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UFC 263: Championship doubleheader welcomes fans back to Arizona

For the first time in over two years, UFC returns to Arizona and welcomes fans back at full capacity with a pair of highly anticipated championship rematches.

UFC 263: Championship doubleheader welcomes fans back to Arizona

Las Vegas, May 12: For the first time in over two years, UFC returns to Arizona and welcomes fans back at full capacity with a pair of highly anticipated championship rematches. Headlining UFC 263 event will be middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, as he looks to fend off No. 3 ranked contender Marvin Vettori.

UFC middleweight champion Adesanya returns to his natural weight class looking to successfully defend his title for the third time. Adesanya has developed into one of the top ranked pound-for-pound fighters in the world, a distinction he earned with impressive victories over Paulo Costa, Robert Whittaker and Anderson Silva.

The champion now intends improve on his 2018 win over Vettori and continue his quest to become the greatest middleweight in UFC history.

Vettori plans to make the most of his first UFC title shot by becoming the first middleweight to defeat Adesanya. Undefeated since his split decision loss to the current middleweight champion in 2018, Vettori climbed through the ranks with dominant wins over Karl Roberson, Jack Hermansson and Kevin Holland. He now seeks to show off his evolution as a fighter.

In the co-main event, flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and No. 1 contender Brandon Moreno seek to settle the score following their thrilling majority draw in December.

UFC flyweight champion Figueiredo returns to action aiming to make a statement and show that he is the best 125-pounder in the world. He is currently tied for the most stoppages in UFC flyweight history with seven, a number he accumulated with victories over Alex Perez, Joseph Benavidez (twice) and Tim Elliott. Figueiredo now looks to continue his title reign.

Top ranked Moreno has his sights set on shocking the world in his second chance at UFC gold. Moreno secured his first shot at Figueiredo following notable wins over contenders Kai Kara-France, Jussier Formiga and Brandon Royval. He now hopes to leave no doubt that he is the true flyweight champion and begin building his own legacy at the top of the division.


Additional bouts on the card include:


• In a historic first non-main event, five-round fight, No. 3 ranked welterweight Leon Edwards welcomes back fan favorite Nate Diaz.

• Ranked light heavyweights collide as No. 14 Paul Craig and No. 15 Jamahal Hill vie to break into the top 10.

• In a battle of welterweight contenders, No. 8 ranked Demian Maia locks horns with No. 12 Belal Muhammad.

• Drew Dober and Brad Riddell face off in an action-packed lightweight bout.

• In a light heavyweight bout, Eryk Anders meets Darren Stewart.

• No. 3 ranked women's flyweight Lauren Murphy seeks to secure her first UFC title shot by taking out No. 6 Joanne Calderwood.

• An intriguing featherweight bout sees undefeated No. 14 ranked Movsar Evloev take on No. 15 Hakeem Dawodu.

• No. 11 ranked women's bantamweight contender Pannie Kianzad goes for the biggest win in her career against former title challenger Alexis Davis.

• Frank Camacho and Matt Frevola clash in a lightweight bout all but guaranteed to entertain.

• No. 14 ranked women's bantamweight Sijara Eubanks duels with No. 14 Karol Rosa.

• Featherweight prospect Chase Hooper plans to show off his evolving skillset when he battles veteran Steven Peterson.

• Fares Ziam and Luigi Vendramini compete in an exciting lightweight bout.

• Heavyweights Carlos Felipe and Jake Collier look to steal the show and climb the ranks.


UFC 263: ADESANYA vs. VETTORI 2 will take place Saturday, June 12 at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. All bouts will be streamed on ESPN+ in English and Spanish.

The early prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass. The prelims will be distributed on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The UFC 263 main card will stream exclusively on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

UFC 263: ADESANYA vs. VETTORI 2 tickets will go on sale Friday, May 14 at 10 a.m. PT and are available for purchase at ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, May 12 at 12 p.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, May 13 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

Source: Press Release

Story first published: Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 10:10 [IST]
Other articles published on May 12, 2021