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Thrilling championship fights to headline UFC 247 in Houston

A pair of thrilling world championship fights to headline UFC 247 which is set to take place at the Toyota Center in Hosuton on February 8.

Bengaluru, December 12: UFC returns to Toyota Center in Houston with two blockbuster world championship fights on February 8.

In the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion and No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Jon Jones looks to continue his dominance when he meets undefeated No. 4 ranked contender Dominick Reyes.

The most dominant light heavyweight champion in UFC history, Jones (25-1 1NC, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) aims to tie the UFC record for total title defenses at 11.

Throughout his storied career, Jones has earned impressive victories over world champions Daniel Cormier, Rashad Evans, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson and Shogun Rua. He now looks to put on another show-stealing performance to further etch his name in the history books.

A dangerous finisher sporting a perfect record, Reyes (12-0, fighting out of Victoriaville, Calif.) looks to become the first fighter to stop Jones. Since joining the UFC roster in 2017, he has delivered memorable wins against Chris Weidman, Volkan Oezdemir, Ovince Saint Preux and Jared Cannonier.

He now hopes to become the 14th undefeated fighter to earn a UFC world championship by dethroning one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts.

In the co-main event, UFC women's strawweight champion and No. 11 pound-for-pound Valentina Shevchenko aims for her third successful title defense when she faces battle-tested No. 1 contender Katlyn Chookagian.

Undefeated since moving to the UFC flyweight division in 2018, Shevchenko (18-3, fighting out of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) has proven to be a force at 125 pounds.

After capturing the vacant championship last year against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, the former kickboxer has delivered successful title defenses over Jessica Eye and Liz Carmouche. Shevchenko aims to keep her spot at the top with another spectacular performance.

A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt under Renzo Gracie, Chookagian (13-2, fighting out of Kenilworth, N.J.) has proven herself to be one of the toughest fighters on the UFC flyweight roster.

Throughout her career, she has secured impressive wins against Jennifer Maia, Joanne Calderwood and Alexis Davis. Chookagian looks to stop Shevchenko and achieve her dream of winning a UFC championship.


Additional bouts on the card include:

• No. 5 ranked contender Derrick Lewis (22-7 1NC, fighting out of Houston, Texas) goes for another highlight-reel KO when he welcomes Ilir Latifi (15-7 1NC, fighting out of Malmo, Sweden) to the heavyweight division

• In a pivotal flyweight contenders' bout, No. 6 ranked Lauren Murphy (11-4, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.) takes on No. 8 Andrea Lee (11-3, fighting out of Shreveport, La.)

• Heavyweight prospects collide when Juan Adams (5-2, fighting out of Houston, Texas) faces Justin Tafa (3-1, fighting out of Brisbane, Australia)

• Mirsad Bektic (13-2, fighting out of Montreal, Canada by way of Srebrenica, Bosnia) squares off with Dan Ige (12-2, fighting out of Haleiwa, Hawaii) in an exciting featherweight bout


UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes will take place Saturday, February 8 at Toyota Center and will stream live nationally on Pay-Per-View, exclusively through ESPN+ in the U.S. at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT in both English and Spanish. In India, Sony Pictures Network will telecast the event.

ESPN+ is the exclusive provider of all UFC Pay-Per-View events to fans in the U.S. as part of an agreement announced in March and continuing through 2025.

Preliminary fights will air nationally in English on ESPN and on ESPN Deportes (in Spanish) starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with the early prelims simulcast on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+ at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT.

Source: Press Release

Story first published: Thursday, December 12, 2019, 8:56 [IST]
Other articles published on Dec 12, 2019