UFC Fight Night: Billy Elekana vs Lucas Fernando Preview & Prediction

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Light heavyweights collide on main card as two-division LFA king Lucas Fernando looks to build on a great debut against the surging Billy Elekana.

Billy Elekana vs Lucas Fernando facts

What time are Billy Elekana and Lucas Fernando expected to walk out? 8 November 2026 at 1:45 am

Where is UFC Fight Night: Cortes-Acosta vs Walker? Meta Apex, Enterprise, USA

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Cortes-Acosta vs Walker? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 293

What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Cortes-Acosta vs Walker on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Cortes-Acosta vs Walker? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass

UFC Fight Night: Cortes-Acosta vs Walker main card

Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs Johnny Walker (Heavyweight)

Tatiana Suarez vs Virna Jandiroba (Women’s Strawweight)

Davey Grant vs Elijah Smith (Bantamweight)

Billy Elekana vs Lucas Fernando (Light Heavyweight)

Priscila Cachoeira vs Nina Nikolija Milosevic (Women’s Bantamweight)

Mitch Raposo vs Marcos Degli (Flyweight)

UFC Fight Night: Cortes-Acosta vs Walker prelims

Keiichiro Nakamura vs Ollie Schmid (Featherweight)

Gabriel Lorenco vs Thomas Petersen (Heavyweight)

Karine Silva vs Gabriella Fernandes (Women’s Flyweight)

Jose Mauro Delano vs Murtazali Magomedov (Featherweight)

Austin Bashi vs Carlos Calderon (Featherweight)

Mantas Kondratavicius vs Andre Petroski (Middleweight)

Ko Seok-hyeon vs Wellington Turman (Welterweight)

Jonny Parsons vs Jose Henrique Souza (Welterweight)

Billy Elekana: Well-rounded light heavyweight evolving into a submission threat

Billy Elekana (10-2) has had a respectable UFC run so far. He stepped in on a week’s notice against Bogdan Guskov on debut and was submitted in the second round, but there’s no shame in losing to a fighter of that level. He’s bounced back with three straight wins – a decision over Ibo Aslan , then rear-naked chokes against Kevin Christian and Junior Tafa. Elekana is a jack of all trades who can win on the feet, on the mat or on the cards. He’s light on his feet, strikes mostly with straight punches, and can throw a head kick too. Lately his offensive grappling has clearly come on, and he has never been knocked out.

Lucas Fernando: Two-division LFA champ hitting his stride at 205

Lucas Fernando (14-3) arrived in the UFC as the reigning LFA light heavyweight champion, having won both his title fights at the weight inside the first round. His debut in August didn’t disappoint. He dominated Rafael Tobias with a body-kick assault before finishing him with a knee to the body and elbows in the third round. Fernando stands 6'3" with an 81.5 inch reach and uses that frame well. He pokes the jab out to measure range, then crashes in with heavy straights and hooks to the body, backed by strong low kicks and dangerous step-in knees. His head can be open in exchanges, but nobody has ever finished him.

Billy Elekana vs Lucas Fernando prediction

Elekana came into the UFC as a striker, but Fernando holds a huge edge on the feet. He’s the more skilled and creative striker, the deadlier one too, and he has four and a half inches of reach to work with. At range he’ll fire long punches and look for the straight right down the pipe. He’s also relentless to the body, with straights downstairs, body kicks and hooks to the ribs, and Elekana’s striking defence isn’t strong enough to take that for fifteen minutes.

Elekana’s path is obvious. He needs to close the distance, initiate clinches and drag this to the mat, where his evolving ground game can neutralise Fernando’s striking. Both of his last two wins came by rear-naked choke, and he had Guskov’s back with a body triangle in the first round of his debut, so the threat is real if he gets there.

The problem is getting there. Fernando’s long knee is waiting for anyone who crashes in carelessly, and that’s exactly what Elekana will have to do. Elekana has never been knocked out, but the combination of reach, body work and finishing instinct suggests that changes on Saturday.

Prediction: Lucas Fernando to win by KO/TKO