Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in Las Vegas, Nevada, to stage UFC Halloween (UFC Vegas 123) from inside the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada featuring a Lightweight bout between top-ranked contender, Renato Moicano, and surging scrapper, Tom Nolan. In the co-main event of the Paramount+-steamed event, Randy Brown will face off against Jacobe Smith in a welterweight affair.

Renato Moicano may still have three fights left on his current UFC contract, but he is already looking ahead of the possibility of testing free agency once his contract expires. It’s a rather odd statement to make with so many fights and time left on his deal. That said, he is 37 years of age, and depending on how long it takes for him to fulfill his UFC deal (especially if UFC keeps him on ice base on his recent revelation )— and how many fights he wins and loses — I can’t imagine many promoters chomping at the bit to hire an aging fighter — although talented — who has yet to fight for a title. He is 1-2 in his last three fights, and other than enjoying a four-fight win streak form 2022 to 2024, he hasn’t don’t a whole lot to be commanding major pay or potential big-time offers. All of that said, he has to take care of the business at hand against a very talented up-and-comer who can put a big wrinkle in his free agency plans.

Tom Nolan may have stumbled out of the gates with a loss in his UFC debut to Nikolas Motta, but he has found his groove by winning his next five, which includes two first-round stoppages. The talented Aussie has a golden opportunity to climb the ranks as he is currently No. 12, and defeating the No. 8 ranked fighter in the division who is an established veteran will boost his stock. If he wants to prove victorious, however, he is going to have to rely on his standup game because if Moicano takes it to the ground he has a big advantage. That is not to say that Moicano is a scrub on his feet — he has improved over the years — but his bread-and-butter is jiu-jitsu. This is a very important fight for both men, as Moicano is looking to keep his stock up as he plans a future without UFC, while Nolan wants to add another impressive win on his resume as his UFC career keeps going upward.

Getty Images

Getty Images

A welterweight bout between Randy Brown and Carlos Leal was scheduled for the event before Leal withdrew as a result of an undisclosed injury and was replaced by Jacobe Smith. Furthermore, a featherweight bout between Francis Marshall and Gaston Bolanos was scrapped after Bolanos withdrew due to an eye injury. He was ultimately replaced by Dakota Hope.

A flyweight bout between Cody Durden and Ode’ Osbourne is scheduled for the event. They were previously scheduled for UFC 329 in July but Osbourne had to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury. Also, a middleweight bout between Azamat Bekoev and Andre Petroski was scheduled for this card before it was cancelled after Bekoev suffering an undisclosed medical emergency.

Lucia Szabova will make her UFC debut after kicking off her MMA career a perfect 10-0 with seven finishes. She is far from a “Silent Killer” as she makes plenty of noise once the cage door slams shut. She will look to keep her momentum going as she battles Tainara Lisboa, who has lost two straight under the UFC banner after winning her first two fights.

On the heels of five straight wins Joe Kropschot will make his UFC debut after winning his fight on The Contender Series just two months ago. “The Land Animal” has won all nine of his fights via stoppage. While the 31-year old may have gotten a late start to his UFC career, he intends to make the most of it as he goes head up against Nick Klein, who has lost his first two contests to begin his own UFC career.

Julian Erosa is currently on a two-fight losing streak and finds himself in a must-win situation when he takes on Jeong Yeong Lee, who has also lost two straight fights after a nice start to his UFC career. Both of these men can not afford a third straight loss because they have not do much in their time with the promotion to justify keeping them on the bloated roster.

Dakota Hope lost a razor-thin split-decision in his UFC debut to Kai Kamaka III, but he showed he is more than ready for the stiff tests of the Octagon in defeat. He will look to lock down his first win when he battles Francis Marshall, who has won two in a row. moving him to 4-2 so far in his UFC career.

Both Rodrigo Sezinando and Theodor Berggren got off to a rough start to their UFC careers by losing their respective debut fights. Now, they find themselves in a must-win situation as they face off against one another because the loser could find himself on his way out, especially if it’s a sub-par performance in defeat.

In women’s Strawweight action, Piera Rodriguez and Talita Alencar will throw down to see who can secure her fourth straight win. Indeed, both women are scorching hot at the moment with three straight wins in a division that could use as many stars as it can get. This will be a huge boost for the victor.

Mickey Gall currently finds himself in the midst of the longest losing streak of his career, dropping four straight with his last win coming way back in mid-2021. Gall came into the UFC with a lot of hype from Dana White’s short-lived “Looking’ For A Fight” series, winning his first three UFC fights. After that, however, he has been the poster boy for inconsistency by going just 3-7. He is in desperate need of a win when he goes up against Zachary Reese, who could also use a win himself after losing three in a row.

We are going to go ahead and a couple more fighters to this list because both Cody Durden and Ode Osbourne need a win in the worst way if they want to hang on to their spot on the UFC roster. Durden is 2-7 in his last nine fights, while Osbourne is 1-4-1 in his last five. The loser of this battle could very well get his walking papers, as well.

I can’t for the life of me understand why UFC matchmakers felt it was appropriate to put Randy Brown in the co-main event of any card. “Rude Boy” is on a two-fight losing streak and is just 1-3 in his last four fights. He will have a pretty tough challenge ahead of him as he attempts to turn it around because Jacobe Smith is scorching hot at the moment, winning all 13 of his pro fights, which includes going 4-0 under the UFC banner, all stoppages, three in the very first round. This is a great chance for “Cobe” to up his stock against an established veteran.

After suffering a three-fight losing streak from 2021 to 2023, Yana Santos has turned it around for herself by winning three straight fights, two of those coming against Miesha Tate and Macy Chiasson. She has proven that you can never count her out and ants to improve her spot in the bantamweight rankings if she can get a win over Luana Santos (no relation), who has been nothing short of impressive inside the Octagon. Indeed, the Brazilian bomber is 6-1 with the promotion and is currently on a three-fight win streak of her own.

After starting his MMA career with just four wins, Farman Hasanov got his chance in side the UFC’s Octagon and made the most of if it by defeating Eric Nolan via unanimous decision this past summer. He will look to keep his momentum going as he gets to kick off the main card against Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani, who is on a six-fight win streak, which includes winning his first two fights under the UFC banner.

Enjoy the fights!

155 lbs.: Renato Moicano vs. Tom Nolan

170 lbs.: Randy Brown vs. Jacobe Smith
135 lbs.: Yana Santos vs. Luana Santos
125 lbs.: Ode Osbourne vs. Cody Durden
185 lbs.: Zach Reese vs. Mickey Gall
170 lbs.: Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani vs. Farman Hasanov

145 lbs.: Francis Marshall vs. Dakota Hope
170 lbs.: Rodrigo Sezinando vs. Theodor Berggren
145 lbs.: Julian Erosa vs. Jeong Yeong Lee
185 lbs.: Nick Klein vs. Joe Kropschot
115 lbs.: Piera Rodriguez vs. Talita Alencar
135 lbs.: Tainara Lisboa vs. Lucia Szabova