Top 5: UFC Vegas 116 ‘Fight of the Night’ candidates

Adrian Luna Martinetti vs. Davey Grant

Matchmakers wasted no time in putting Martinetti to the test. A former Ultimate Warrior Challenge champion in Mexico, the 30-year-old Ecuadorian puts his 15-fight winning streak on the line when he toes the line against Grant in a three-round bantamweight attraction. Martinetti locked down his spot in the UFC on Oct. 7, when he outlasted Mark Vologdin to a unanimous decision in a 15-minute firefight on Dana White’s Contender Series. He connected with 165 significant strikes in the contract-clinching victory. Grant, meanwhile, was woven into the UFC fabric as a finalist on Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series in 2013. The Syndicate MMA-trained Englishman last strapped on the gloves at UFC Fight Night 262, where he surrendered to a guillotine choke in the first round of his Oct. 8 pairing with Charles Jourdain. Grant, 40, has pieced together an 8-7 record with the company, his stay highlighted by wins over Marlon Vera, Jonathan Martinez and Raphael Assuncao.

Jafel Filho vs. Cody Durden

Filho at times looks like a potential star, but random bouts of inconsistency have slowed his rise through the ranks. The Nova Uniao representative tries to stay on track when he faces Cody Durden—a late-notice replacement for Lucas Rocha—in a makeshift bantamweight prelim between traditional flyweights. Filho, 32, sports a 3-2 record in the UFC, his victories over Clayton Carpenter, Ode Osborne and Daniel Barez offset by losses to Muhammad Mokaev and Alan Nascimento. The onetime Shooto Brazil champion boasts 16 finishes, 11 of them by submission, among his 17 pro wins. Filho punched his ticket to the UFC via DWCS in September 2022. On the other side of the ledger, the always-entertaining Durden finds himself in a tailspin. The American Top Team-trained Covington, Georgia, native returns to the stage on a four-fight losing streak. Durden last suited up at UFC 326, where wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Nyamjargal Tumendemberel in March.

Francis Marshall vs. Lucas Brennan

Marshall wants to build some momentum. The Contender Series graduate sets out in search of a second straight win when he tackles Brennan in a compelling three-round lightweight prelim between two sought-after prospects who have not yet lived up to the hype that once accompanied them. Marshall started his career 7-0 but has lost three of his five fights since. The 27-year-old Kurt Pellegrino protégé last competed on Feb. 28, when he swept aside Erik Silva with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 268 dust-up. It was Marshall’s first submission victory in more than four years. Brennan, meanwhile, waltzes into his Octagon debut after back-to-back wins on the regional scene in Texas. The Syndicate MMA-honed Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has eight first-round finishes to his credit. Brennan last answered the call to arms under the Xtreme Knockout banner on Oct. 10, when he dispatched Joshua Weems with a rear-naked choke in a little less than five minutes.