At media day, Barcelos took questions from media members before his fight. Barcelos said the massive upset he pulled off in January – one of the biggest in UFC history against 12-1 favorite Payton Talbott at UFC 311 – gave him extra confidence to know he's heading in the right direction after a stretch of four losses in five fights.

Ahead of the event, UFC boss Dana White has highlighted one fight that he doesn’t want going under the radar, between returning bantamweight Kris Moutinho and Malcolm Wellmaker.

Francis Ngannou's surprise appearance at the UFC Atlanta weigh-in, supporting Kamaru Usman, has ignited speculation about his return to the promotion.

At media day, Brundage took questions from media members before his fight. Brundage is the second biggest underdog on the card. If he beats Abdul-Malik, who is as much as a 9-1 betting favorite,

For years, Francis Ngannou rallied against the UFC’s control over MMA and his excursions into the ring and then the PFL cage were viewed as major successes for fighters. But in recent weeks, his coach Eric Nicksick has teased a potential return to the octagon.