Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2

Tony Ferguson and Bobby Green meet in a matchup of veteran lightweights with a combined 46 UFC appearances and 78 professional bouts between them.

After earning a dozen consecutive victories to establish himself as one of the best lightweight talents on the planet earlier in his career, the 39-year-old Ferguson enters Saturday’s main card assignment against Green looking to avoid his losing streak reaching a half-dozen. While there have been competitive flashes in each of his last couple outings, the results have remained unfavorable for “El Cucuy,” who last garnered a victory at UFC 238.

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Green also comes in looking to get things moving in the right direction again. After suffering consecutive losses to current champ Islam Makhachev and divisional stalwart Drew Dober, “King” thought he earned a first-round stoppage win over Jared Gordon earlier this year, but the bout was ruled a no contest after it was determined an accidental clash of heads set up the finishing sequence.

Both men have a great deal to prove in this contest, and neither has ever been shy about getting out there and getting after it, so expect fireworks right out of the chute and for as long as this one lasts.

Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland

Michael Chiesa ends a nearly two-year hiatus as he returns to action in a critical welterweight pairing with Kevin Holland on Saturday’s UFC 291 main card.

The 35-year-old fighter from Spokane hasn’t competed since suffering a unanimous decision loss to Sean Brady in November 2021, and is entering on a two-fight skid. Chiesa looked sharp at the outset of his welterweight run, posting four consecutive victories to force his way into the Top 10, but consecutive losses to Vicente Luque and Brady, coupled with his injury-induced absences, makes it difficult to know where he fits in the divisional hierarchy at the moment.

RELATED: Chiesa's Top Finishes

Holland moved to welterweight in 2022, posting a 2-1 record in the division while also catching a short-notice submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight bout at UFC 279. He got back into the win column earlier this year with a third-round knockout win over Santiago Ponzinibbio, and now has the opportunity to catapult himself into the rankings with a win this weekend.

This is a pivotal matchup for both men, as Chiesa needs a victory to steady himself in the rankings and start building momentum, while Holland is once again faced with the kind of stern test that he’s failed in recent years as he’s looked to turn his activity and overall success into real forward progress when it comes to the rankings.

Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira

The pay-per-view gets underway in the welterweight division, as Stephen Thompson faces off with Michel Pereira in what promises to be a captivating affair.

Thompson remains a fixture in the Top 10 of the welterweight division, returning to action this weekend for the first time since outworking Holland in early December. That victory snapped a two-fight skid, and despite being 40, “Wonderboy” continues to show the speed, movement, and dynamic striking that makes him a difficult test for anyone that stands across from him inside the Octagon.

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Reining in the cartwheels and flips and chaotic movements has helped Pereira put together a five-fight winning streak heading into this one. While he still breaks out creative attacks and frenetic movements from time-to-time, the Brazilian has done well to stay technical, use his fundamentals, and keep pushing forward while posting wins over Andre Fialho and Ponzinibbio in 2022 to keep his run of success intact.

Currently stationed at No. 7 and No. 15, respectively, in the welterweight division, this bout has a little bit of a “referendum on where they stand” feel for me, as Thompson is once again tasked with defending his position in the Top 10 and Pereira has the opportunity to show he’s truly amongst the division’s elite.

This should be a riveting battle between two dynamic strikers to kick off the pay-per-view on Saturday.

Prelim Fights

Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima

Heavyweights moving in opposite directions meet to close out the prelims, as former contender Derrick Lewis faces off with ascending Brazilian Marcos Rogerio de Lima.

WATCH: Derrick Lewis' Greatest Hits | de Lima Submits Andrei Arlovski

Since closing out 2021 with a first-round knockout win over Chris Daukaus, Lewis has dropped three straight, each of them inside the distance, and the last two in the opening round. Across the cage, de Lima comes in having earned back-to-back victories and wins in four of his last five outings.

Trevin Giles vs. Gabriel Bonfim

Trevin Giles and Gabriel Bonfim square off in this meeting of aspiring welterweights in Salt Lake City.

After stumbling out of the gate in the 170-pound ranks, Giles touches down at UFC 291 having earned consecutive decision wins to push his record to 16-4 overall and 5-2 over his last seven outings across two divisions. The 25-year-old Bonfim collected an impressive first-round submission win over Mounir Lazzez in his promotional debut at UFC 283 and looks to keep his unbeaten record and 100 percent finishing rate intact here.

Roman Kopylov vs. Claudio Ribeiro

It’s a battle between middleweight finishers in this one as Roman Kopylov faces off with Claudio Ribeiro.

Something clicked for Kopylov in 2022, as the Russian veterans posted a pair of impressive stoppage wins over Alessio Di Chirico and Punahele Soriano to establish himself as an intriguing name to track in the 185-pound weight class. A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’22, Ribeiro dropped his promotional debut in January, but rebounded with a dominant second-round stoppage win over Joseph Holmes in May to get back into the win column.

Jake Matthews vs. Darrius Flowers

Australian veteran Jake Matthews stays on the card despite a late change in opponents, welcoming DWCS alum Darrius Flowers to the Octagon for the first time this weekend.

Matthews, who was originally slated to face Miguel Baeza, continues to be “hit and miss” inside the Octagon, following up a tremendous win over Andre Fialho at UFC 275 with a unanimous decision loss to Matthew Semelsberger on the final fight card of the year. The 28-year-old Flowers slammed his way to a UFC contract last fall on the Contender Series and looks to extend his winning streak to five as he steps in to face off with Matthews here.

CJ Vergara vs. Vinicius Salvador

Flyweights open the show in Salt Lake City as Miranda Maverick steps in on short notice to face off with Priscila Cachoeira.

Maverick makes a quick turnaround after competing at UFC 289, replacing Joanne Wood and aiming to get back into the column after dropping a decision to Jasmine Jasudavicius last month in Vancouver.  Cachoeira has won two straight and four of her last five but hasn’t competed since last August after her opponent suffered weight cutting issues in January before she came in four pounds over the limit for her scheduled fight with Karine Silva in April.