However, before these two compete for gold, two hopeful contenders face off for five scheduled rounds at UFC APEX. Matheus Nicolau gets his first five-round opportunity against former title challenger and Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus Alex Perez on April 27.
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Nicolau is coming off a knockout loss to Brandon Royval, only his second loss since returning to the promotion in March 2021. Before that, he had victories over Schnell, Dvorak, Tim Elliott and Manel Kape. A rematch with Kape was the original plan for the UFC’s first fight night following UFC 300, but when Kape pulled out, Perez was brought in to replace him. Perez, 32, has faced some of the toughest names in the division over the past six years and is hoping to return to form after struggling with injuries in recent years.
Two more intriguing matchups will take place in May and could impact how the division plays out on the periphery of the title picture for next year. First comes an intriguing matchup with Charles Johnson and Jake Hadley on May 11 in St. Louis. Johnson is coming off a win over Azat Maksum in February and hopes to gain some momentum after having a busy schedule in his first two years on the roster. On the other side, Hadley hopes to get back into the winner’s circle and find some consistency by splitting his first four fights in the UFC. Although both men are outside the Top 15, they share aspirations and potential to break into the Top 15 at some point this year if they string together a good winning record.