Featherweight contenders lead a UFC Fight Night lineup at the Meta Apex on Saturday with the winner moving closer to the top five in the division.
No. 7-ranked Arnold Allen will look to snap the impressive six-fight winning streak of No. 9-ranked Melquizael Costa when they meet in a scheduled five-round, 145-pound contest.
England’s Allen, 32, has lost three of his past four appearances dating back to 2022 but each of those losses were decisions to three of the best fighters in the weight class.
Allen lost a five-round decision to former champion Max Holloway in 2023, a close three-rounder to current No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev in early 2024 and most recently he lost a competitive three-round decision to Jean Silva at UFC 324 in January.
Brazil’s Costa, 29, went 4-0 in 2025 and became the first fighter to earn a stoppage win over perennially ranked contender Dan Ige in February. Costa is 7-2 in the UFC but hasn’t lost in the UFC’s featherweight division. Both his UFC losses were during lightweight competition.
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Saturday’s featured matchup will be Allen’s third career Fight Night main event and it marks Costa’s first time in a UFC main event.
Both fighters successfully made weight Friday on their first attempt, each weighing 145.5 pounds. Allen has never missed weight during his UFC career, while Costa is now a perfect 10 for 10 making weight in the UFC.
The co-main event will see South Korea’s Dooho Choi face Brazil’s Daniel Santos in another featherweight bout.
Touted bantamweight knockout artist Malcolm Wellmaker is taking on UFC newcomer Juan Diaz who’s coming off a spinning elbow knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series last year.
A pivotal women’s bantamweight matchup between No. 5-ranked Ketlen Vieira and No. 11 Jacqueline Cavalcanti is featured on the preliminary card.
UFC on Sportsnet
Featherweights Arnold Allen and Melquizael Costa headline a UFC Fight Night card at the Meta Apex. Watch the action on Saturday, May 16 on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet+ with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.
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Projected bout order for UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Costa below (subject to change) plus full predictions:
MAIN CARD
-- Arnold Allen vs. Melquizael Costa
-- Dooho Choi vs. Daniel Santos
-- Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Juan Diaz
-- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Christian Edwards
-- Timothy Cuamba vs. Bernardo Sopaj
-- Nikolay Veretennikov vs. Khaos Williams
PRELIMINARY CARD
-- Tuco Tokkos vs. Ivan Erslan
-- Thomas Gantt vs. Artur Minev
-- Ketlen Vieira vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti
-- Cody Brundage vs. Andre Petroski
-- Alice Ardelean vs. Polyana Viana
-- Daniel Barez vs. Luis Gurule
-- Shauna Bannon vs. Nicolle Caliari
Ahead of each UFC event in 2026, UFC reporter Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter), producer Dan Fernandes (@DanFernandes__) and writer/editor Mike Johnston (@MikeyJ_MMA) will peruse the odds and make four betting predictions using fantasy dollars: one best bet, one favourite, one underdog and one dart throw wager. REMINDER: Sportsnet is committed to promoting and educating audiences about the importance of betting responsibly. Sources for responsible gambling can be found HERE.
AARON'S PICKS
Cage Lock: Cavalcanti vs. Vieira Over 2.5 Rounds -400
Favourite: Malcolm Wellmaker -250
Underdog: Daniel Barez +135
Dart Throw: Dooho Choi wins by decision +550
DAN'S PICKS
Cage Lock: Modestas Bukauskas -280
Favourite: Alice Ardelean -200
Underdog: Tuco Tokkos +145
Dart Throw: Allen vs. Costa ends in submission +450
I don’t love my picks this week, but with all the fights being relatively close on the moneyline it’s the best I could do. I expected Bukauskas to get back in the win column as he prepared for his bout with Rodolfo Bellato. But whether it’s Bellato or Bellator veteran Christian Edwards, I think the outcome remains the same here. It won’t be easy against a battletested opponent on short notice, but the same can be said for Edwards. Advantage Bukauskas here. … Polyana Viana’s has been defeated inside the distance in all of her last 3 fights. Romania’s Ardelean has won two in a and the statistical trends here point to another victory, possibly on scorecards, but an outright win is the safer play here. … Tuco Tokkos is a student of the game and will push Ivan Erslan to his limits. Erslan is winless in the UFC (0-3) and the added pressure of a must-win scenario could lead to some mistakes, especially if Tokkos plays it safe early on. I see an upset playing out here with multiple paths to a positive payout.
Allen vs. Costa will be a fascinating contest with no clear favourite in my opinion. While both fighters pack a punch, I have a hunch this one to go to the mat often. As fatigue begins to set in over five rounds it’s possible to envision a scenario where one of them snatches a limb or takes the other’s back en route to a submission victory.
MIKE'S PICKS
Cage Lock: Nicolle Caliari -275
Favourite: Arnold Allen -125
Underdog: Ketlen Vieira +140
Dart Throw: Khaos Williams by split/majority decision +900
Costa’s streak has been impressive and super fun to watch but Allen, in my opinion, is a class above the other featherweights Costa has faced to date. It’d be a more interesting outcome for the division if Costa wins since a fresh new contender would emerge, but Allen is a more proven and durable opponent who won’t fade as the fight progresses. … The only other ranked fighters on the card are women’s 135-pounders Ketlen Vieira and Jacqueline Cavalcanti and Vieira is the underdog despite having an experience and strength of schedule advantage as the highest-ranked fighter on the entire card (No. 5 at women’s bantamweight). Vieira, who has gone the distance in nine straight, should have an advantage on the ground if she can get it there. … Nicolle Caliari is 0-2 in the UFC but has been an undersized flyweight who has had two tough matchups. She now drops to strawweight to face an inconsistent Shauna Bannon. I see Caliari being able to control where the fight takes place and ground dominance should be her main path to victory. … Khaos Williams and Nikolay Veretennikov will both be live for a KO/TKO but I can also see this one settling into a 15-minute grind where one fighter starts strong and the other mounts a comeback. I give Williams the slight edge overall.
CAGE LOCKS PARLAY
Three legs: Cavalcanti vs. Vieira over 2.5 rounds + Bukauskas + Caliari
Parlay odds: +131 (to win: $131.33)
2026 STANDINGS AFTER 15 EVENTS
CAGE LOCKS PARLAY
2026 record: 6-9 (W1)
2026 winnings: -$387.81 (on $100 bets)
AARON'S RECORDS/TOTALS (29-31, +0.40 units)
Cage Lock: 9-6 (-$429.93)
Favourite: 10-5 (+$75.53)
Underdog: 7-8 (+$195)
Dart throw: 3-12 (+$200)
DAN'S RECORDS/TOTALS (31-29, +1.66 units)
Cage Lock: 14-1 (+$115.13)
Favourite: 10-5 (+$6.76)
Underdog: 5-10 (-$295)
Dart throw: 2-13 (+$250)
MIKE'S RECORDS/TOTALS (26-33-1, -12.54 units)
Cage Lock: 12-3 (+$12.64)
Favourite: 10-6 (+$12.74)
Underdog: 5-9-1 (+$220)
Dart throw: 0-15 (-$1,500)
Cage Lock: The pick deemed to be the wager most likely to win regardless of what the odds look like. The Cage Locks parlay will combine Aaron’s, Dan’s and Mike’s respective best bet for each event.
Favourite: A fighter with winning odds shorter than -300 but not longer than -110. On chalkier cards with a dearth of available moneyline favourites that meet those criteria, prop bets are allowed to be selected.
Underdog: Any fighter with longer odds than their opponent’s.
Dart Throw: Any prop bet or moneyline wager with odds of +400 or longer.
(Betting odds above are via BetMGM, submitted at various times throughout week, and subject to change prior to the fights)
