LIGHTWEIGHT THRILLER BETWEEN
(#8) ARMAN TSARUKYAN AND (#13) RENATO MOICANO
HEADLINES AT UFC® APEX
FEATURED BOUT:
CAIO BORRALHO vs. MICHAL OLEKSIEJCZUK
UFC® continues its run of events at UFC APEX with an exciting lightweight contenders’ tilt that will see No. 8 ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan battle No. 13 Renato Moicano. Also, Dana White’s Contender Series signee Caio Borralho looks to push his unbeaten streak to 14 bouts when he takes on hard-hitting Michal Oleksiejczuk in an intriguing middleweight bout.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: TSARUKYAN vs. MOICANO will take place Saturday, April 29 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The main card will be available on ESPN+ in English and Spanish starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. The prelims will be seen on ESPN2 and ESPN+ beginning at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT.
Tsarukyan (19-3, fighting out of Krasnodar, Russia, by way of Yerevan, Armenia) aims to kick off his 2023 campaign with a show-stealing performance. A Master of Sports in MMA and wrestling, he holds impressive wins against Damir Ismagulov, Joel Alvarez and Olivier Aubin-Mercier. Tsarukyan now plans to defend his spot in the rankings to earn a shot at the division’s Top 5.
The always entertaining Moicano (17-5-1, fighting out of Brasília, Brazil) intends to continue his ascent up the lightweight ladder with a highlight-reel finish. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, he has earned exciting submission victories over Brad Riddell, Alexander Hernandez, and Cub Swanson. Moicano now looks to turn heads by becoming the first fighter to submit Tsarukyan.
Talented grappler Borralho (13-1 1NC, fighting out of São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil) hopes to extend his hot streak with another dominant showing. Since joining the UFC roster in 2021, he has secured notable wins over Makhmud Muradov, Armen Petrosyan, and Gadzhi Omargadzhiev. Borralho now has his sights set on netting his first UFC finish to set up a future opportunity against the division’s Top 15.
Knockout artist Oleksiejczuk (18-5 1NC, fighting out of Barki, Poland) plans to continue the momentum he’s gathered since moving down to middleweight last year. A powerful striker, he has delivered memorable KO victories over Sam Alvey, Gian Villante, and Shamil Gamzatov. Oleksiejczuk now looks to earn another thrilling finish by stopping Borralho in emphatic fashion.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- Rodolfo Vieira (9-2, fighting out of Orlando, Fla. by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) locks horns with Cody Brundage (8-3, fighting out of Englewood, Colo.) at middleweight
- Emily Ducote (12-7, fighting out of Oklahoma City, Okla.) faces Polyana Viana (13-5, fighting out of São Geraldo do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil) in a strawweight bout
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima (20-9-1, fighting out of Ribeirâo Pires, Brazil) battles undefeated Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner Waldo Cortes Acosta (9-0, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz. by way of Fundacion, Barahona, Dominican Republic) in an intriguing heavyweight bout
- Josh Quinlan (6-0 1NC, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) squares off with Ange Loosa (9-3, fighting out of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by way of Kinshasa, DR Congo) in a welterweight matchup
- Heavyweights collide when Martin Buday (11-1, fighting out of Trnava, Slovakia) takes on Jake Collier (13-8, fighting out of Cuba, Mo.)
- Julian Erosa (28-11, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) meets UFC newcomer Fernando Padilla (14-4, fighting out of Chihuahua, Mexico) at featherweight
- Natan Levy (8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. by way of Herzliya, Israel) goes for his third consecutive win when he faces Pete Rodriguez (5-1, fighting out of Green Valley, Ariz.) at lightweight
- Cody Durden (14-4-1, fighting out of Covington, Ga.) squares off with Charles Johnson (13-4, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) in a flyweight bout
- Stephanie Egger (8-3, fighting out of St. Gallen, Switzerland) welcomes UFC newcomer Irina Alekseeva (4-1, fighting out of Ekaterinburg, Russia) at bantamweight
- Brian Kelleher (24-14, fighting out of Selden, N.Y.) faces Journey Newson (10-4 1NC, fighting out of Portland, Ore.) at bantamweight
- Hailey Cowan (7-2, fighting out of Robinson, Texas) looks to spoil the debut of Jamey-Lyn Horth (5-0, fighting out of Squamish, B.C., Canada) in a bantamweight bout
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