UFC Fight Night: Ernesta Kareckaite vs Melissa Gatto Preview & Prediction

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Flyweights kick off the early prelims, as Ernesta Kareckaite throws down against Melissa Gatto in the first fight of the night.

Ernesta Kareckaite vs Melissa Gatto facts

What time are Ernesta Kareckaite and Melissa Gatto expected to walk out? 10 October 2026 at 10:10 pm

Where is UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan? Meta Apex, Enterprise, USA

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 290

What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount

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

UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan main card

Brendan Allen vs Christian Leroy Duncan (Middleweight)

Matheus Camilo vs Jai Herbert (Lightweight)

Loopy Godinez vs Ketlen Souza (Women's Strawweight)

Andre Fili vs Kai Kamaka III (Featherweight)

Malcolm Wellmaker vs Otari Tanzilovi (Bantamweight)

UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan prelims

Julius Walker vs Gerald Meerschaert (Light Heavyweight)

Francisco Prado vs Ismael Bonfim (Lightweight)

Niko Price vs Leon Shahbazyan (Welterweight)

Felipe Franco vs Brendson Ribeiro (Light Heavyweight)

Allen Frye Jr. vs RJ Harris (Heavyweight)

Alice Pereira vs Darya Zheleznyakova (Women's Bantamweight)

Ernesta Kareckaite vs Melissa Gatto (Women's Flyweight)

Ernesta Kareckaite: Can "Heavy Handed" get back in the win column?

Earning a UFC contract with a victory over Carli Judice on the Contender Series, Ernesta Kareckaite (6-2-1) has yet to find her footing in the promotion despite some flashes of solid potential. The Lithuanian has sandwiched her sole UFC victory over Nicolle Caliari between losses to Dione Barbosa and Regina Tarin, having joined the promotion as an undefeated prospect. A rangy striker with solid size for the division, Kareckaite is primarily a points based striker despite her nickname of “Heavy Handed,” compensating for her lack of pop with impressive output on the feet.

Melissa Gatto: The Brazilian looks to right the wrongs of her last fight

Melissa Gatto (9-3-2) had a return to forget against Dione Barbosa in her first fight following a two year lay off. The Brazilian was caught with a flagrantly illegal kick while she was grounded, only for the fight to resume; Gatto eventually ended up losing by decision to push her record to 3-3 in the promotion. On her day, the Brazilian is a dangerous finisher; she’s earned all three of her UFC wins by way of brutal TKO, a surprising state of affairs given that her original base is actually grappling.

Ernesta Kareckaite vs Melissa Gatto prediction

This is actually a pretty solid flyweight scrap.

Gatto looked fairly decent against Dione Barbosa last time out, considering that she was coming off a near two year lay off. She also should have won that fight via DQ, or at least had it considered a NC; Barbosa straight up punted her in the head while she was grounded. She has some serious pop for a women’s flyweight and could conceivably catch Kareckaite.

However, I’m leaning towards the Lithuanian as a slight underdog here. “Heavy Handed” throws and lands at almost double the volume that Gatto does, and has a significant edge in terms of height and reach. She also has a win over Carli Judice; a result that continues to age better with every subsequent “Crispy” performance, and arguably did better in her loss to Barbosa than Gatto did, blatantly illegal fouls not withstanding.

Kareckaite may have come up short against a debutant in her last appearance, but she was competitive and put up good numbers against a solid prospect in Regina Tarin. Her range and output make me think that she has what it takes to potshot the Brazilian at range en route to a decision victory.

Prediction: Ernesta Kareckaite to win by decision