Storylines: UFC on ESPN 55

It can be hard to stop the bleeding once it starts. Ask Alex Perez.

The Team Oyama product will look to end a career-worst drought and improve upon his position as a Top 10 flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship when he collides with Matheus Nicolau in the UFC on ESPN 55 headliner this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Perez enters the cage on a three-fight losing streak that now spans nearly four years. The 32-year-old former Tachi Palace Fights champion last suited up at UFC Fight Night 238, where he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against the undefeated Muhammad Mokaev on March 2. Perez has not paid a visit to victory lane since he stopped Jussier Formiga with a first-round leg kick at UFC 250 in June 2020—more than 1,400 days ago. On the other side of the equation, Nicolau has rattled of six wins in seven outings. However, the Nova Uniao standout finds himself on the rebound following an April 15, 2023 knockout loss to Brandon Royval at UFC on ESPN 44. The setback followed consecutive wins over Alan Gabriel dos Santos, Felipe Efrain, Manel Kape, Tim Elliott, David Dvorak and Matt Schnell. Nicolau, 31, has never suffered back-to-back losses.

The Nicolau-Perez showdown and its resulting fallout for the flyweight division is but one storyline to watch at UFC on ESPN 55. Here are three more:

On Shaky Ground

Inconsistency continues to plague Ryan Spann. The physically imposing and undeniably talented Fortis MMA rep will attempt to bounce back from back-to-back losses to Nikita Krylov and Anthony Smith when he squares off with Bogdan Guskov in the three-round light heavyweight co-main event. Stakes are high for Spann, who has been dominant at times and confounding at others. The ex-Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder boasts 18 finishes—12 of them submissions—on his resume but has yet to make a real move toward the top of the 205-pound weight class. In his way stands Guskov. The 31-year-old Uzbekistan native has gone the distance only once in his 18-fight career and carries prodigious knockout power in his hands. Guskov improved to 1-1 inside the Octagon on Feb. 10, when he buried “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 30 finalist Zac Pauga with punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 236 pairing. Can Spann make up for lost time and start to finally live up to his potential, or does Guskov steal his thunder?

Worth the Risk

Karine Silva and Ariane Lipski should provide some further clarity for the women’s flyweight division when they do battle against one another in a featured attraction at 125 pounds. They are currently operating just outside the Top 10. Silva has momentum on her side. The 30-year-old Gile Ribeiro protégé marches into her latest test on the strength of eight straight victories, all of them finishes. Silva last fought at UFC 292, where she avenged a 2014 defeat to Maryna Moroz by submitting the Ukrainian with an armbar in the first round of their Aug. 19 rematch. She had tapped Poliana Botelho and Ketlen Souza in her two previous Octagon assignments. Lipski, meanwhile, has begun to meet the expectations that were set for her when she emerged in the European regional scene years ago. The onetime Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki champion has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since a stunning August 2022 defeat to Priscila Cachoeira. Lipski last competed in December, when she disposed of Casey O’Neill with a second-round armbar at UFC 296. Which potential contender has what it takes to leapfrog the other?

Heavy Artillery

Jhonata Diniz’s placement on the main draw provides some insight into what UFC brass thinks about his future. Whether those projections warrant some merit remains to be seen. The undefeated Brazilian puts his perfect 6-0 record on the line when he makes his organizational debut opposite Austin Lane in a three-round heavyweight showcase. Diniz nailed down a UFC contract in September, when he needed a little more than three minutes to punch out Eduardo Neves on Week 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series. The former kickboxer has finished all six of his opponents inside one round. On the other side of the ledger, Lane’s athleticism alone makes him a formidable first hurdle. A fifth-round pick in 2010, he spent parts of five seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears before he transitioned to mixed martial arts. After a so-so start to his career, Lane struck gold in the Fury Fighting Championship, Combat Night and Warfare MMA promotions, then made his way to the UFC via DWCS. However, a Sept. 9 knockout loss to Justin Tafa—it was his first misstep in almost four years—cooled some of the enthusiasm surrounding him. Will Diniz show he has some staying power at the sport’s highest level?