Preview: UFC 329 Prelims

Packed with nine prelims, the UFC 329 undercard has its own fair amount of intrigue.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Robert Whittaker had one of the most successful moves up in weight class of all time, so it makes sense he'd try that trick again, as he's now up at light heavyweight against Nikita Krylov in the featured spot. Right below that, former Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson makes his UFC debut; he gets a layup of a matchup and is still quite raw, but provides some much-needed fresh blood at heavyweight. Past that is a solid mix of well-matched action, even if there's not clearly much in the way of immediate stakes; Adrian Yanez should make for a fun matchup against former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, and a flyweight bout between Tracy Cortez and Cong Wang could put the winner in position for a big fight with a strong performance.

Light Heavyweights Robert Whittaker (26-9) vs. Nikita Krylov (31-11) Odds: Whittaker (-148), Krylov (+124)

Whittaker's move up to middleweight paid off more than anyone could've imagined, so it's understandable that he'd want to try things up at light heavyweight, even if it might not work at this point in his career. Australia's "Reaper" won the one-off “TUF: Smashes” season that pitted Australia against England, and he kicked off his UFC career as a fairly anonymous welterweight, splitting his first four fights before an eventual move up to 185 pounds in 2014. It immediately became apparent that Whittaker made the right move; his boxing popped more than ever with his newfound speed advantage, and his increased cardio made him an absolute terror in terms of overwhelming his opponents -- if he didn't simply just knock them out in short order. Years 2015 and 2016 saw Whittaker begin to stand out as one of the UFC's first stars in the Oceanic region, and a breakthrough win in 2017 over Ronaldo Souza made it apparent that Whittaker could be champion sooner rather than later; that fight saw him break out a high-level wrestling game for the first time, essentially leaving him as a fighter with no clear weaknesses, even at a high level.

Whittaker was indeed clearly the best 185-pound fighter in the world within a year, but he never got the true coronation he deserved, owing to a streak of bad luck. Whittaker won an interim title over Yoel Romero, but never wound up getting a unification bout; Georges St-Pierre came out of retirement to beat champion Michael Bisping and eventually retired rather than face Whittaker, who was simply named the now-undisputed champ. Whittaker also never got his big return home as a conquering hero; cards in Australia were built around Whittaker title defenses against Luke Rockhold and Kelvin Gastelum, only for Whittaker to pull out due to injury before each fight, including a career-threatening hernia hours before the Gastelum bout. By the time Whittaker got his first title defense on Australian soil, it came against New Zealand's Israel Adesanya, who had clearly stolen Whittaker's thunder as the major star of the region during that downtime -- and who also took care of Whittaker in one-sided fashion to become the new king of the middleweights.

Thankfully, Whittaker's medical issues didn't lead to an immediate fall-off, as he remained both a top contender and beloved ambassador of the sport for the next half-decade or so, even if he still found himself unable to overcome Adesanya in a rematch. It wasn't until Whittaker's last two fights that some red flags started to pop up; a quick loss to Khamzat Chimaev was understandable, but a grimy decision against Reinier de Ridder was much more concerning, as the Dutchman was able to use his size to stifle Whittaker in a manner that most opponents haven't historically been able to get away with.

Given that Whittaker's struggles at middleweight have come against larger and more physical opponents, it's a bit surprising that he decided to move up to light heavyweight, though he might be catching Nikita Krylov at the right time to have a successful debut in his new weight class. Krylov was generally considered a punchline when he hit the UFC in 2013; then 21 years old, "The Miner" got signed off a particularly weak record and didn't exactly cover himself in glory in his UFC debut, losing an extremely sloppy fight against Soa Palelei when he was too exhausted to move. But Krylov cut down to light heavyweight shortly thereafter and somehow became one of the best young fighters in the division; now in shape, Krylov was still generally a technical mess, but his combination of durability, aggression and ability to wrestle a bit made him too much for most of his opponents to handle. Save for a brief return to the Russian scene for some big paydays, Krylov's career generally followed the pattern of a few wins leading into an over-aggressive submission loss, at least until a two-year layoff that spanned 2023 to 2025.

Upon his return, it was clear that Krylov was no longer the same fighter, particularly in terms of his durability; after a decade-plus of having one of the best chins in the sport, it was a shock to see him get finished within a round by both Dominick Reyes and Bogdan Guskov. Krylov's awareness of his own mortality has also influenced his aggression, as he's been a much more passive fighter -- though still strung together enough offense to get a win over Modestas Bukauskas in January, as Bukauskas himself was much too reticent to pull the trigger. Most versions of Krylov would've been a particularly poor matchup for Whittaker, as he likely would've been able to swamp the former middleweight champion with a lot of wrestling in a control-heavy win. But it's unclear if that version of Krylov exists anymore, and while Whittaker doesn't figure to have a ton of upside at 205 pounds, he should get enough time and space to impress here; the pick is Whittaker via first-round knockout.

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Whittaker vs. Krylov

Steveson vs. Ellison

Garbrandt vs. Yanez

Riley vs. Kamaka III

Cortez vs. Wang

Pinas vs. Almeida

Basharat vs. Garza

Gandra vs. Reese

Durden vs. Costa

Heavyweights Gable Steveson (3-0) vs. Elisha Ellison (5-2) Odds: Steveson (-2800), Ellison (+1300)

Gable Steveson has struggled to translate his amateur wrestling success into fame and fortune elsewhere, but his foray into mixed martial arts has some clear potential to work out. As suggested by his first name, Steveson was essentially born and bred to be a wrestler and indeed proved himself to be a prodigy, winning multiple collegiate titles and an Olympic gold medal at age 21. Rather than immediately pursue mixed martial arts, Steveson instead went the professional wrestling route, where he proved to be a flop -- either due to a lack of charisma or Steveson's notoriety from his legal issues making him hard to root for -- and then a brief football career before becoming a professional fighter last year. Steveson's now three fights deep into his career, and his upside is clearly evident -- obviously and particularly as a wrestler -- but he's still essentially unproven; opponents haven't been able to offer much resistance, so it's unclear how Steveson will fare whenever things get tough. Of course, it could be a while until things actually get tough for the former Olympian, and it doesn't figure to be here against Elisha Ellison.

Ellison seems to have some decent enough athleticism, but even at the regional level he was an overly patient fighter that often took his time waiting for a moment to strike - so it wasn't necessarily a surprise that Brando Pericic took the initiative and beat him in short order during both men's UFC debut last year. Ellison could always land that one big shot, but unless Steveson decides to play with his food, the UFC newcomer should be able to get Ellison to the mat and overwhelm him in short order; the pick is Steveson via first-round stoppage.

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Whittaker vs. Krylov

Steveson vs. Ellison

Garbrandt vs. Yanez

Riley vs. Kamaka III

Cortez vs. Wang

Pinas vs. Almeida

Basharat vs. Garza

Gandra vs. Reese

Durden vs. Costa

Bantamweights Cody Garbrandt (15-7) vs. Adrian Yanez (17-6-1) Odds: Yanez (-410), Garbrandt (+320)

Adrian Yanez looks to be past a rough stretch, and so the former top prospect gets a chance to rebuild here. Yanez came to the UFC via

Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, standing out as a particularly electric knockout artist that was also quite easy to root for; Yanez was fighting in the memory of his late father, would eventually take over for late coach Saul Soliz in 2021, and generally seemed like a rare good egg in the sport. After a particularly cathartic knockout win over Tony Kelley in 2022 -- his fourth knockout in five UFC fights -- Yanez seemed ready to take his spot as one of the faces of the UFC's bantamweight division, but getting over the hump to contender status has proven more difficult than expected.

Yanez has remained one of the most entertainingly dynamic offensive forces in the UFC, but that's come with a disregard for what his opponents are able to bring in return; that was perfectly fine against the bantamweight division's lesser lights, but Yanez's willingness to eat damage cost him greatly during a stretch of three losses during four fights, including finishes against Rob Font and Jonathan Martinez. After losing another frustrating bout to Daniel Marcos at the tail end of 2024, Yanez missed all of 2025 and became a bit of a forgotten man until his return this past March, where he looked sharp in a draw that was generally regarded as a clear Yanez win prior to the result being announced. Even despite the result, Yanez now has some much-needed momentum, which should continue to build here against former champion Cody Garbrandt.

Garbrandt's 2016 was a breakout year to a level that few fighters have achieved; a raw prospect with quick-trigger reflexes, Garbrandt scored three brutal knockout wins to earn what seemed like an undeserved title shot against Dominick Cruz, only to score a one-sided decision win over Cruz in the best performance of his career. Still in his mid-twenties, Garbrandt figured to be one of the faces of the UFC going forward, but his reign as champion never got going; T.J. Dillashaw figured out that Garbrandt was quick and dangerous but not much of a strategist, drawing out Garbrandt's offense, landing counters and leaving Garbrandt unable to adjust, both in a Dillashaw title win and an immediate rematch. Outside of one more brutal knockout win over Raphael Assuncao, Garbrandt's next few years saw him continually lose while seeming mentally broken; Garbrandt still had some of the quickest hands in the sport, but opponent after opponent was able to maneuver around them and essentially put Garbrandt on tilt until he charged into a knockout.

After missing all of 2022, Garbrandt came back in 2023 and had some new ideas, but has still clearly been unable to balance safety with aggression; "No Love" now has a defensive mode where he can stay out of danger at the expense of any level of effective offense, but pursuing that offense also still leaves him just as open as ever to his opponent finishing him instead. Garbrandt's last fight, this past March against a fairly anonymous brawler in Xiao Long, suggested that the former champion might no longer be effective at the UFC level; it seemed like a stylistic layup, but instead turned into an ugly fight that Garbrandt only won due to repeated point deductions for a foul-happy Xiao. Yanez's own lack of defense does theoretically make it possible that Garbrandt can land a knockout blow, but it's unclear if the former champion can even pull the trigger enough to make that happen before getting overwhelmed; the pick is Yanez via second-round knockout.

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Whittaker vs. Krylov

Steveson vs. Ellison

Garbrandt vs. Yanez

Riley vs. Kamaka III

Cortez vs. Wang

Pinas vs. Almeida

Basharat vs. Garza

Gandra vs. Reese

Durden vs. Costa

Featherweights Luke Riley (13-0) vs. Kai Kamaka III (18-7-1) Odds: Riley (-290), Kamaka III (+235)

It's unclear if Liverpool's Luke Riley is the future star that the UFC seems to hope he is, but at the very least he's currently a welcome addition to any card. A rising action fighter on the European scene when the UFC picked him up last year, Riley has been consistently successful in forcing a scrap on his opponents, though that might change as he moves up the ladder; he's a good but not great athlete and prone to slow starts, which has allowed some opponents to out-wrestle him up until the point that Riley adjusts and turns things up. After a surprising co-main event spot in London this past March, Riley gets another lateral step in competition against Kai Kamaka III, a perennial tough out.

A late-notice signing in 2020, Kamaka III has been impressively consistent over the ensuing half-decade, for better or for worse;"The Fighting Hawaiian" checks a lot of boxes in terms of technical proficiency, but has rarely shown much in the way of aggression and dynamism, resulting in a lot of fights where Kamaka III doesn't get blown out but also struggles to separate himself on the scorecards. It was a mild surprise when he slid out of the UFC in late 2021, which in turn made it a mild surprise when he was back in the fold this past April, which is essentially a testament to Kamaka III's status as a fighter stuck between the regional and UFC levels. Kamaka III should do some solid work until Riley starts to heat up, but the lean is that the Englishman will wind up doing the best work of the fight before he turns a corner; the pick is Riley via decision.

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Whittaker vs. Krylov

Steveson vs. Ellison

Garbrandt vs. Yanez

Riley vs. Kamaka III

Cortez vs. Wang

Pinas vs. Almeida

Basharat vs. Garza

Gandra vs. Reese

Durden vs. Costa

Women's Flyweights Tracy Cortez (12-3) vs. Cong Wang (9-1) Odds: Wang (-112), Cortez (-108)

An interesting style clash should help sort some things out in the flyweight division. When the UFC signed Cong Wang in 2024, it was with the clear intent to follow the Alex Pereira blueprint to a grudge match with Valentina Shevchenko; the two had history stemming from a Wang win in kickboxing shortly before Shevchenko's UFC career, and Wang appeared to be the level of quick study that could run up the ladder with some advantageous matchmaking. Unfortunately, things got derailed slightly in Wang's second UFC bout; she's clearly a talent, but her general disregard for her opposition wound up with her getting stunned and submitted by Gabriella Fernandes in a fight that was otherwise going her way. Thankfully, Wang rebounded well and has looked sharper in her three fights since, balancing her aggression in a more thoughtful manner in some one-sided wins - and her last win over Eduarda Moura did show that she can manage to outpoint and outwork an opponent that's continually looking to wrestle. And so it's time to try and move Wang up the ladder again, with Tracy Cortez providing a test that's potentially quite tough on paper.

Cortez was essentially a lock to get a contract with a win in her 2019 appearance on the Contender Series; beyond an obviously marketable look, Cortez fighting in the memory of her late brother made her quite easy to root for. But once her UFC career got started, Cortez quickly proved that she was much more than just a charity case, standing out as a grimy and aggressive wrestler, even in a few fights up at bantamweight. Despite her success, Cortez's rise was slower than expected due to a lack of activity - she's fought at a pace of roughly one fight per calendar year - but things still seemed set to work out after a 2023 win over Jasmine Jasudavicius, which saw Cortez leverage her wrestling advantage into looking like the much quicker and more effective striker. But her next bout in a main event slot against Rose Namajunas did raise the worry that Cortez might be becoming too well-rounded for her own good, as she wasted a lot of time on the feet and generally looked reticent in pursuing takedowns and getting to the best parts of her game. Thankfully, Cortez embraced the grind against Viviane Araujo in her next bout, but there's still some worry as to how Cortez might fare in deeper waters, especially after another loss where Erin Blanchfield proved herself the better grappler and handed her a submission loss. But even with Wang's improvements on the mat, this still looks like a fight that Cortez can clearly win if she embraces a wrestling-heavy gameplan; that's not entirely a lock, but the pick is still Cortez via decision.

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Whittaker vs. Krylov

Steveson vs. Ellison

Garbrandt vs. Yanez

Riley vs. Kamaka III

Cortez vs. Wang

Pinas vs. Almeida

Basharat vs. Garza

Gandra vs. Reese

Durden vs. Costa

Middleweights Damian Pinas (9-1) vs. Cesar Almeida (7-2) Odds: Pinas (-225), Almeida (+185)

This should be fun. Damian Pinas is in the raw but talented mold that a lot of Contender Series prospects fit into, but so far so good for "The Baba Yaga" after earning a contract last year. Pinas is a bit of a mess and even his wins can be a bit of an adventure, but it's also apparent that he has a ton of natural power once he gets going, as he obliterated both his Contender Series opponent and Wes Schultz in fairly short order. The Aruban gets a solid step up in competition here against Cesar Almeida, who might not be a massive success story transitioning to mixed martial arts after a long kickboxing career, but has adapted to his new sport quite well.

The worry was that Almeida's striking approach might be too passive in terms of looking to hit his opponents on the counter, but he's done a solid job of picking up the pace as needed while continuing to prove himself as a knockout threat - but title contention looks to be several steps too far for the Brazilian at age 38, particularly since he's found himself quite helpless in the face of dedicated wrestlers. Pinas is certainly explosive enough that a quick knockout isn't out of the question, but Almeida has historically been quite durable and comfortable under fire, so it seems likelier that the veteran can land a big counter against the much rawer prospect; the pick is Almeida via first-round knockout.

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Whittaker vs. Krylov

Steveson vs. Ellison

Garbrandt vs. Yanez

Riley vs. Kamaka III

Cortez vs. Wang

Pinas vs. Almeida

Basharat vs. Garza

Gandra vs. Reese

Durden vs. Costa

Bantamweights Farid Basharat (15-0) vs. John Garza (6-1) Odds: N/A

What was initially a quite excellent pairing between Farid Basharat and Ethyn Ewing winds up with a clear downgrade, as Basharat now finds himself facing a late replacement. Initially regarded as the lesser of the two Basharat brothers, Farid has quietly separated himself as the more effective fighter, slowly working his way up the ranks;"Ferocious" isn't particularly flashy, but he sets a solid pace and makes smart decisions, finding some particular effectiveness with a sound wrestling and grappling game. He'll look to impress against UFC newcomer John Garza, a promising young talent that looks to be getting the UFC call a bit too soon.

Garza is aggressive and down to scrap and has shown some fun striking in a string of regional victories, but he's yet to face either a well-rounded veteran or a wrestler, both of which are tests that Basharat should provide. Garza should make this fun for a bit before Basharat takes over; the pick is Basharat via second-round submission.

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Whittaker vs. Krylov

Steveson vs. Ellison

Garbrandt vs. Yanez

Riley vs. Kamaka III

Cortez vs. Wang

Pinas vs. Almeida

Basharat vs. Garza

Gandra vs. Reese

Durden vs. Costa

Middleweights Ryan Gandra (9-1) vs. Zachary Reese (10-3, 1 N/C) Odds: Gandra (-130), Reese (+110)

Two middleweights look to make a statement here. Despite already being in his thirties, Brazil's Ryan Gandra fits into the mold of a raw but interesting prospect just four years into his professional career. Gandra doesn't stand out in any particular area as of yet outside of his knockout power, which he used to great effect both on the Contender Series and in his UFC debut against Jose Medina - but given that Medina was one of the worst UFC signings in recent memory, the Brazilian is still quite unproven ahead of this fight against Zachary Reese, his first solid opponent.

Reese was even more unproven upon his own Contender Series appearance in 2023, a massive middleweight that swamped his opponents and typically finished them within two minutes. But Reese immediately paid for that opportunism in his UFC debut against Cody Brundage, who took advantage of Reese's willingness to hunt for submissions by picking him up and slamming him unconscious. Reese still has some of that aggression, but he's clearly attempting to round out his game with mixed results; Reese tires but doesn't entirely implode over the long haul, even though he often winds up pivoting to a wrestling game that results in some ugly decisions. Gandra could just starch him here, but the Brazilian hasn't shown much in the wrestling department and is basically unproven after a round, so the lean is that Reese can slow Gandra down enough to survive early and then win a slog in the back half of the fight. The pick is Reese via decision.

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Whittaker vs. Krylov

Steveson vs. Ellison

Garbrandt vs. Yanez

Riley vs. Kamaka III

Cortez vs. Wang

Pinas vs. Almeida

Basharat vs. Garza

Gandra vs. Reese

Durden vs. Costa

Flyweights Cody Durden (18-10-1) vs. Alessandro Costa (16-5) Odds: Costa (-265), Durden (+215)

Both of these fighters have been hanging around the middle tiers of the flyweight division for a while, so it's a mild surprise that this fight hasn't happened yet. Cody Durden came to the UFC in 2020 as an interesting talent, showing some potential as a pressure-focused wrestler but doing most of his work against a particularly weak level of competition. That came through almost immediately in his UFC career; Durden had some performances where he put his nose to the grindstone and walked away with a win, but his lack of defensive awareness also resulted in him running straight into finishes against opponents that could handle what he brought to the table. After four straight wins across 2022 and 2023, Durden's career essentially imploded with six losses in seven fights, most of which saw him run into a finish; Durden's willingness to step in short notice seemed to save his UFC career, but a particularly flat performance against Nyamjargal Tumendemberel seemed like it would certainly be Durden's final shot. Instead, he stepped in on late notice once again and somehow turned back the clock this past April, putting on his best performance in years to beat Jafel Filho -- so maybe there's hope heading into this bout against Alessandro Costa.

Costa's a particularly middle of the pack fighter, possessing a game that's wide but not deep but also doesn't have much in the way of weaknesses; Costa can strike a bit, wrestle and grapple a bit and fight at a middling pace, either eventually landing on his opponent's weaknesses or finding himself unable to catch up against craftier opposition. The Brazilian's willingness to cede initiative could actually hand Durden a win if Durden shows up in a similar form to his last fight, but things are still at the point where the safest bet seems to be Durden running into some fight-ending offense over the course of fifteen minutes. The pick is Costa via second-round knockout.

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Whittaker vs. Krylov

Steveson vs. Ellison

Garbrandt vs. Yanez

Riley vs. Kamaka III

Cortez vs. Wang

Pinas vs. Almeida

Basharat vs. Garza

Gandra vs. Reese

Durden vs. Costa