Event: UFC Fight Night 272 — Moicano vs. Duncan
Date: Saturday, April 4, 2026
Venue: Meta APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada
Broadcast: Paramount+ | Prelims 5 PM ET / Main Card 8 PM ET

Las Vegas is the backdrop. The Meta APEX is the stage. And on Saturday, April 4, 2026, thirteen fights go down in one of the most prospect-heavy and finish-oriented cards the UFC has put together this spring. Right in the middle of the prelims, Born For This™ collab fighter Alessandro Costa steps into the Octagon — and we'll get to him. But first, here's the full card breakdown from top to bottom.

Main Event — Lightweight | Renato "Money" Moicano (20-7-1) vs. Chris "The Problem" Duncan (15-2)

This is the rare main event where two teammates who share the same gym floor at American Top Team in South Florida have to figure out how to finish each other. Moicano, ranked No. 10 at 155 pounds, is one of modern MMA's great reinvention stories — a former featherweight title challenger who rebuilt himself at lightweight into a calculating, multi-dimensional threat with BJJ that is live from virtually any position on the mat. His run of four straight finishes included a knockout of Jalin Turner at UFC 300 and a TKO of Benoît Saint Denis before an unexpected title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 ended by first-round submission. A subsequent decision loss to Arman Tsarukyan followed, and now Moicano needs a statement win to avoid a three-fight skid that would push him out of the rankings conversation entirely.

Duncan, the 32-year-old Scotsman, arrives on a four-fight UFC winning streak and in the best form of his career. He is a high-volume pressure fighter who walks opponents down and throws with conviction, racking up 11 finishes across 15 professional wins — with three of his last four coming by guillotine or anaconda choke. His front headlock series has become a signature weapon. The knock on Duncan is a defensive liability: he absorbs at a rate that would concern most coaches, and his two career losses have come when opponents with real power or elite grappling neutralized his aggression before he could impose his game.

The stylistic collision is sharp. Moicano's calculating counter-striking approach is precisely the profile that punishes a reckless forward-pressure style. If Moicano stays disciplined, picks shots behind a stiff jab, and gets the fight to the mat in later rounds, the experience edge wins out. If Duncan sets the pace early and keeps Moicano pinned against the fence before his timing is established, the upset is very much on the table. This is the most tactically interesting fight on the card.

Co-Main Event — Women's Strawweight | Virna "Carcara" Jandiroba (22-4) vs. Tabatha "Baby Shark" Ricci (12-3)

Two of the most technically sound grapplers in the strawweight division collide in the co-main, with serious title implications for whoever walks out with their hand raised. Jandiroba comes off the first title-fight loss of her career — a unanimous decision defeat to Mackenzie Dern at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi — snapping a five-fight winning streak that had made her one of the most feared wrestlers at 115 pounds. Her approach is rooted in positional dominance: secure top position, apply relentless pressure, limit movement, and advance until something opens up. She has landed at least one takedown in eleven of her twelve UFC appearances and owns three submission victories in the division.

Ricci is not the type to be easily controlled. Her grappling is more dynamic and reactive than Jandiroba's — she thrives in scrambles, turns defensive situations into offensive ones, and has steady enough striking development to use her stand-up to create entries. A win here puts Ricci in the title conversation for new champion Mackenzie Dern. For Jandiroba, a win restores her position as the division's premier grappler and sets up a rematch down the line. The fighter who dictates the takedown exchanges and controls top position wins this fight.

Main Card — Light Heavyweight | Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (8-0) vs. Brendson Ribeiro

Yakhyaev made one of the most explosive UFC debuts in recent light heavyweight history, submitting his opponent in just 33 seconds at UFC Fight Night 265 — the fastest submission in modern UFC light heavyweight history. Undefeated and dangerous, he now faces Ribeiro, who enters on a tough stretch. Yakhyaev is the heavy favorite and the fight the promotion is clearly building. Watch for the submission.

Main Card — Bantamweight | Rafael Estevam vs. Ethyn Ewing

Estevam is on a three-fight winning streak and represents one of the more exciting finishers on the card. Ewing earned his first UFC victory by decision and now faces a step up in competition. Estevam's finishing ability gives him the edge, but Ewing has shown he can grind through adversity.

Main Card — Featherweight | Tommy McMillen vs. Manolo Zecchini

McMillen, the 28-year-old Contender Series recruit from Montana, makes his UFC debut here. Zecchini is returning from a two-plus year layoff following a knockout loss in his UFC debut in Paris in September 2023. McMillen is the unbeaten prospect with momentum, but Zecchini has spent time at Jackson-Wink sharpening his tools. Debut pressure is real. Worth watching.

Prelims — Heavyweight | Guilherme Pat vs. Thomas Petersen

The lone heavyweight bout on the card. Pat brings knockout power that makes any heavyweight fight must-see. Petersen is the American trying to establish himself in the division's depth. Heavy hands, short fuses, and a finish likely before the final bell.

⭐ Featured Prelim — Flyweight | Alessandro Costa (14-5) vs. Stewart "Kakamora" Nicoll (8-2)

This is the one we've been waiting for.

Alessandro Costa is a Born For This™ collaboration fighter, and this fight carries weight far beyond the scorecards. Born in Manaus, Brazil, raised in struggle, and forged across years of grinding in Mexico — working as a gardener and garbageman while keeping his fighting career alive — Costa built everything he has from nothing. He trained with Francisco Grasso at Lobo Gym, co-founded Brazilian Warriors, became the LUX Fight League flyweight champion in Mexico, won on Dana White's Contender Series, and forced his way into the UFC. A Performance of the Night bonus at UFC 301 — where he finished Kevin Borjas with punches from back mount in round two — stands as one of the clearest proof-of-concept moments of his UFC career. He enters this bout looking to bounce back from a TKO loss to Alden Coria at Noche UFC in September 2025.

Across the cage stands Stewart "Kakamora" Nicoll of Australia, a physically imposing flyweight with a grappling-heavy approach and a chip on his shoulder after back-to-back losses in the UFC. Nicoll was submitted by Jesus Aguilar via guillotine at UFC 305 and dropped a decision to Lucas Rocha in October 2025. He carries an 8-2 record but finds himself needing a statement win as badly as Costa does. Nicoll's forward pressure and clinch-seeking game plan will be clear from the opening bell.

Keys To Victory For Costa

The blueprint is straightforward but demands execution. Costa's striking arsenal — built on a powerful lunging right hook and a sharp counter right hand that has ended careers — must be established early. His speed, explosiveness, and endurance are among the best in the flyweight division, and those attributes only amplify when he controls the pace and forces opponents to react to him rather than the other way around.

Against a pressure-forward opponent like Nicoll, Costa must use movement and footwork to stay out of the clinch, deny takedown entries, and create the open space where his striking is most dangerous. His BJJ credentials are among the strongest at 125 pounds — six submission wins on his professional record — so if Nicoll does get the fight to the ground, he is walking into Costa's wheelhouse. The worst version of this fight for Costa is a slow, grinding grappling war that hands rounds to the judges on activity. The best version is Costa dictating pace, staying active behind the right hand, and finishing when the opportunity presents itself. He has shown he can do both. Expect him to choose the finish.

The Born For This™ x Alessandro Costa Limited-Edition Drop

This fight week, Born For This™ launched a limited-edition collaboration with Alessandro Costa ahead of this bout. Every piece in the collection reflects the weight of his journey — from sweeping streets in Mexico to the UFC Octagon, the story doesn't get more Born For This™ than Alessandro Costa's. The drop is live now at bornforthis.shop. Once fight night passes, these pieces are gone for good.

Prelims — Lightweight | Lando "Groovy" Vannata (12-7-2) vs. Darrius Flowers (12-8-1)

One of the most entertaining fighters in UFC history returns to action for the first time since April 2023 — the longest layoff of Vannata's fourteen-year career. His unpredictable, flow-state striking and spinning attack arsenal set against the raw explosive power and heavy hands of Darrius Flowers has all the ingredients for a Fight of the Night candidate. Neither man takes a backward step. Expect fireworks from the opening bell.

Prelims — Women's Bantamweight | Alice Pereira vs. Hailey Cowan

A bantamweight bout between two fighters looking to establish momentum. Pereira brings Brazilian toughness and grappling awareness, while Cowan brings energy and aggression. A good fight for both women to build their UFC resume.

Prelims — Middleweight | Azamat Bekoev vs. Tresean Gore

Gore brings one of the most elite takedown completion rates in UFC middleweight history — completing nearly 89% of his takedown attempts. If this fight goes to the ground, Gore's wrestling-based game plan could be a serious problem for Bekoev. A grappling-forward bout at 185 pounds.

Prelims — Women's Flyweight | Dione Barbosa vs. Melissa Gatto

An intriguing women's flyweight matchup rounding out the prelim card. Both fighters are capable of finishing, and the flyweight division always rewards the woman willing to press the action.

The Bottom Line

This is a loaded card top to bottom, and Saturday night at the Meta APEX promises to deliver. The main event between Moicano and Duncan is a legitimate tactical chess match wrapped in a finishing threat from both sides. But for our money, the fight to watch — the one with the most story behind it — is Alessandro Costa stepping back into that Octagon and reminding the flyweight division what he is capable of.

Born For This™ will be watching. And the collection is live right now at BFT.LIVE/COSTA. For Those Who Know.

For Those Who Know. — Born For This™ / bornforthis.shop