UFC KC Start Time, Full Fight Card Details!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back after taking a week off to recharge from its hectic schedule to stage UFC Kansas City later TONIGHT (Sat., April 26, 2025) inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Headlining the ESPN+-streamed event will be a Welterweight bout between Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates, while the co-feature will see Anthony Smith take on Zhang Mingyang in a Light Heavyweight showdown.

What’s Hot:

Garry suffered the first loss of his professional career in his last outing at the hands of Shavkat Rakhmonov. It’s a tough pill he had to swallow after kicking off his combat path in mixed martial arts (MMA) with 15 straights wins as a professional, which was inching him closer to a Top 5 ranking and perhaps title fight consideration. With every setback, however, comes the opportunity to learn and grow … and that’s just what Garry has to do here as he goes up against a fast-rising sensation who is looking to climb the rankings sooner rather than later. Indeed, Prates burst onto the mainstream scene with a knockout win over Mitch Ramirez on Contender Series, which he parlayed into a contract with UFC. Since then, Prates has not taken his foot off the gas, securing four consecutive (technical) knockout victories. Now, “The Nightmare” is out to score the biggest win of his UFC career. What makes this fight interesting is that both men love to strike, and their choice is always to keep the fight on the feet for as long as possible. Sure, Garry hasn’t won a fight via knockout in two years, but he does have seven victories in that fashion with only one submission. For Prates, meanwhile, getting knockout finishes is the norm with 16 of 21 earned in that manner. Will Garry let it all hang out against him in this fight? Is it the smartest strategy? There’s no telling, but Garry does not back down from a slugfest — his most recent win saw him neutralize Michael Page, a man known for his flashy striking attack. Prates is younger and perhaps faster than “Venom” at this stage of their careers, which will be evident for Garry come fight night. This one should be fun.

What’s Not:

Jaqueline Amorim is currently on a three-fight win streak and is 3-1 under UFC’s banner, while her opponent, Polyana Viana, is on a two-fight skid and 1-3 in her last four. They are literally on opposite trajectories and UFC matchmakers decided it was a good idea to book them against each other. Make it make sense …

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

The original main event was supposed to feature Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree before “Sweet Dreams” was forced out with a leg injury and the fight was eventually shipped off to UFC Baku, paving the way for the promotion to book Garry vs. Prates as the new headliner.

LIVE! Stream UFC Kansas City On ESPN+

WELTERWEIGHT WAR! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., for an electrifying main event clash on April 26, 2025. Irish Welterweight star, Ian Machado Garry, takes on surging Brazilian finisher, Carlos Prates, in a high-stakes, five-round showdown. In UFC KC’s co-main event, former Light Heavyweight title challenger, Anthony Smith, faces off against the hard-hitting Zhang Mingyang, promising an explosive battle in the 205-pound division.

Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!

Injuries:

The other injury reported for the event was attached to Mitch Ramirez, who suffered an undisclosed health setback that forced him to withdraw from a fight against Ahmad Sohail Hassanzada, who was pegged to fight Evan Elder. Weeks later, it was revealed that Hassanzada was yanked from the fight and cut by the promotion after he was arrested for alleged sexual assault of a minor.

New Blood:

Gauge Young got the call up to the big leagues to face Elder after Hassanzada was cut by the promotion. Young is coming off a technical knockout win over Eric Grant on the regional scene. He previously lost his bout on Contender Series. Now, he gets the unexpected shot on the big stage … and he is ready to make the most of it. He is 9-2 as a professional with six knockout wins and one submission to boast.

Malcolm Wellmaker is coming into his first UFC fight as an undefeated (8-0) prospect with six finishes, including a first round knockout win on Contender Series. For his first challenge, he will be battle Cameron Saaiman, who has lost his last two fights after kicking off his UFC run with three straight wins.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

In women’s Bantamweight action, Chelsea Chandler will battle Joselyne Edwards. Chandler is 2-2 so far under UFC’s banner and is coming of a loss at the hands of Yana Santos back in Aug. 2024. As for Edwards, she snapped her two-fight losing streak by defeating Tamires Vidal.

In men’s Featherweight action, Chris Gutierrez will face John Castaneda. Gutierrez is 2-2 in his last four fights, while “Sexy Mexy” is coming off a loss at the hands of Daniel Marcos. Both men love to stand and bang, so this fight could very well steal the show because they have made it a habit to deliver performances that entertain each time out.

After two straight losses, Da’Mon Blackshear has turned it around by winning two straight. He will attempt to win his third in a row inside the Octagon for the first time when he goes up against Alateng Heili, who is 5-2-1 so far under UFC’s banner.

Matt Schnell has seen better days. “Danger” is currently on a three-fight losing streak and is 1-4 in his last five fights. He needs a win in the worse way when he battles Jimmy Flick, who is 1-3 in his last four. He, too, could use a win, so this could very well be a “Loser Leaves Town” match.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Timmy Cuamba came into the Octagon with five straight wins, but he has yet to win a fight under UFC’s banner, losing his first two contests via decision. As he goes into his third fight against Roberto Romero, a win is of the utmost importance because three straight losses to kick off your run with the promotion will likely get you cut. And Romero is in desperate need of a win, too, since he came up short in his UFC debut against David Onama.

Interest Level: 6/10

In the co-main event, Smith will attempt to secure his first win in nearly year, as “Lionheart” has lost two straight fights and is 1-3 in his last four. If we want to take it back a bit further, he is just 2-5 in his last seven fights. According to Dominick Reyes, Smith was begging him to hit him so he could “feel something” during their last bout. That simply didn’t sit right with a lot of the combat community, suggesting that perhaps it was time for him to call it a day. Nevertheless, Smith is back and wants to go out with a bang in what will be his final fight. He will battling Mingyang, a matchup that boggles the mind. That’s because “Mountain Tiger” is on an 11-fight win streak and undefeated (3-0) inside the Octagon. That type of matchmaking just bothers me. Yes, Smith is the veteran while Mingyang is the relative newcomer trying to make a name for himself, but it’s still a bit odd to give “Lionheart” such a killer in his farewell fight. Mingyang has a big chance here, but let’s face it, Smith isn’t the same man who once competed against Jon Jones for the Light Heavyweight title.

knocked out by Anthony Hernandez in the fifth round back in Oct. 2024. He will attempt to start another nice run when he battles Abus Magomedov, who is coming off a submission win over Brunno Ferreira, which was preceded by a victory over Warlley Alves via unanimous decision.

Both Randy Brown and Nicolas Dalby are coming into their Welterweight showdown off defeats, with Brown losing to Bryan Battle via split decision and Dalby coming up short against Rinat Fakhretdinov (also via split decision). Nevertheless, I like this fight because both men are exciting entertainers once the cage door slams shut. One man will return to the win column in a big way, while the other will have his first two-fight losing streak in a decade.

It’s been nearly an entire year since we last saw Ikram Aliskerov inside the Octagon, with his last appearance coming in June 2024, a devastating knockout loss at the hands of Robert Whittaker (see it again here). He returns to face Andre Muniz in 185-pound action. Muniz got back into the win column in his most recent outing, snapping his two-fight skid by defeating Jun Yong Park via a razor-thin split decision.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC Kansas City Fight Card:

UFC Kansas City Main Event on ESPN2/ESPN+:

170 lbs.: Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates

UFC Kansas City Main Card on ESPN2/ESPN+ (9 p.m. ET):

205 lbs.: Anthony Smith vs. Zhang Mingyang
145 lbs.: Giga Chikadze vs. David Onama
185 lbs.: Michel Pereira vs. Abus Magomedov
170 lbs.: Randy Brown vs. Nicolas Dalby
185 lbs.: Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz

UFC Kansas City ‘Prelims’ Under Card on ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET):

125 lbs.: Matt Schnell vs. Jimmy Flick
155 lbs.: Evan Elder vs. Gauge Young
145 lbs.: Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castaneda
135 lbs.: Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Heili Alateng
135 lbs.: Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Cameron Saaiman
115 lbs.: Jaqueline Amorim vs. Polyana Viana
145 lbs.: Timmy Cuamba vs. Roberto Romero
135 lbs.: Chelsea Chandler vs. Joselyne Edwards

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights subject to change.*

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Kansas City fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET.

To checkout the latest and greatest UFC Kansas City news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here.