Diyar Nurgozhay vs Brendson Ribeiro at UFC Fight Night 254 | Preview & Prediction

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We have a light heavyweight fight up next with another hyped up unbeaten Eastern European fighter Diyar Nurgozhay making his debut against veteran Brendson Ribeiro

Diyar Nurgozhay vs Brendson Ribeiro Facts

When is UFC Fight Night 254? UK – the preliminary card starts at 9:00pm on Saturday 15th March 2025, followed by the main card at 12:00am (Sunday) / USA – 4:00pm/7:00pm ET (Saturday) and 1:00pm/4:00pm PT (Saturday)

Where is UFC Fight Night 254? UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 254? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 254

What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 254 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 254? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass

For viewers in the United States, UFC Fight Night 254 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!

What time are Diyar Nurgozhay and Brendson Ribeiro expected to walk out? 10:00pm UK / 6:00pm US ET / 3:00pm US PT

UFC Fight Night 254 Main Card

Marvin Vettori vs Roman Dolidze (Middleweight)

Chidi Njokuani vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (Welterweight)

Choi Seung-woo vs Kevin Vallejos (Featherweight)

Alexander Hernandez vs Kurt Holobaugh (Lightweight)

Da'Mon Blackshear vs Cody Gibson (Bantamweight)

You Su-young vs AJ Cunningham (Bantamweight)

UFC Fight Night 254 Prelims

Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs Ryan Spann (Heavyweight)

Stephanie Luciano vs Sam Hughes (Women’s Strawweight)

Diyar Nurgozhay vs Brendson Ribeiro (Light Heavyweight)

Carlos Vera vs Josias Musasa (Bantamweight)

Daniel Barez vs Andre Lima (Flyweight)

Josiane Nunes vs Priscila Cachoeira (Women’s Bantamweight)

Yuneisy Duben vs Carli Judice (Women’s Flyweight)

Diyar Nurgozhay: Unbeaten Contender revelation making UFC debut

Diyar Nurgozhay (10-0) will make his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 254 after the unbeaten light heavyweight earned the opportunity via Dana White's Contender Series. The Kazakh 27-year-old knocked out Bartosz Szewczyk in October and now he looks forward to his shot in the big time.

Brendson Ribeiro: The Gorilla looking for second win in fourth UFC fight

Brendson Ribeiro (16-7) is another graduate from Dana White's Contender Series got it took him until his third fight to get his first win under his belt. He fought three times in 2024 and suffered the ignominy of being knocked out on his octagon debut at UFC 298. He lost his second fight on the scorecards but finally got a decision going his way in November as he picked up a split decision over Caio Machado.

Diyar Nurgozhay vs Brendson Ribeiro Prediction

There is plenty of intrigue around this light heavyweight clash at UFC Fight Night 254 as Diyar Nurgozhay makes his Octagon debut. It will be interesting to see if the Kazakh can live up to the hype as the UFC matchmakers have put him up against an experienced campaigner in Brendson Ribeiro.

Nurgozhay has been dominant throughout his relatively short mixed martial arts career and he looks incredibly well-rounded with excellent striking power under solid wrestling base.

Ribeiro comes off a win but was not overly convincing in that fight and it is hard to make a case for him in this one.

We expect the newcomer to get the win but we would avoid the method of victory given his wide skillset and varied routes to victory.

Prediction: Diyar Nurgozhay to win