UFC Reportedly Raises Stakes for UFC Fight Night Card by Adding 2 Banger Matchups

Next month’s UFC Vegas 116 card has reportedly been bolstered by the addition of two fan-friendly bantamweight matchups.

Set to take place at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, NV on April 25 in between international cards in Canada and Australia, UFC Vegas 116 is headlined by a pivotal welterweight bout featuring top-ranked contenders Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley.

There’s still has plenty of room to add more matchups with nearly two months to go until the card, and Ag Fight reports that the event will see top-ranked bantamweight contender Montel Jackson try to defend his #15 spot against resurgent UFC veteran Raoni Barcelos.

Montel Jackson Set To Try And Halt Raoni Barcelos At UFC Vegas 116

Jackson earned a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018 and suffered his first pro loss at the hands of Ricky Simon later that year before “Quik” rebounded with three-straight victories.

Montel Jackson (red gloves) fights with Daniel Marcos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Wells Fargo Arena. | Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 33-year-old’s initial winning run came to an end in a 2020 meeting with Brett Johns before Jackson put together an impressive six-fight winning streak that earned him a spot in the UFC bantamweight rankings. That streak earned Jackson a big opportunity against former UFC flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Rio, where Figueiredo got his hand raised via split decision.

Cody Garbrandt (red gloves) fights Raoni Barcelos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at State Farm Arena. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

“Quik” will try to get back on track when he faces another Brazilian at UFC Vegas 116, and longtime UFC veteran Barcelos enters the matchup with a significant amount of momentum thanks to a four-fight win streak that saw the 38-year-old get his hand raised three times during the course of 2025.

Adrian Luna Martinetti Debuts Against UFC Veteran Davey Grant

In addition to Jackson vs. Barcelos, Marcel Dorff also reports that UFC Vegas 116 will see Adrian Luna Martinetti make his promotional debut opposite Davey Grant in another exciting bantamweight contest.

Adrian Luna Martinetti fights Mark Vologdin on Dana White's Contender Series. | (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Currently on a 15-fight win streak that began in 2018, Luna Martinetti was a two-time bantamweight titleholder in Mexican regional MMA promotion Ultimate Warrior Challenge. The Ecuadorian defeated Mark Vologdin on Dana White’s Contender Series last October in a high-paced scrap that saw both men earn invitations to join the UFC roster.

Davey Grant (red gloves) fights Daniel Marcos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

The 30-year-old gets a solid test in his promotional debut, as Grant has been a plying his trade in the UFC bantamweight division since 2013 and had won back-to-back fights over Ramon Taveras and Da’Mon Blackshear before he was submitted by Charles Jourdain in his most recent outing at UFC Vancouver.

There’s still room for several more bouts to be added to UFC Vegas 116 following the addition of the two bantamweight contests, and currently the card is shaping up like this less than two months out from April 25.

UFC Vegas 116 Fight Card

• Main Event: Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley

• Norma Dumont vs. Yana Santos

• Rodolfo Vieira vs. Eric McConico

• Jafel Filho vs. Lucas Rocha

• Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Michelle Montague

• Sedriques Dumas vs. Jackson McVey

• Davey Grant vs. Adrian Luna Martinetti

• Montel Jackson vs. Raoni Barcelos