Felipe Franco Faces Brendson Ribeiro at UFC Vegas 122

Felipe Franco faced Brendson Ribeiro in a light heavyweight matchup at UFC Vegas 122 in Las Vegas on Saturday, with the contest offering Franco an opportunity to build on his latest victory and Ribeiro a chance to stop a four-fight losing streak. The three-round preliminary bout was scheduled for the Meta APEX, with the preliminary card beginning at 5 p.m. ET, according to DraftKings Network.

Franco entered the contest with an 11-2 professional record and a 1-1 mark in the UFC. The 25-year-old Brazilian had recovered from a unanimous-decision defeat to Mario Pinto in March by stopping Levi Rodrigues Jr. with second-round punches in July, securing his first UFC victory after moving down from heavyweight.

Ribeiro, 30, arrived with a 17-11 record and a 2-6 UFC record. According to the reports, his most recent appearance ended in a unanimous-decision loss to Magomed Tuchalov in July, following an April defeat by submission to Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev.

Ribeiro also encountered a weight issue before the fight. DraftKings Network reported that he weighed 208.5 pounds, 2.5 pounds above the light heavyweight limit, resulting in the forfeiture of 20 percent of his purse.

Statistical comparisons published by DraftKings Network showed Franco landing 2.55 significant strikes per minute, compared with Ribeiro's 2.94. Franco had the higher striking accuracy at 57 percent, while Ribeiro's figure was 40 percent. Franco also absorbed fewer strikes per minute, averaging 2.39 against Ribeiro's 3.56.

Franco's wrestling offered another potential advantage. He averaged 3.70 takedowns per 15 minutes, according to DraftKings Network, giving him an additional route to control exchanges beyond striking. His professional victories have come through finishes, with the report listing seven knockouts and four submissions.

Ribeiro's physical dimensions offered a contrasting strength. The Brazilian measured 6 feet 3 inches tall with an 81-inch reach, while Franco stood 6 feet 1 inch with a 76-inch reach, according to the tale-of-the-tape figures published by BetMGM's sports coverage.

Those measurements gave Ribeiro a five-inch reach advantage, potentially allowing him to land straight punches from farther away. Franco's approach, as outlined in the published fight analysis, centered on applying forward pressure, closing distance and using wrestling to limit Ribeiro's ability to strike at range.

Franco's recent results also contrasted with Ribeiro's extended downturn. Franco had won his latest appearance after suffering a decision loss to Pinto, while Ribeiro's last recorded victory came against Diyar Nurgozhay in March 2025. His subsequent defeats included losses to Azamat Murzakanov, Oumar Sy, Yakhyaev and Tuchalov, according to the fight-history information published by BetMGM.

The matchup featured two different professional trajectories: Franco was attempting to establish consistency early in his UFC career, while Ribeiro entered seeking to recover from a prolonged run of defeats. Both fighters were scheduled for three rounds in the light heavyweight contest on the UFC Vegas 122 preliminary card.