Preview: UFC 318 Prelims

Middleweights

Ateba Abega Gautier (7-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Robert Valentin (10-5, 0-2 UFC)

BETTING ODDS: Gautier (-470), Valentin (+360)

A native of Cameroon who trains out of England, Gautier looked like an interesting long-term prospect in his Contender Series win in 2024. The fight was a bit of a mess, as Gautier spent a lot of time getting outwrestled, but he was clearly a top-tier athlete with some crushing natural power that he used to great effect whenever he got in the right positions to do so. Then came his UFC debut, a March win over Jose Medina where Gautier looked absolutely excellent. He picked his spots to hit Medina hard and cracked the Bolivian’s historically durable chin in just three and a half minutes. It was a tremendous bit of growth for Gautier—he’s still just 23 years old—in a matter of months. However, it also comes with the caveat that Medina is one of the least skilled fighters on the UFC roster, offering little but the ability to absorb whatever comes his way.



While Valentin isn’t shaping up to be a UFC-level fighter, the Switzerland native does represent a clear step up in competition despite all his flaws. Valentin was the standout of the 2024 season of “The Ultimate Fighter” as both a personality and a violent finisher, adding to the reputation for explosive wars that he built on the European regional scene. However, both of Valentin’s UFC bouts have seen him get stifled due to his lack of defense. Ryan Loder at least provided some opportunity for back-and-forth scrambles until he pounded out a finish, but Valentin was one-half of one of the worst fights of 2025 against Torrez Finney, who adopted a control-heavy wrestling approach that “Robzilla” could do little to stop. Valentin should at least get his type of fight here and could be the right type of wildman to give Gautier some trouble. Yet Gautier’s natural talent still looks like it can be counted on, particularly if he’s rapidly improving from fight to fight. The pick is Gautier via second-round stoppage.

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