UFC Vegas 87 To Be Headlined By Pivotal Heavyweight Clash

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Las Vegas, February 14: UFC returns to UFC APEX with UFC Vegas 87: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev (also known as UFC on ESPN+ 96 or UFC Fight Night 238) headlined by a heavyweight contenders' bout that will see No. 12 ranked Jairzinho Rozenstruik face undefeated Shamil Gaziev.

A hard-hitting kickboxer, Rozenstruik (13-5, fighting out of Paramaribo, Suriname) looks to kick off his 2024 campaign with another spectacular finish when he returns to the Octagon next month for the first time since May 2023.

Rozenstruik has secured exiting KO wins against legends Junior Dos Santos, Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski. Rozenstruik now aims to defend his spot in the rankings by stopping Gaziev in emphatic fashion.

Gaziev (12-0, fighting out of Kingdom of Bahrain) intends to make the most of his first UFC main event by dispatching Rozenstruik with a dominant performance in his second bout in the MMA promotion.

A Dana White's Contender Series signee, he earned a Performance of the Night bonus for his KO win over Martin Buday in December. Gaziev now vies for a thrilling finish to crack the heavyweight Top 15.

Also on the UFC Vegas 87 (UFC Fight Night 238 or UFC on ESPN+ 96) card, No. 7 ranked flyweight contender Alex Perez will face unbeaten No. 8 Muhammad Mokaev.

A former UFC title challenger and title contender Perez (24-7, fighting out of Lemore, Calif.) returns to the Octagon for the first time in almost two years looking for a statement victory.

Perez holds notable finishes against Jussier Formiga, Jordan Espinosa and Jose Torres. Perez now plans to hand Mokaev his first career loss and prove that he is still one of the best flyweights in the world.

A talented striker and grappler, Mokaev (11-0 1NC, fighting out of Manchester, England) hopes to continue his ascent up the 125-pound ladder with an impressive victory in his first appearance at the Apex.

Mokaev has earned memorable submissions over Tim Elliott, Malcolm Gordon and Cody Durden. Mokaev now has his sights set on turning heads with another highlight-reel finish when he faces Perez.

Additional bouts on UFC Vegas 87 card include

• Undefeated Vitor Petrino (10-0, fighting out of Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais, Brazil) locks horns with Tyson Pedro (10-4, fighting out of Sydney, Australia) at light heavyweight.
• No. 9 ranked contender Matt Schnell (16-7 1NC, fighting out of Shreveport, La.) meets rising No. 12 Steve Erceg (11-1, Perth, Western Australia) in an exciting flyweight tilt.
• Dana White's Contender Series veterans collide when Josefine Knutsson (7-0, fighting out of Stockholm, Sweden) faces Julia Polastri (12-3, fighting out of Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) at strawweight.
• Joel Alvarez (20-3, fighting out of Asturias, Spain) takes on Ludovit Klein (20-4-1, fighting out of Nove Zamky, Slovakia) in an intriguing lightweight matchup.
• Undefeated No. 13 ranked bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov (16-0, fighting out of Kizilyurt, Russia) faces UFC newcomer Bekzat Almakhan (17-1, fighting out of Uzynagash, Kazakhstan).
• Hard-hitting middleweights battle when Eryk Anders (15-8 1NC, fighting out of Birmingham, Ala.) meets Jamie Pickett (13-10, fighting out of Wilmington, N.C.).
• Christian Leroy Duncan (9-1, fighting out of Gloucester, England) clashes with Claudio Ribeiro (11-4, fighting out of Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil) at middleweight.
• Mohammad Yahya (12-4, fighting out of Dubai, UAE) and Brendon Marotte (8-2, fighting out of Haverhill, Mass.) both vie for their first UFC victory in a featherweight bout.
• Aiemann Zahabi (10-2, fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada) goes for his fourth consecutive win when he takes on undefeated Javid Basharat (14-0 1NC, fighting out of London, England by way of Paktia, Afghanistan) at bantamweight.
• Dana White's Contender Series signee Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (15-3, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) debuts against Loik Radzhabov (17-5-1, fighting out of Dushanbe, Tajikistan) at lightweight.
• Vinicius Oliveira (19-3, fighting out of Lomba Do Pinheiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) squares off with Yanis Ghemmouri (12-2, fighting out of Lyon, France) at bantamweight.

UFC Vegas 87 Broadcast & Ticket Information

UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev (also known as UFC Vegas 87) will take place on Saturday, March 2 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Due to time difference, the event will start in the early hours of Sunday, March 3 in India.

The entire UFC Vegas 87 card will stream exclusively on ESPN+ in English and Spanish, with the prelims beginning at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT followed by the main card at 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT.

UFC APEX VIP Experience packages are available via On Location, UFC's Official VIP Experience Provider. Fans can enjoy exclusive access with an official ticket package that includes premium seating, all-inclusive hospitality, in-seat beverage service, meet-and-greets with UFC Octagon girls and more. Visit UFCVIP.com for more information.

Source: Press Release