Prelim Preview: Nakamura, Simon and Jackson Headline a Loaded Undercard

Before Raul Rosas Jr. and Raoni Barcelos settle their No. 12 vs. No. 13 bantamweight clash at Meta APEX on September 26, there's a seven-fight prelim slate worth carving out an afternoon for. The card opens at 5pm ET on Paramount+, and the featured bout pits Spokane's Brady Hiestand (9-2) against Road To UFC Season 1 tournament winner Rinya Nakamura (10-1), a Tokyo product who's only tasted defeat once as a professional.

Hiestand arrives with real momentum, coming off a third-round rear-naked choke of Garrett Armfield. That win fits his profile: seven of his nine victories come by stoppage, split evenly between four knockouts and three submissions. Nakamura, meanwhile, has been sold as one of the division's brightest imports since the day he signed, and a win here keeps that narrative intact.

Two Bantamweight Grudge Spots

The prelims lean heavily on 135ers who like to finish. Montel Jackson (15-4) and Ricky Simon (22-7-1) is the pick of the litter — two fighters with genuine pop who rarely leave a fight in the judges' hands. Simon's win total is the eye-catcher; twenty-two career victories and a Vancouver, Washington base built on relentless pace.

There's a second bantamweight scrap with stakes attached lower down. John Castaneda (21-8-1) faces Beijing's Alatengheili (17-10-2), with Castaneda chasing what would be the 15th finish of his career. Alatengheili needs the bounce-back badly after dropping a unanimous decision to Da'Mon Blackshear last time out.

Grappling Pedigree Meets Power

Five-time IBJJF World Champion Rodolfo Vieira (11-5) is a name any grappling fan knows, and he draws a stylistic nightmare in Polish knockout artist Robert Bryczek (18-7). It's the classic chess match: Vieira wants the mat, Bryczek wants to keep it standing and swing. Whoever imposes their game early usually walks away with it.

At light heavyweight, Rodolfo Bellato (13-3-1, 1 NC) is chasing his second win of 2026 against Albuquerque's Christian Edwards (8-5). Edwards is coming off a razor-thin split-decision loss to Modestas Bukauskas, and five of his eight wins have come by knockout — he's dangerous but has struggled to string results together.

Skids and Statements

Few fighters on the card carry more pressure than Elves Brener (16-6). The São Paulo submission specialist — 11 of his 16 wins come via tap — is trying to snap a three-fight skid, his most recent setback a unanimous-decision loss to Esteban Ribovics. Standing across from him is Josiah Harrell (11-1), whose lone-loss record makes this a genuine crossroads fight for both men.

The night gets rolling at strawweight, where Vanessa Demopoulos (11-8) meets Tijuana's Yazmin Jauregui (11-2). Jauregui is the sharper prospect on paper, and a clean win keeps her trending toward the 115-pound conversation.

For the winners, the reward here is momentum more than a ranking bump — this is a prelim card stacked with fighters trying to either build a run or stop a bad one. Nakamura and Hiestand have the most upside; a statement from either reshapes how the UFC handles their bantamweight future.

The losers, particularly Brener and Alatengheili, are staring at uncomfortable math. Another defeat for either could put roster security in question. That's the quiet tension running through the whole undercard.

Everything streams live on Paramount+ in the United States, with prelims at 5pm ET / 2pm PT ahead of the 8pm ET main card. Get in early — on a card this deep, the best scrap might come before the headliners even walk out.