel to the United States due to visa issues. The former will be making his 25th professional career in MMA after posting a 3-2 record in his last five fights.
He is on a two-fight winning streak heading into this one. On June 28, he submitted Viacheslav Borshchev (8-7-1 MMA, 3-6-1 UFC) with a mounted guillotine choke in the first minute of the fight at UFC 317. Borshchev is currently on a three-fight losing streak in the wake of the Nov. 15 UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden.
In McKinney’s last four victories, he has completed his assignment before the horn has sounded to end the first round of action. Another first-round finish in the preliminary bracket of UFC 323 will be a satisfying ending to 2025.
Meanwhile, Chris Duncan has a 4-1 record in his last five appearances and has had his hand raised in victory three straight times. On August 2, he won by unanimous decision against Mateusz Rebecki (20-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at the UFC Apex.
At 155 years old, Duncan is a promising prospect. How will he fare here?
UFC 323: #5 Contender Maycee Barber vs. No. 9 contender Karine Silva
Also on the UFC 323 undercard is the only fully ranked preliminary round in the women’s flyweight division. No. 5 contender Maycee Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) fights No. 9 contender Karine Silva (19-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC.)
Barber will again attempt to make her first walk to the cage since March 2024 on Saturday. A scheduled fight on May 31 at UFC Vegas 107 against Erin Blanchfield was postponed after Barber suffered a seizure backstage ahead of what would have been her first headlining fight since joining the UFC’s active roster.
During Wednesday’s media day, she said simply about her return after her marathon hiatus from competition: “I just expect to go out there and do what I love. It’s been too long.”
As for her last five fights, Maycee Barber heads into the undercard of UFC 323 after going 5-0 in an ongoing six-fight winning streak. On March 9 last year, she earned a unanimous decision victory against Katlyn Cerminara [nee Chookagian] (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) after three rounds.
Now that she has been given a clean bill of health, will Maycee Barber win her seventh straight fight?
In the other corner, Karine Silva has posted a 4-1 record in her last five fights. She most recently returned to the win column with a unanimous decision victory against Dione Barboza (8-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at UFC 319 from Chicago.
This is a crucial fight for Silva. She currently sits at No. 9 in the rankings and a win over the fifth-ranked Barber could mean she could be one win away from a solid fight for the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship.
Rest of the preliminaries
The UFC 323 prelims conclude with these fights:
- a lightweight bout that pairs Nazim Sadykhov (11-1-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC) with Fares Ziam (17-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC,)
- a middleweight bout between No. 14 contender Marvin Vettori (19-8-1 MMA, 9-7-1 UFC) and Brunno Ferreira (14-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC)
- a lightweight bout featuring Edson Barboza (24-13 MMA, 18-13 UFC) vs. Jalin Turner (14-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC,)
- a light heavyweight showcase featuring Ibo Aslan (14-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Iwo Baraniewski (6-0 MMA, UFC promotional debut)
- a middleweight bout between Mansur Abdul-Malik (8-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC) and Antonio Trocoli (12-5, 1 NC MMA, 0-2 UFC,)
- and a featherweight showdown between Muhammad Naimov (13-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Mairon Santos (16-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC).
Which fight or fights on the undercard of UFC 323 are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments.
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