The final UFC Apex event of 2024 takes place Saturday in Las Vegas with UFC Fight Night 247, which streams entirely on ESPN+.
Headlining the card is the most experienced welterweight in UFC history. Neil Magny (29-12 MMA, 22-11 UFC) will attempt to build on his all-time divisional wins record when he clashes with yet another surging potential contender in Carlos Prates (20-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC).
For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 247.
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Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates
Neil Magny
Neil Magny
Magny competes in his 34th UFC welterweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.
Magny has alternated losses and wins over his past eight fights. He was defeated in his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN 62 in August.
Magny’s 22 victories in UFC competition are tied for fourth-most in company history behind Jim Miller (26), Andrei Arlovski (23) and Donald Cerrone (23).
Magny’s 22 victories in UFC welterweight competition are most in divisional history.
Magny’s total fight time of 6:51:58 in UFC welterweight competition is most in divisional history.
Magny’s 14 decision victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Magny has landed 1,418 significant strikes and 2,538 total strikes in UFC welterweight competition, the most in divisional history.
Magny is the only fighter in modern UFC history to make five or more octagon appearances in consecutive years. He went 4-1 in 2015 after going 5-0 in 2014.
Magny is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn five victories in a calendar year, as he did in 2014. Kevin Holland (2020) and Roger Huerta (2007) also accomplished the feat.
Carlos Prates
Carlos Prates
Prates becomes the second fighter to make four UFC appearances in 2024. Charles Johnson also accomplished the feat and went 4-0.
Prates has earned 18 of his 20 career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.
Prates’ three-fight UFC knockout streak is tied with Tom Aspinall and Jean Silva for third-longest among active fighters in the company behind Steve Garcia (five) and Alex Pereira (four).
Cody Garbrandt vs. Miles Johns
Cody Garbrandt
Cody Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) enters the event on the final fight of his current UFC contract.
Garbrandt is one of nine fighters to hold the UFC bantamweight title. He is one of three who failed to make a successful title defense.
Garbrandt is 3-6 in his past nine fights dating back to November 2017.
Garbrandt is 2-1 since returning to the bantamweight division in March 2023.
Garbrandt’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC bantamweight competition are tied with Marlon Vera, Petr Yan for second-most in divisional history behind Montel Jackson (11).
Miles Johns (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) defends 71.3 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC bantamweight competition, the second-best rate in divisional history behind Vaughan Lee (71.5 percent).
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Denise Gomes
Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Karolina Kowalkiewicz (16-8 MMA, 9-8 UFC) competes in her 18th UFC strawweight bout, tied with Randa Marcos for the second-most appearances in divisional history behind Angela Hill (25).
Kowalkiewicz is 6-8 in her past 14 fights dating back to when she fought for the UFC strawweight title in November 2016.
Kowalkiewicz’s nine victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for sixth-most in divisional history behind Hill (11), Jessica Andrade (10), Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10), Tecia Pennington (10) and Carla Esparza (10).
Kowalkiewicz’s eight decision victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for most in divisional history.
Kowalkiewicz has eight of her nine UFC victories by decision.
Reinier de Ridder vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Gerald Meerschaert
Reinier de Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder at light heavyweight and middleweight, makes his octagon debut.
Gerald Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC) has earned 35 of his 37 carer victories by stoppage. That includes all 12 of his UFC wins.
Meerschaert’s 12 stoppage victories in UFC middleweight competition are most in divisional history.
Meerschaert’s 11 submission victories in UFC middleweight competition are most in divisional history.
Meerschaert’s 11 submission victories in UFC competition are tied with Demian Maia for the third-most in company history behind Charles Oliveira (16) and Miller (12).
Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson
Gillian Robertson
Gillian Robertson (14-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) is 3-1 since she dropped to the UFC strawweight division in April 2023.
Robertson’s seven submission victories in UFC competition are most by any female in company history.
Robertson’s seven stoppage victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Robertson’s six submission victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Zach Scroggin.
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (24-8-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) is one of three fighters in history to earn UFC knockouts stemming from a flying knee and a spinning wheel kick. Cory Sandhagen and Edson Barboza also accomplished the feat.
Matthew Semelsberger vs. Charlie Radtke
Matthew Semelsberger
Matthew Semelsberger’s (11-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2022.
Semelsberger is 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to July 2022.
Semelsberger is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn multiple knockouts of 20 seconds or less. Anthony Johnson and Terrance McKinney also accomplished the feat.
Semelsberger’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC welterweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history behind Thiago Alves (13), Matt Brown (11) and Jake Ellenberger (11).
Cody Stamann vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
Da’Mon Blackshear’s twister
Da’Mon Blackshear (14-7-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory by Twister. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN 51. Bryce Mitchell and Chan Sung Jung have also won with the technique.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 247.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on X @MJCflipdascript.
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