UFC Sacramento Brings Must-See Undercard to Golden State!

UFC Sacramento fight week is here. Saturday night, the UFC's August schedule of events continues with a visit to the Golden State. For the first time since July 13, 2019, Golden 1 Center will play host to a UFC Fight Night.

Live coverage of UFC Sacramento begins with the prelims at 5 pm ET/ 2 pm PT. Inside the United States of America, UFC Sacramento can be seen in its entirety via Paramount Plus.

Main card action caps the evening's activities at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT. If there are no adjustments needed to be made to the itinerary between now and the weekend, the final version of this week's edition of UFC Fight Night will feature a slate of 13 fights from MMA's No. 1 promotion.

UFC Sacramento Featured Prelim: Jamall Emmers vs. LerryAn Douglas: "Pretty Boy" Seeks Third Straight Win in All-California Affair

At the top of the undercard, featherweight action takes place between Jamall Emmers (22-8 MMA, 5-4 UFC) battles LerryAn Douglas (14-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC.) All fights mentioned herein are an advertised three rounds at five minutes per round.

Emmers comes into UFC Sacramento on Saturday night with a record of 3-2 in his last five fights. Currently, he's on a two-fight winning streak. Last time out, he bested Hyder Amil (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) by way of unanimous decision on Nov. 8 at Meta Apex. 

Jamall Emmers is based out of Redlands, CA, 446 miles away from Sacramento. How will he fare here?

LerryAn Douglas Aiming to Continue Winning Form in Sophomore UFC Appearance

Across the way, LerryAn Douglas steps into UFC Sacramento this weekend sporting a mark of 5-0 in his last five fights. On March 28, he made a successful first walk to the fabled Octagon in UFC Seattle defeating Julian Erosa (31-13 MMA, 9-9 UFC) during the main card.

Much like Jamall Emmers, LerryAn Douglas is based out of California, specifically Huntington Beach, a 423-mile trip from Sacramento. State bragging rights are on the line in this featured prelim. 

Who emerges victorious? Tune in and find out.

UFC Sacramento Co-Featured Prelim: Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Shamil Gaziev: Nzechukwu Makes First Walk of Year After March Postponement

Immediately beforehand, the co-featured prelim of UFC Sacramento this Saturday features heavyweight action matching Kennedy Nzechukwu (14-6-1 MMA, 8-6-1 UFC) against Shamil Gaziev (14-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC.) Nzechukwu has gone 2-2-1 in his last five outings.

Back on Dec. 13, in the last UFC Fight Night to stream via ESPN+, he fought to a unanimous draw versus Marcus Buchecha (5-2-1 MMA, 0-2-1 UFC) after 15 minutes of action. Nzechukwu was then slated to return to competition on March 14 against Vitor Petrino, but the fight was postponed ahead of the show.

No specific reason for the postponement was given by the company. It's been over eight months since he last fought, so what kind of ring rust will Kennedy Nzechukwu need to shake off?

Shamil Gaziev Looking to Return to Win Column

Meanwhile, Shamil Gaziev will be coming into this fight on a 2-3 record in his last five bouts. He's been a streaky fighter of late, dropping two fights in a row after winning two straight contests. 

On May 2, he fought in UFC Perth against Brando Pericic (7-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC,) losing by way of second-round knockout due to a right hook. Gaziev is entering a critical 15 minutes or less of action during UFC Sacramento on Saturday night.

A loss in the co-featured prelim would make three defeats in a row. Whether or not Shamil Gaziev stops this skid remains to be seen.

UFC Sacramento: Chris Padilla vs. Nasrat Haqparast: Padilla Searching for Definitive Result

Also on UFC Sacramento's undercard, the lightweights do battle for a contest between Chris Padilla (17-6-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC) and Nasrat Haqparast (18-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC.) Padilla makes the walk sporting a 4-0-1 record since joining the UFC's active roster in April of 2024.

This past April, he battled to a majority draw versus MarQuel Medeiros (11-1-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) in Miami. Although Chris Padilla remained undefeated in the promotion, he was forced to settle for a stalemate with Medeiros that second Saturday of April. 

To a man, Chris Padilla will settle for nothing less than a win on Saturday evening.

Nasrat Haqparast Eager to Start New Winning Streak in UFC Sacramento

In the other corner, Nasrat Haqparast sports a 4-1 mark in his last five outings. He'll be looking to make a return to victory lane on Saturday night in UFC Sacramento.

On Oct. 25, he trekked to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates for UFC 321, losing by way of first-round knockout to Quillan Sallkild (13-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC.) Sallkild has since extended his winning streak to 13 fights, having won on Aug. 8 during UFC Vegas 120 at Meta Apex against Mateusz Gamrot by way of submission due to rear-naked choke.

While a fighter who's on a hot streak is dangerous, they can be equally brutal when they're coming off of a loss. Expect Nasrat Haqparast to fight with frustration on Saturday.

Rest of the Prelims

UFC Sacramento's undercard is rounded out by the following fights:

• a featherweight contest between Marcio Barbosa (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Ryan Kuse (9-2 MMA, UFC promotional debut,)
• a lightweight bout matching Gauge Young (11-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) against Stan Dorsainvil (5-0 MMA, UFC promotional debut,)
• a middleweight affair versing Wes Schultz (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) with Jackson McVey (7-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC,)
• and a strawweight contest pairing Shanelle Dyer (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Elise Reed (8-5 MMA, 4-5 UFC.)