Alden CoriaW vs. Stewart Nicoll
UFC Fight Night · July 18, 2026 · Paycom Center · Prelims 5:00 PM ET
The brief
- The result
- Alden Coria by Decision (unanimous), R3
- What kind of fight
- One-way pressure
- Finish likelihood
- High
- The line
- Coria -1050 · Nicoll +675DraftKings
- The stakes
- Flyweight · Prelims
The result
Alden Coria def. Stewart Nicoll — Decision (unanimous), R3 5:00
About as one-sided as the lopsided odds and the pre-fight read suggested.
Coria won the striking exchanges from the opening bell, and every time Nicoll forced a clinch or grappling sequence, Coria scrambled free and countered on the break.
The only surprise was Nicoll's toughness — he lasted all fifteen minutes of a 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 beating that the prediction expected to end early.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
The read
On paper this is the widest gap on the card outside the debuts.
Coria's defense neutralizes Nicoll's brawling, and his volume compounds against a man who gets hit this much. Expect Coria to hurt him with accumulation — the body, like Costa showed, is the opening — and finish inside three rounds or cruise to a shutout.
Nicoll needs a perfect wild swing early.
The matchup
A shared opponent makes this brutal reading for Nicoll: Alessandro Costa knocked him out three months ago, and Coria knocked Costa out last September.
Every meaningful number splits the same way — Coria absorbs 2.4 strikes a minute behind 70% defense while Nicoll eats 5.84 behind 50%, and Nicoll's 29% takedown defense offers Coria a second lane he doesn't even need.
Nicoll's proven finishing instinct is the only equalizer, and desperation sometimes swings hard.
Tale of the tape
| 12-3 (1 NC) | Record | 8-3 |
| 28 | Age | 31 |
| 5'8" | Height | 5'5" |
| 67" | Reach | 65.5" |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
| United States | Country | Solomon Islands |
| 4oz Fight Club | Team | Team Compton Training Centre (Australia) |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Alden Coria 12-3 (1 NC)
“Cobra”
A Fury FC product who has looked ready-made in the UFC: a third-round knockout of Alessandro Costa at Noche UFC, then a hundred-strike decision over Luis Gurule in Houston. Lands volume while barely getting touched — 70% striking defense, only 2.4 absorbed per minute — with nine stoppages in twelve wins. Quietly one of the better-built flyweight prospects on the roster.
- WLuis Gurule · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Houston · February 21, 2026
- WAlessandro Costa · KO/TKO, R3 0:47Noche UFC: Lopes vs. Silva · September 13, 2025
- WGustavo Orpineda Ponce · KO/TKO, R2 3:21Fury FC 104 · May 25, 2025
Stewart Nicoll 8-3
“Kakamora”
The first Solomon Islander in the UFC, fighting out of Australia, who arrived 8-0 with seven finishes — and has gone 0-3 since, submitted by Jesus Aguilar, outpointed by Lucas Rocha, and folded by an Alessandro Costa liver shot in April. The regional aggression is real; the UFC-level defense hasn't shown up yet. Universally read as a must-win to keep his roster spot.
- LAlessandro Costa · KO/TKO (body shot), R2 4:56UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Duncan · April 4, 2026
- LLucas Rocha · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night · October 11, 2025
- LJesus Aguilar · Submission (guillotine choke), R1 2:39UFC 305 · August 17, 2024