Las Vegas – UFC® kicks off its May run of events at UFC APEX with a clash of top five light heavyweight contenders, as No. 3 ranked Dominick Reyes takes on No. 5 Jiri Prochazka. In the co-main event, an exciting featherweight bout pits the always-entertaining Cub Swanson against rising prospect Giga Chikadze.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: REYES vs. PROCHAZKA will take place Saturday, May 1 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The main card will be available on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT, with the prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT.
Reyes (12-2, fighting out of Victorville, Calif.) intends to deliver another statement victory to remind the rest of the light heavyweight division that he is still one of the best in the world. A two-time title challenger, Reyes rose through the 205-pound ranks with standout wins over Jared Cannonier, Ovince Saint Preux and Chris Weidman. He now looks to reinsert himself into the championship conversation by becoming the first man to defeat Prochazka in the UFC.
Exciting striker Prochazka (27-3-1, fighting out of Brno, Czech Republic) burst onto the UFC scene with a Performance of the Night bonus-earning knockout over former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. A Czech national Muay Thai champion, he holds an incredible 96 percent finishing rate in MMA with 24 of his 27 victories coming by knockout, including his last nine wins in a row. Prochazka now plans to keep the momentum from his debut going by finishing Reyes and declaring himself as the next challenger for the belt.
Fan favorite Swanson (27-11, fighting out of Palm Springs, Calif.) aims to deliver another vintage performance in his 20th Octagon appearance. The record owner for most total fight night bonuses in UFC featherweight history, Swanson established himself as one of the most exciting athletes on the roster with victories over Dustin Poirier, Dooho Choi and Charles Oliveira. He now has his sights set on handing Chikadze his first UFC loss in spectacular fashion.
Chikadze (12-2, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif. by way of Tbilisi, Georgia) looks to remain undefeated in the UFC and secure the biggest victory of his MMA career. A former GLORY kickboxer, he has won all five of his UFC bouts, including wins over Brandon Davis, Jamall Emmers and most recently Jamey Simmons. Chikadze now attempts to show that he can compete with the elite of the division and cement himself as a 145-pound contender.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- Top 15 bantamweight grapplers face off as No. 12 ranked Merab Dvalishvili (12-4, fighting out of Long Island, N.Y. by way of Tbilisi, Georgia) meets No. 13 Cody Stamann (19-3-1, fighting out of Sparta, Mich.)
- Ion Cutelaba (15-6, 1 NC, fighting out of Chisinau, Moldova) takes on Dustin Jacoby (14-5, fighting out of Springfield, Ill.) in a light heavyweight bout guaranteed to deliver action
- No. 15 ranked middleweight contender Sean Strickland (22-3, fighting out of Corona, Calif.) locks horns with Krzysztof Jotko (22-4, fighting out of Orneta, Poland)
- Poliana Botelho (8-3, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Luana Carolina (6-2, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) battle in a flyweight bout
- Veteran Randa Markos (10-11-1, fighting out of Windsor, Ontario, Canada) looks to spoil the UFC debut of Dana White’s Contender Series signee Luana Pinheiro (8-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- Featherweights Gabriel Benitez (22-9, fighting out of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico) and Jonathan Pearce (10-4, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.) plan to steal the show with an impressive performance
- Kai Kamaka (8-3, fighting out of Kapolei, Hawaii) plans to stop TJ Brown (14-8, fighting out of Little Rock, Ark.) from earning his first UFC victory
- Women’s strawweight standout Loma Lookboonmee (5-2, fighting out of Phuket, Thailand) goes for her first UFC finish against Sam Hughes (5-2, fighting out of Everett, Wash.)
- Middleweights Andreas Michailidis (12-4, fighting out of Athens, Greece) and KB Bhullar (8-1, fighting out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) both vie to secure their first UFC wins
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