Before the UFC returns to pay-per-view on Saturday with UFC 250, the event’s preliminary lineup goes down at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is set to air on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The featured prelim bout sees longtime octagon veteran Alex Caceres (15-12 MMA, 10-10 UFC) take on the youngest fighter on the roster, 20-year-old Chase Hooper (9-0-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), in a featherweight affair.
For more on the numbers behind the lineup, check below for 25 pre-facts about the UFC 250 prelims.
* * * *
Featured ESPN prelim
Alex Caceres
Caceres is 5-4 since he returned to the UFC featherweight division in January 2015.
Caceres has earned seven of his 10 UFC victories by decision.
Caceres is one of seven fighters in UFC/WEC bantamweight history to land 100 or more significant strikes in two different fights.
Hooper, 20, is the youngest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Other ESPN prelims
Ian Heinisch
Ian Heinisch (13-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May 2019.
Gerald Meerschaert (30-12 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has earned 28 of his 30 career victories by stoppage. That includes all six of his UFC wins.
Meerschaert’s five submission victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied with Demian Maia, Rousimar Palhares, Thales Leites and Antonio Carlos Junior for most in divisional history.
Meerschaert is one of 17 fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory by anaconda choke. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 102.
Cody Stamann (18-2-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.
Brian Kelleher (21-10 MMA, 5-3 UFC) makes his second UFC appearance in a 24-day stretch. He won at UFC on ESPN+ 29 on May 13.
Charles Byrd (10-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2018.
ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass prelims
Jussier Formiga
Jussier Formiga (23-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) competes in his 16th UFC flyweight bout, the second most appearances in divisional history behind Joseph Benavidez (17).
Formiga enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2019.
Formiga’s nine victories in UFC flyweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Benavidez (13) and Demetrious Johnson (13).
Formiga’s three submission victories in UFC flyweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Johnson (five).
Formiga defends 87.1 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC flyweight competition, the third best rate in divisional history behind Kai Kara-France (90.9 percent) and Ian McCall (90 percent).
Alex Perez’s (23-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is one of 17 fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory by anaconda choke. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 123.
Alonzo Menifield (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all of his career victories by stoppage. Eight of those wins are by knockout.
Devin Clark (11-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past seven fights. He was victorious his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in February.
Clark has earned all five of his UFC victories by decision. He’s suffered all of his losses by stoppage.
Evan Dunham
Evan Dunham (18-8-1 MMA, 11-8-1 UFC), 38, is the oldest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Dunham returns to competition after retiring from MMA following a loss at UFC Fight Night 137 in September 2018.
Dunham’s three-fight winless skid is tied for the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2016.
Dunham has landed 1,225 significant strikes in UFC lightweight competition, the most in divisional history. He also holds the record for most total strikes with 1,587.
Dunham is one of three lightweights in UFC history to land 100+ significant strikes in four separate fights. Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson also accomplished the feat.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
