Toronto, Canada – UFC® hits Toronto with a pair of thrilling world title fights, headlined by featherweight champion Max Holloway going for his second defense against undefeated No.1 contender Brian Ortega. Also, in a bout for the vacant women’s flyweight championship, former strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk battles No.1-ranked contender Valentina Shevchenko. UFC® 231: HOLLOWAY vs. ORTEGA takes place Saturday, Dec. 8 from Scotiabank Arena and will air live on Pay-Per-View.
Currently riding one of the most impressive win streaks in UFC history, Holloway (19-3, fighting out of Waianae, Hawaii) secured his first successful title defense with a spectacular TKO win over former titleholder Jose Aldo in December. During his run, he’s earned victories against former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis, Ricardo Lamas, Jeremy Stephens and Cub Swanson. Holloway aims to continue his dominant ways by dispatching an undefeated title threat.
Ortega (14-0 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) has been on a tear since joining the UFC in 2014. In his last three outings, he’s taken home four Fight Night bonuses, and in March, he became the first fighter to finish former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar. Known for his incredible grappling and evolving striking, he’s also finished Cub Swanson, Renato Moicano, Clay Guida and Thiago Tavares. With a UFC title in his sights, Ortega plans to hand Holloway his first loss in more than five years.
In the co-main event, former kickboxing rivals throw down for UFC gold.
The most dominant strawweight champ in UFC history, Jedrzejczyk (15-2, fighting out of Olsztyn, Poland) focuses her attention on the burgeoning 125-pound division. An aggressive and devastating Muay Thai striker, she’s delivered crowd-pleasing victories against Tecia Torres, Jessica Andrade, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Claudia Gadelha (twice). She’s now on the cusp of becoming the first female two-division champion in UFC history.
A former bantamweight title challenger, Shevchenko (15-3, fighting out of Lima, Peru by way of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) put the flyweight division on notice with a vicious submission win over Priscila Cachoeira in February. The 17-time world Muay Thai champion also holds spectacular victories against former women’s bantamweight champ Holly Holm, Julianna Pena and Sarah Kaufman. She now looks to make good on her second UFC championship opportunity.
Additional bouts on the card include:
No.5-ranked light heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa (17-4, fighting out of London, England)battles fellow KO artist Thiago Santos (19-6, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Strawweight contenders collide when No.3-ranked Claudia Gadelha (16-3, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on No.11 Nina Ansaroff (9-5, fighting out of Weston, Fla., USA)
No.13-ranked Elias Theodorou (16-2, fighting out of Toronto, Canada) battles hard-hitting Eryk Anders (11-2, fighting out of Birmingham, Ala., USA)
In an exciting lightweight bout, Olivier Aubin-Mercier (12-3, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) meets Gilbert Burns (14-3, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla., USA by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: UNDEFEATED® winner Brad Katona (8-0, fighting out of Winnipeg, Canada) locks horns with Matthew Lopez (10-4, fighting out of Denver, Colo., USA)
Chad Laprise (14-3, fighting out of Chatham, Ont., Canada) faces Dhiego Lima (14-7, fighting out of Atlanta, Ga., USA) in a clash of welterweight strikers
John Makdessi (16-6, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) goes for his third straight victory when he takes on Diego Ferreira (13-2, fighting out of Pharr, Texas, USA by way of Amazonas, Brazil)
Hakeem Dawodu (8-1-1, fighting out of Calgary, Canada) aims to keeps momentum rolling against gritty Kyle Bochniak (8-3, fighting out of Boston, Mass., USA)
Devin Clark (9-2, fighting out of Sioux Falls, S.D., USA) looks to turn back surging Aleksandar Rakic (9-1, fighting out of Vienna, Austria)
For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change. Holloway is currently pending medical examination by the Ontario Athletics Commission.
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UFC® 231: HOLLOWAY vs. ORTEGA will air live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Saturday, Dec. 8, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FS1 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.
Tickets for UFC® 231: HOLLOWAY vs. ORTEGA go on sale Friday, Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $378.50, $288.50, $193.50, $153.50, $133.50, $98.50, $83.50 CAD (does not include fees). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.ca. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.
UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Oct. 11 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
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About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2018, UFC boasts more than 284 million fans worldwide and has produced over 440 events in 22 countries since its inception in 1993. Acquired in 2016 by global sports, entertainment and fashion leader Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG), together with strategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas with a network of employees around the world. UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell-out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast in over 160 countries and territories to 1.1 billion TV households worldwide in 40 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.
About Scotiabank Arena
Scotiabank Arena is Canada’s premier sports and entertainment venue and home to the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, NBA’s Toronto Raptors and the NLL’s Toronto Rock. Owned and operated by MLSE, Scotiabank Arena opened its doors in February 1999 and has been recognized with more than 40 industry awards highlighting the venue’s security, accessibility, fan service, environmental commitment, sales and box office service. It has also hosted over 39 million fans at over 2,600 events including multiple NHL and NBA playoff runs, the 2016 NHL World Cup of Hockey, 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, 2015 IIHF World U20 Championship, 2003 Liberal Party Convention and 2000 NHL All-Star Game. Scotiabank Arena’s external space has also become a Toronto entertainment destination with the installation of the Leafs Legends Row, bronzed statues honouring the hockey club’s greatest players, the gathering of thousands of Raptors fans in ‘Jurassic Park’ for each of the team’s post season games and other significant international events.
