Woodley vs. Till to headline UFC's return to Dallas

Las Vegas, July 25: UFC returns to Dallas, Texas with a highly anticipated welterweight championship bout that will see Tyron Woodley defend against undefeated No.2-ranked contender Darren Till headlining the event on September 8 at American Airlines Center and will air live on Pay-Per-View.

Plus, the women's flyweight champion Nicco Montano makes her first defense versus No.1-ranked contender Valentina Shevchenko in the co-headliner of UFC 228: Woodley vs. Till.

Unbeaten for almost four years, UFC welterweight champ and No.7-ranked pound-for-pound fighter Woodley goes for his fourth successful title defense. Known for his elite wrestling and knockout power, he has earned victories against Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, Robbie Lawler, Kelvin Gastelum and Carlos Condit. Woodley now aims to stop a surging and unbeaten contender dead in his tracks.

Welterweight title is on the line in Texas! @TWooodley takes on @DarrenTill2 at #UFC228 in Dallas!
🎟 7/27 pic.twitter.com/ckWCtUItVd
— UFC (@ufc) July 24, 2018

A diverse and cerebral striker, Till has been on a tear since joining the UFC roster three years ago. He's earned incredible wins over Donald Cerrone, Bojan Velickovic, Wendell de Oliveira and Stephen Thompson, the latter coming in front of his hometown crowd this past May. With momentum and unwavering confidence on his side, Till is now on the cusp of the becoming the first undefeated UFC welterweight champion.

In the co-main event, two dynamic flyweights battle for the top spot in the newly minted 125-pound division.

Montano conquered The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion tournament to become the inaugural champ in December. Though she was seeded at #14, she put together an incredible run that saw her net impressive victories against Lauren Murphy, Montana Stewart and Barb Honchak. Montano then took home the title with a thrilling win over Roxanne Modafferi at the live finale. She is now gunning for her first successful defense.

Tickets on-sale FRIDAY. #UFC228 pic.twitter.com/xWVrNI65pS
— UFC (@ufc) July 23, 2018

A former title challenger at 135-pound, Shevchenko holds wins over many of the biggest names in women's MMA. Though she failed to dethrone bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes, she holds spectacular wins over Holly Holm, Julianna Pena and Sarah Kaufman. She then put the flyweight division on notice when with her vicious victory over Priscila Cachoeira in February. A decorated kickboxer, Shevchenko now looks to add UFC gold to her resume.

Card for UFC 228 in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center.

Main Event: Tyron Woodley (C) vs. Darren Till (#2) for the UFC Welterweight Championship

Co-Main Event: Nicco Montano (C) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (#1) for the UFC Flyweight Championship#UFC #UFC228 #MMA pic.twitter.com/icH2nt2eKX
— theinFAMOUSassassin (@inFAMOUSsassin) July 24, 2018

Additional bouts on the card include:

No.14-ranked featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov squares off with No.15 Yair Rodriguez in a bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks. While, in a pivotal strawweight fight, No.2-ranked contender Jessica Andrade locks horns with No.4 Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

No.8-ranked bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling looks to keep his momentum going against surging No.10 Cody Stamann. Former strawweight champion and No.6-ranked contender Carla Esparza takes on undefeated No.9 Tatiana Suarez.

Exciting bantamweight contenders collide when No.5-ranked Jimmie Rivera faces No.7 John Dodson. Plus, perennial fan favorite Jim Miller faces Alex White.

Dallas flyweight Ryan Benoit looks for another highlight-reel finish when meets Roberto Sanchez. Surging hometown middleweight Charles Byrd goes for his fifth straight win against dangerous striker Darren Stewart. Meanwhile, Dallas welterweight Geoff Neal goes for his fourth straight win against gritty Frank Camacho.

This is how the card has shaped up:

Welterweight title bout: Tyron Woodley (c) vs. Darren Till

Women's Flyweight title bout: Nicco Montano (c) vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Women's Strawweight bout: Jessica Andrade vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Featherweight bout: Yair Rodríguez vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov

Bantamweight bout: Aljamain Sterling vs. Cody Stamann

Women's Strawweight bout: Carla Esparza vs. Tatiana Suarez

Bantamweight bout: Jimmie Rivera vs. John Dodson

Flyweight bout: Ryan Benoit vs. Roberto Sanchez

Middleweight bout: Charles Byrd vs. Darren Stewart

Welterweight bout: Geoff Neal vs. Frank Camacho

Lightweight bout: Jim Miller vs. Alex White