A total of 270 athletes selected to represent Akwa Ibom State at the 2026 Niger Delta Games in Edo State have successfully completed a screening exercise in line with approved competition rules.

According to the Information/PR Unit, Ministry of Sports, Akwa Ibom State, the screening was held on Friday, February 6, 2026, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo. It was organised to ensure eligibility, transparency and fair play among athletes from the nine Niger Delta states that will take part in the Games, scheduled for February 20 to 27, 2026.

Speaking during the exercise, Chairman of the NDG Screening Team, Sir Braveman Wordi, said the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in partnership with Dunamis Icon Ltd, organised the Games to boost grassroots sports and discover young talents who can compete at national and international levels.

He explained that the Games are part of the NDDC’s wider plan to develop human capacity beyond the oil and gas sector, with sports identified as a key tool for youth empowerment in the region.

Sir Wordi listed the eligibility requirements, stating that athletes must be 19 years and below, must be indigenes of the states they represent, and must be properly registered in a verifiable database. He urged coaches to focus on long-term athlete development rather than short-term medal targets, adding that the screening was an important step towards a successful outing at the Games.

Addressing journalists after the exercise, he praised the organisation and discipline of the athletes and coaches, describing the process as transparent and in line with standard sports administration practices.

“I am impressed with the high level of organisation and discipline among the athletes and coaches,” he said. “I commend the organisers, Dunamis Icon Ltd, for putting together this competition. It is important in preparing young talents from the region for national and international opportunities.”

In a related development, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, who also chairs the state’s NDG Liaison Committee, earlier met with NDG officials and stressed strict compliance with competition rules and proper documentation of athletes.

He warned that any breach of the Games’ regulations would lead to outright disqualification, but expressed confidence that with strong government support and proper preparation, Team Akwa Ibom would perform well and make the state proud.

Team Akwa Ibom is expected to begin camping on February 17 and 18, 2026, to improve fitness and readiness ahead of the Games.

The screening delegation was received by Elder Paul Bassey, members of the NDG Liaison Committee, 46 officials, directors from the Ministry of Sports, and members of the media.

UFC bantamweights are front and center. The four highest-ranked bantamweights all recently competed in major fights. On Saturday, Mario Bautista and Vinicius Oliveira step into the spotlight.

People are starting to wake up to the skill of Bautista (16-3). The Arizona native had won eight fights in a row since 2022 before getting a step up opportunity against top contender Umar Nurmagomedov. While he was swept on the scorecards, Bautista put up a strong effort in defeat. Bautista stunned Nurmagomedov with a knee and nearly yanked his foot off with a toehold. His strong showing, plus a dominant win over former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix, helped mend fan feelings after his contentious win over the great Jose Aldo.

“I thought I blew the [Nurmagomedov] fight. That’s the mindset I had,” Bautista told CBS Sports. “Being around people saying, ‘That was an awesome fight. You actually went out there and fought him. You didn’t hold anything back.’ I’m glad people saw that from me. I think that’s what landed me this main event.”

On Saturday, Bautista can utilize his wealth of experience against a fighter with a rapidly rising profile.

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“His hand placements,” Bautista said of Oliveira’s technical gaps. “Outside of the UFC, I saw three separate videos of him getting knocked out. He lives and dies by the sword. I think there’s a higher possibility for that to happen the higher you climb up the UFC rankings.

Oliveira (23-3) is a madman. He marches forward with his hands down and strikes from odd angles. Oliveira is already calling out elite stars like Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili only four fights into his UFC career. “Lok Dog” won’t be far from those conversations if he makes good on his first-round knockout prediction.

“No one in the top five wants to fight me. They’re all close to fighting for the belt. If UFC asked them to fight ‘Lok Dog,’ they’d say no…” Oliveira told CBS Sports. “They don’t want to fight me because they have many things to lose. 

“I’m dangerous in this division. When you see me fight, you can see I’m crazy. I move forward with my hands down. I dodge stuff and throw punches from nowhere. I’m not technical or orthodox. It’s strange to fight me. If I were someone in front of me, I’d run away. I wouldn’t want to face me.”

Saturday’s co-main event has important implications for the flyweight division. Kyoji Horiguchi, who enjoyed four title reigns between Rizin and Bellator, has the second fight of his second UFC stint. To date, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is the only flyweight to beat Horiguchi. The Japanese star could make a serious splash in the title conversation by beating Amir Albazi. Once considered a future title contender, significant health issues have stunted Albazi’s career. Heart and neck surgery are among the serious procedures that Albazi underwent over the last few years.

Plus, grappling expert Jailton Almeida is back in a heavyweight bout with Rizvan Kuniev in a featured slot. Almeida, 34, debuted in 2022 after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. He ripped off six straight wins, including a strong decision over former title challenger Derrick Lewis in 2023. After a setback against Curtis Blaydes by knockout in 2024, Almeida bounced back with a pair of finishes against Alexander Romanov and Serghei Spivac.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the fight card with the latest odds from DraftKings before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.

UFC Fight Night card, odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

UFC Fight Night viewing information

Date: Saturday, Feb. 7 | Start time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Meta APEX — Las Vegas
Stream: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as little as $8.99 per month)

Prediction

Mario Bautista vs. Vinicius Oliveira: Oliveira doesn’t seem concerned with Bautista, technique, or much else. You can chalk up his swagger to some combination of confidence and stubbornness. Oliveira was a vicious KO artist on the regional scene. Things haven’t come so easily for him in the UFC. He might not like that, but I do. Oliveira showed that his skills hold up over 15 minutes. 

Saturday’s headliners are surprisingly similar considering their contrasting personalities and game plans. They have comparable striking offense and defense stats, though Oliveira sees less artillery coming his way. They’re also difficult to ground. I’m torn here. Bautista’s performance against Nurmagomedov opened my eyes to how good he is. I don’t think he’ll finish Oliveira, and that creates concerns about a potential KO loss over 25 minutes. However, Oliveira’s inexperience against elite fighters and failure to finish his last three opponents are more concerning. I’ll side with the veteran over five rounds. Pick: Bautista via unanimous decision

Who wins Bautista vs. Oliveira, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the advanced model that showed a 6.1% ROI from over 500 fights from 2023-25, and find out.