Top 10 light heavyweight contenders clash headlines UFC Vegas 59

Las Vegas, July 29: UFC returns to UFC APEX with a thrilling light heavyweight contenders' bout that will see No. 6 ranked Thiago Santos take on No. 10 Jamahal Hill in UFC Vegas 59 on August 6.

Dangerous striker Santos returns to the Octagon to take on a new rising contender in the UFC Vegas 59 headliner to face the rising star Hill. Santos is a knockout artist and former title challenger with 15 KOs.

Santos holds impressive victories over former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, Anthony Smith, and Jack Hermansson. Santos is now aiming to deliver another signature finish against Hill and make his way back into the title picture.

Rising star Hill looks to continue his climb up the 205-pound ladder with another explosive knockout win. The Dana White's Contender Series signee has delivered stellar finishes against Johnny Walker, Jimmy Crute and Ovince Saint Preux in his short time spent in the Octagon.

Ready to make a statement against a true veteran of the sport, Hill is determined to take Santos' spot in the rankings and prove that a new title challenger is on the horizon.

The co-main event pits No. 6 ranked welterweight contender Vicente Luque against No. 13 ranked welterweight contender Geoff Neal in a pivotal matchup.

The always exciting Luque, who holds a 90 percent finish rate with knockout power, has so far delivered highlight reel wins over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, Michael Chiesa, Randy Brown, and Bryan Barberena.

Now, Luque will be looking to defend his spot in the rankings by putting on a show-stealing performance against Neal.

No. 13 ranked welterweight Neal wants to deliver a statement against one of the division's most dangerous fighters.

Ever since being signed from Dana White's Contender Series, Neal has established himself among the top talents at 170 pounds with wins over Belal Muhammad, Mike Perry, and Santiago Ponzinibbio. Neal is now setting out to stop Luque and add another impressive name to his resume.

Also on the card, the thrilling conclusion of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Pena vs. Team Nunes, as Mohammed Usman and Zac Pauga battle at heavyweight and Brogan Walker and Juliana Miller face off at flyweight with UFC contracts on the line.

The Ultimate Fighter heavyweight finalist Usman looks to join his brother, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, on the roster with a statement victory. Pauga aims to keep his undefeated record intact by becoming the first man to knockout Usman.

Flyweight finalist Walker intends to rely on her experience and well-rounded skills to secure the biggest victory of her career. Miller seeks to continue defying the odds by adding another submission to her record.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• No. 14 ranked UFC heavyweight contender Augusto Sakai (15-4-1, fighting out of Curitiba, Parana, Brazil) clashes with Serghei Spivac (14-3, fighting out of Chișinău, Moldova).

• Sam Alvey (33-17-1, fighting out of Murrieta, California) takes on Michal Oleksiejczuk (16-5, fighting out of Leczna, Poland) in a middleweight bout.

• Ariane Lipski (14-7, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Florida) battles Priscila Cachoeira (11-4, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in a flyweight battle.

• Bryan Battle (8-1, fighting out of Charlotte, NC) meets Takashi Sato (16-5, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan) at welterweight.

• Terrance McKinney (12-4, fighting out of Spokane, Washington) clashes with Erick Gonzalez (14-6, fighting out of Los Angeles, California) in an explosive matchup at lightweight.

• Nate Landwehr (15-4, fighting out of Clarksville, Tennessee) collides with Zubaira Tukhugov (20-5-1, fighting out of Grozny, Chechen Republic, Russia) in an exciting featherweight bout.

• Jason Witt (19-8, fighting out of Kansas City, Missouri) squares off against Dana White's Contender Series signee Josh Quinlan (5-0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada) at welterweight.

• Cory McKenna (6-2, fighting out of Cwmbran, Wales) battles Miranda Granger (7-2) in an exciting strawweight bout.

• Marya Bueno Silva (8-2, fighting out of Sau Paulo, Brazil) meets Stephanie Egger (7-2, fighting out of St. Gallen, Switzerland) in a clash at bantamweight.

Broadcast and Timing Information

UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill will take place Saturday, August 6 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The entire card will be available on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and via simulcast on ESPN+ (English and Spanish), with the main card starting at 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT and the prelims at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT.

Source: Press Release