"Chance to get rid of batista" The fighter's dizzying determination to win four games in a row, and the fighter's final goal is to face off... Meta Apex's First UFC Competition 'D-3'

*This content was translated by AI.

Mario Barista (32, USA) will be the main card of the first competition at Meta Apex, a newly renovated UFC stadium, in partnership between UFC and global information technology (IT) company Meta Platforms. The challenger will be Vinicius Oliveira (30, Brazil) of "Rock Dog."

UFC will hold 'UFC Fight Night: Batista vs Oliveira' at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on the 8th (Korea time). In the main event, ninth-ranked Mario Batista (32, USA) and 11th-ranked Oliveira will clash. At the comain event, UFC flyweight sixth-ranked "The Prince" Amir Albaji (32, Iraq) and eighth-ranked "Garate Kid" Koji Horiguchi (35, Japan) will face off.

Meta Apex is a UFC-based fighting sports stadium that opened in 2019 and has hosted more than 200 competitions. There were 112 UFC Fight Night competitions, 70 Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS), and a number of UFC BJJs. It will soon be able to accommodate more than 1,000 spectators by expanding the stadium by changing its name to Meta Apex.

"Meta is always at the forefront of technology and immersive experience, and their technology will change the way fans see live fighting," UFC CEO and Chairman Dana White said. "For the first time, fans will be able to come to Meta Apex and experience UFC fights through interactive VR (virtual reality), AI (artificial intelligence), and wearable technology," adding, "I hope fans will experience it soon."

The main event that opens Meta Apex is a battle between bantam-class new and old rankers. Mario Battista (16-3) is a veteran of the UFC alone with 10 wins and 3 losses. After winning eight consecutive games until recently, he lost to No. 1 Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321 in October last year, breaking his winning streak. Vinicius Oliveira (23-3) is a rookie fighter who signed with the UFC through DWCS in 2023 and is on a four-game winning streak in the UFC.

He lost in four years, but his confidence went up further. Batista said, "If I realized something (through Nurmagomedov), I'm the top player," adding, "Everyone thinks Nurmagomedov can be the champion, and that's how it will be, but I gave him a very difficult game." He vowed to avenge Nurmagomedov when he became champion.

All of the last four wins have been decided, but this time he is aiming for the finish. "All three of Oliveira's losses are KO losses," Batista said. "He will definitely be aiming for a finish because he lives on a knife and dies on a knife."

Oliveira is also looking for a finish. He thinks he was chosen by the UFC as a guest to get rid of Oliveira, who plays boring matches on his own. "UFC gave me a chance to get rid of him," Oliveira said. "I'll finish him in the first round."

Oliveira aims to become the champion within this year. "We will fight the top five rankers throughout the year after performing a great game to the audience this time," he said, adding, "I will fight for the title with the champion no matter who is at the end of the year."

In the comain event, Amir al-Bazi and Kyoji Horiguchi, who are aiming to enter the top 5 of the flyweight division, will clash.

Albaji (17-2) wants to fully recover from his neck injury and show his true self. In November last year, he lost to Moreno after a lethargic game in his first comeback in a year and five months. "I may have had rusty senses, but I didn't have a good performance last time," Albaji said. "I'm happy to finally show the real Amir Albaji and show that it's a problem for flyweights."

Achieving a dream of becoming a UFC champion who failed 11 years ago. Former title challenger Horiguchi (35-5), returned to the UFC for the first time in nine years last year and recorded a finishing win. A few more wins, including this one, will give you a chance to try the title again. Maybe he could meet Tatsuro Taira, the third-ranked Japanese, in the title match. "Taira may be the champion first, but it doesn't matter," Horiguchi said, adding, "I will be the champion anyway."

The main card of "UFC Fight Night: Battista vs Oliveira" will be broadcast live on tvN SPORTS and TVING from 10 a.m. on the 8th.

■ UFC Fight Night: Batista vs Oliveira vs

Main card (tvN SPORTS/TVING 10:00 a.m.)

[Bantamweight] #9 Mario Battista vs #11 Vinicius Oliveira

[Flyweight] #6 Amir Alpaji vs. #8 Horiguchi Kyoji

[Heavy] #6 Xylton Almeida vs Rizvan Kuniev

[Middle-hearted] Mi-Hau Olekscheek vs Mark-Andre Bariol

[Bantam grade] Jeang Matsumoto vs. Farid Basharat

[Light heavyweight] Dustin Jacoby vs Julius Walker

Undercard (7 a.m. UFC Fight Pass)

[Welter rush] Alex Morino vs Danyl Donchenko

[Welter class] Nikolai Berettennikov vs Nico Price

[Women's straw class] Bruna Brazil vs Ketlin Soju

[Bantam grade] Side Nurmagomedov vs Javid Basharat

[Women's flyweight] #12 Wangchung vs #13 Edouard Mora0

[Bantam grade] unmanned Kapurov vs Yakub Bikwach

[Female bantam class] Claudia's first pitch vs Priscilla Cachoeira

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*This content was translated by AI.