Las Vegas – UFC^® continues its run of events at UFC APEX with a pivotal bout in the stacked lightweight division as No. 9 ranked contender Islam Makhachevintends to prove that he is worthy of title contention when he takes on fellow rising star No. 14 Thiago Moises. In the co-main event, women’s bantamweight veteran and No. 12 ranked Marion Reneau looks to spoil the return of former UFC champion Miesha Tate.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: MAKHACHEV vs MOISES will take place Saturday, July 17 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. All bouts will be available on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes beginning with the prelims at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT and followed by the main card at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT.

Khabib Nurmagomedov protégé Makhachev (19-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) aims to leave no doubt that he is destined to challenge for the UFC lightweight championship in the near future. Among the most dominant forces in MMA today, Makhachev holds the record for the least strikes absorbed per minute in UFC history, a distinction he earned with intimidating performances over Drew Dober, Davi Ramos and Gleison Tibau. He now intends to extend his impressive win streak and become the first fighter to finish Moises.

Moises (15-4, fighting out of Indaiatuba, Brazil) has his sights set on keeping his current momentum going and securing the biggest win of his young career. A signee from Dana White’s Contender Series, the 26-year-old Moises recently found his footing in the talent-rich lightweight division when he rattled off three straight exciting victories against Michael Johnson, Bobby Green and Alexander Hernandez. Moises now plans to shock the world by upsetting Makhachev and beginning his own run towards UFC gold.

Reneau (9-7-1, fighting out of Visalia, Calif.) looks to deliver another stellar performance and show why she is one of the elite in women’s MMA. Reneau showed off her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt skills in her debut with a Performance of the Night submission win over former UFC champion Jessica Andrade and then followed up this performance with equally notable finishes over Milana Dudieva, Talita Bernardo and Sara McMann. She now seeks to make another statement against Tate.

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Tate (18-7, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) steps back into the Octagon for the first time in almost five years, looking to remind everyone of the skills that earned her UFC gold. Among the most popular athletes in MMA, Tate secured her first shot at the belt with victories over former title challengers Liz Carmouche, Sara McMann and Jessica Eye before defeating Holly Holm for the title. She now intends to get right back in the mix by becoming the first person to finish Reneau.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• Jeremy Stephens (28-18, 1 NC, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) locks horns with Mateusz Gamrot (18-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Lubon, Poland) in a lightweight bout guaranteed to deliver action
• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenom Rodolfo Vieira (7-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on fellow grappling specialist Dustin Stoltzfus (13-2, fighting out of Germersheim, Germany) at middleweight
• An exciting featherweight bout sees Gabriel Benitez (22-9, fig8hting out of Tijuana, Mexico) face off with The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Billy Quarantillo (15-3, fighting out of Tampa, Fla.)
• Welterweights Daniel Rodriguez(14-2, fighting out of San Gabriel, Calif.) looks to spoil the UFC debut of newcomer Preston Parsons (9-2, fighting out of Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) who replaces Abubakar Nurmagomedov on short notice
• No. 14 ranked women’s strawweight Amanda Lemos (9-1-1, fighting out of Para, Brazil) aims to defend her spot in the rankings against Montserrat Conejo (10-1, fighting out of Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico)
• Khalid Taha (13-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany) intends to stop Sergey Morozov (16-4, fighting out of Aktau, Kazakhstan) from earning his first UFC victory in a bantamweight bout
• Dana White’s Contender Series signee Miles Johns (11-1, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) looks to make it two finishes in a row when he takes on Anderson dos Santos (21-8, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) at bantamweight
• Francisco Figueiredo (12-3-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Condor, Para, Brazil) has his sights set on continuing to build his own legacy at flyweight when he battles Malcolm Gordon (12-5, fighting out of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada)
• Alan Baudot (8-2, fighting out of Paris, France) seeks to secure his first emphatic UFC finish against Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Rodrigo Nascimento (8-1, fighting out of Belo Horizonte, Brazil)

Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

###

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 155 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 13.8 million subscribers.  

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

Based in South Florida, Titan Fighting Championship has long been a springboard for both UFC and Bellator Fighters, providing fans with exciting, high-level matchups and last night was no exception. Two preliminary bouts were broadcast on the promotions Facebook page, and the main card played on UFC Fight Pass. Charles Rosa and Jose “Shorty” Torres narrated the action with the highest level of professionalism, expertise and energy. The action took place at the Intercontinental Hotel Miami with a very enthusiastic crowd.

 The main card exploded with a brutal contest between Kendly St. Louis (3-3-0) and Slava “Slava Claus” Borschev (3-1-0), a seasoned K-1 Kickboxer from Russia with UFC star Urijah Faber in his corner. From the opening bell, Borschev’s kickboxing skills were frustrating St. Louis. Landing low-kicks to the calves of St. Louis and alternating with high kicks, body punches and knees, Slava pressed the action. Midway through the round, St. Louis was surviving but taking punishment. With about forty-five seconds left in the first round, St. Louis landed an overhand right dropped Slava. Now St. Louis put his purple-belt in BJJ to good use and dominated the rest of the round. Slava managed to survive the strangulation attempts of St. Louis and was saved by the bell.

Slava opened round two with a hard body kick and began scoring with nasty combinations to the body. St. Louis showed the heart of a warrior and scored a takedown where he had the clear advantage. Slava fought his way back to his feet and ripped combinations to the body of St. Louis. Another takedown attempt paused the onslaught but Slava quickly regained his footing and continued to attack. Slava landed a left hand to the liver of St. Louis that slowed St. Louis down and turned the tide completely in Slava’s favor. St. Louis stayed in the fight and opened a cut above Slava’s left eye but Slava’s attack was overwhelming, landing round kicks to the head and finally another shot to the liver that dropped St. Louis to his knees. The fight was called at 4:41 of round two and Borschev took the TKO victory. 

Another absolute beast of a fighter is Angel Alvarez (1-0-0), a ten-time Cuban National Judo Champion, who took on Sanford MMA’s James Hay (3-1-0). Alvarez has been training at the Goat Shed Academy under coach Asim Zaidi, who ended a tremendous week with fighters from his stable taking home wins at BKFC18, Titan FC70, and even the Florida State Golden Gloves.  This contest ended in an unanimous decision for Alvarez with all judges scoring the fight 30-27. 

Fellow Goat Shed fighter and highly touted prospect Roy Echeverria (4-0-0) ended his bout with a more definitive statement in the form a beautiful oblique kick to a spinning hook kick combination against Earnest Walls (2-17-0), who stepped in as a last minute replacement. Walls seeked redemption for a prior loss to “The Unbroken” Roy in the night’s co-main event. Echeverria is an exciting, all around mixed-martial artist and a highly technical striker who is very likely to remain undefeated in the bantamweight division at Titan. 

The night also saw the highly anticipated professional MMA debut of Talita Alencar, a multi-title holding Jiu-Jitsu champion from Brazil. As expected, Talita finished her opponent Staci Vega via Rear Naked Choke at 4:41 of the first round. 

Heavyweight Denzel Freeman (2-0-0), an accomplished wrestler and Tae-Kwon Do Red belt defeated Duane Crespo (debut) at forty-seven seconds of round one. The 204-pound southpaw landed a left round kick to the body and followed up with punches that forced the referee stoppage. In the main event, American Top Team’s Bruno Assis took on Shane O’Shea for the vacant Titan FC Middleweight Championship. The fight opened at full throttle and was another back and forth match until Assis managed to secure a dominant position on the ground. The fight ended at 2:22 of round one when Assis transitioned from an armor to a triangle choke, securing another strap for the overflowing trophy case at American Top Team in Coconut Creek.

LOS ANGELES – BELLATOR MMA has confirmed the full fight card for BELLATOR MMA 262: Velasquez vs. Kielholtz on Friday, July 16 at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The event airs LIVE on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and is headlined by undefeated flyweight world champion Juliana Velasquez (11-0) versus BELLATOR Kickboxing’s Flyweight World Champion and No. 3 ranked Denise Kielholtz (6-2) for the promotion’s 125-pound belt.

In addition to the must-see main event, four other exciting main card bouts are confirmed for BELLATOR 262 on SHOWTIME, including No. 5 ranked Tyrell Fortune (10-1, 1 NC) taking on former New York Giants football star and No. 7 ranked Matt Mitrione (13-8, 1 NC) at heavyweight, a women’s featherweight matchup between No. 2 ranked former title challenger Arlene Blencowe (13-8) and Brazil’s Dayana Silva (9-6), a men’s heavyweight contest pitting No. 4 ranked Linton Vassell (20-8, 1 NC) versus BELLATOR newcomer Marcelo Golm (8-3), and undefeated No. 5 ranked Johnny Eblen (8-0) facing off against Travis Davis (10-4) in an explosive middleweight bout to open the main card.

The preliminary card is confirmed for six bouts and features a heavyweight slugfest between knockout artist Ronny Markes (19-8) and Said Sowma (6-2), as well as a featherweight contest pitting undefeated top prospect Cody Law (3-0) against Theodore Macuka (1-0). In addition, South Florida’s Roman Faraldo (5-0) welcomes John Ramirez (5-5) to the fray in a welterweight clash, while Team Pitbull Brothers-product Matheus Mattos (12-2-1) faces off against Cee Jay Hamilton (15-8) in a bantamweight battle. Lastly, Johnny Soto (4-1) and Adil Benjilany (5-3, 1 NC) square off in a 145-pound matchup and the undefeated Diana Avsaragova (3-0) takes on Gabriella Gulfin (2-2) in a flyweight showdown.

All prelims will stream live at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV. Full bout listings are below:

SHOWTIME streaming service is offering a 30-day free trial, followed by a discounted monthly subscription fee of $4.99/month for the next six months. Viewers can sign up at SHO.com/BellatorMMA. Subscribers will be delivered two live premier BELLATOR MMA events per month throughout 2021 and beyond, anywhere the SHOWTIME service is available.  

# # #

BELLATOR MMA 262: Velasquez vs. Kielholtz Main Card:

Friday, July 16 – Live onSHOWTIME

9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

Flyweight World Title Main Event: C-Juliana Velasquez (11-0) vs. #3-Denise Kielholtz (6-2)

Heavyweight Bout: #5–Tyrell Fortune (10-1, 1 NC) vs. #7-Matt Mitrione (13-8, 1 NC)

Heavyweight Bout: #4-Linton Vassell (20-8, 1 NC) vs. Marcelo Golm (8-3)

Featherweight Bout: #2–Arlene Blencowe (13-8) vs. Dayana Silva (9-6)

Middleweight Bout: #5-Johnny Eblen (8-0) vs. Travis Davis (10-4)

Preliminary Card: 

BELLATOR MMA YouTube Channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube Channel | Pluto TV

6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT

Bantamweight Bout: Matheus Mattos (12-2-1) vs. Cee Jay Hamilton (15-8)

Heavyweight Bout: Ronny Markes (19-8) vs. Said Sowma (6-2)

Featherweight Bout: Cody Law (3-0) vs. Theodore Macuka (1-0)

Welterweight Bout: Roman Faraldo (5-0) vs. John Ramirez (5-5)

Flyweight Bout: Diana Avsaragova (3-0) vs. Gabriella Gulfin (2-2)

Featherweight Bout: Johnny Soto (4-1) vs. Adil Benjilany (5-3, 1 NC)

*Card subject to change.

For more information on upcoming BELLATOR MMA events, visit BELLATOR.com. 

****

About BELLATOR MMA:
BELLATOR MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, BELLATOR events take place in major cities worldwide and can be seen on television in over 160 countries to an available audience of over one billion people. In the United States, BELLATOR can be seen on SHOWTIME. BELLATOR is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity, and commission relations. BELLATOR is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant ViacomCBS, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About SHOWTIME

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc., owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME^®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ and FLIX^®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND^®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND^®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME^®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME^®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS, and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Amazon, Apple^®, Google, LG Smart TVs, Oculus Go, Roku^®, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One and PlayStation^®4. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, Apple TV Channels, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, Hulu, The Roku Channel, Sling TV and YouTube TV. Viewers can also watch on computers at Showtime.com. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV^®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com. 

Las Vegas – UFC^® today announced a multi-event partnership with Toyota Center in Houston, Texas following the record-breaking sell out of UFC 262: OLIVEIRA vs CHANDLER in May. The partnership, which includes a prospective Pay-Per-View event in 2022, kicks off with UFC 265: LEWIS vs GANE on Saturday, August 7, 2021. The main event will see Houston hometown hero and No. 2 ranked Derrick Lewis take on undefeated striking sensation and No. 3 ranked Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight championship. In the co-main event, the greatest women’s martial artist of all time graces the Octagon once again as UFC featherweight and bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes aims to retain her 135-pound title when she faces No. 6 ranked Julianna Pena.

“I love the city of Houston. We had a sold-out event in May, the city and fans are incredible, so we are heading right back in August,” UFC President Dana White said. “Working with Tilman and his team has been amazing and we will continue making Toyota Center a home for UFC, including bringing another PPV to the city next year.”

“We are fortunate to have a venue like Toyota Center in the great city of Houston,” said Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. “As the operator of Toyota Center, it is always going to be our goal to bring more exciting, high-quality entertainment to our community.”

UFC 265: LEWIS vs GANE will take place Saturday, August 7 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. All bouts will be simulcast on ESPN+ in English and Spanish beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT with the UFC Fight Pass prelims. The prelims will continue exclusively on ESPN2 & ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT followed by the ESPN+ Pay-Per-View main card will kick off at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

UFC 265: LEWIS vs GANE tickets will go on sale at Friday, July 9 at 10 a.m. CT and are available for purchase at toyotacenter.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. UFC Fight Club^® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, July 7 at 10 a.m. CT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, July 8 starting at 10 a.m. CT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

Houston’s own Lewis (25-7, fighting out of Houston, Texas) aims to put on a show for his hometown fans and finally wrap UFC gold around his waist. The record holder for most knockouts in UFC heavyweight history with 12, Lewis proved himself as one of the best in the world with a victory over current champion Francis Ngannou, as well as iconic wins over Alexander Volkov, Travis Browne and Curtis Blaydes. He now looks to secure the overall knockout record for the UFC by becoming the first man to finish Gane and then move on to once again vanquish Ngannou for the undisputed crown.

Gane (9-0, fighting out of Paris, France) competes in the shortest turnaround of his MMA career with his sights set on claiming his first UFC title. A professional in MMA for less than three years, Gane has had a meteoric rise through the heavyweight division, spurred on by dynamic victories over Junior Dos Santos, Don’Tale Mayes and most recently Alexander Volkov. Gane now looks to show off his ever-improving skillset by defeating Lewis to set up a future clash with champion and former training partner Francis Ngannou.

No. 1 women’s pound-for-pound fighter Nunes (21-4, fighting out of Coral Springs, Fla., by way of Bahia, Brazil) returns to the bantamweight division intent on delivering another remarkable title defense. Considered the greatest women’s athlete to compete in the Octagon, Nunes owns almost every notable record in women’s MMA, including most UFC wins, most knockouts and longest win streak. She further carved her name into the history books by defeating every former UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion, including Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm. Nunes now plans to raise the bar even higher by taking out Pena.

The Ultimate Fighter season 18 winner Pena (11-4, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) looks to claim the biggest victory of her career and secure her first title. A well-rounded grappler, she cemented herself as one of the best fighters in the world by defeating former UFC champion Nicco Montano, as well as former title challengers Jessica Eye, Cat Zingano and Sara McMann. Now, Pena intends to ride the momentum of her recent victory over McMann to upset Nunes and shock the world.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• Former UFC featherweight champion and No. 4 ranked bantamweight Jose Aldo (29-7, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) faces off with No. 8 Pedro Munhoz (19-5, 1 NC, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) in a bout all but guaranteed to deliver action
• No. 5 ranked welterweight Vicente Luque (20-7-1, fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil) locks horns with No. 6 Michael Chiesa (18-4, fighting out of Spokane Valley, Wash.) in a pivotal bout
• An intriguing bantamweight bout sees Song Yadong (16-5-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Heilongjiang, China) take on standout grappler Casey Kenney (16-3-1, fighting out of Tucsan, Ariz.)
• Flyweights Manel Kape (15-6, fighting out of Phuket, Thailand by way of Porto, Portugal) and Ode’ Osbourne (9-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) intend to deliver standout performances and break into the rankings
• An exciting rematch in the women’s strawweight division sees No. 10 Tecia Torres (12-5, fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colo.) replicate her 2015 win over No. 12 Angela Hill (13-9, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.)
• Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Victoria Leonardo (8-4, fighting out of Shreveport, La.) aims to spoil the UFC debut of Melissa Gatto (6-0-2, fighting out of State of Paraná, Brazil)
• Alonzo Menifield (10-2, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) and Ed Herman (27-14, 1 NC, fighting out of Portland, Ore.) meet in a heavy handed light heavyweight bout
• Strawweight veterans lock horns as Karolina Kowalkiewicz (13-6, fighting out of Lodz, Poland) takes on Jessica Penne (13-6, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.)
• Vince Morales (9-6, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) and Drako Rodriguez (7-2, fighting out of  Sioux City, Iowa) intend to put on a show-stealing performance at bantamweight
• Bantamweights Johnny Munoz (10-1, fighting out of Norco, Calif.) and Jamey Simmons (7-3, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) vie to secure their first UFC victories

Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage. Please click here to apply for the event.

###

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 155 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

About Houston Toyota Center

Since opening in October 2003, Toyota Center has set a new standard for sports and entertainment, becoming one of the premier live entertainment venues in the nation. Laid over the span of six city blocks, Toyota Center is home to the NBA’s Houston Rockets. Toyota Center also plays host to the nation’s top concerts and touring shows. The arena’s playing surface is set nearly 32-feet below street level giving Toyota Center the largest lower level of any arena in the nation. Coupled with the exclusive Lexus Lounge, trendy Golden Nugget Club, Red and White Bistro’s superior food and service, Toyota Center offers something for everyone making it the hottest spot for sports and entertainment in Houston. For more information, visit ToyotaCenter.com.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.5 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise, features more than 50 assets – eight U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 17, 2021) —- Triller today announced that 11-time Boxing World Champion Oscar De La Hoya will return to the ring to face Former UFC Superstar Vitor Belfort on Saturday, September 11, 2021 in Las Vegas, NV as part of the new TrillerVerz, the first-ever festival bringing together the power of Verzuz and Fight Club into one massive weekend festival. This will be the first of the TrillerVerz festivals.

The inaugural TrillerVerz will launch Friday, September 10 with a live Verzuz, followed by a full Saturday festival concert lineup with fight night entertainment produced by “So You Think You Can Dance” co-creator Nigel Lythgoe with the festival continuing on Sunday and Sunday Night.

De La Hoya and Belfort, two of the most respected and followed tacticians in their respective disciplines, will meet in a boxing ring for the first time Saturday, September 11.

TrillerVerz is a partnership developed between Triller-owned Verzuz and Triller owned Fight Club bringing together the cultural phenomenon the two have created throughout the music and sports worlds.

“We continue to create the biggest and most talked about events of the year, and we’re thrilled to introduce TrillerVerz, a spectacular weekend of music and events programmed by the legends themselves, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland,” said Bobby Sarnavesht, Triller co-owner, co-founder and Chairman. “There is no more anticipated and talked about return to the ring than Oscar De La Hoya, and his matchup with a legendary UFC Champion in Vitor Belfort will be a must-watch for entertainment and athleticism,” said co-founder Ryan Kavanaugh.

“I am ready to return to the ring and I am proud to be part of Triller and Verzuz and their game-changing model of reimagining the boxing business as four-quadrant entertainment,” De La Hoya said. “I have nothing but the utmost respect for a champion like Vitor Belfort as we show the world what high level boxing is all about.”

“It was incredibly important to me my comeback was on this date as it represents such an important moment in history for me, my fans and the words culture. This is much bigger than just me and this event, for all those with ties and or roots in and to Mexico.”

Said Belfort, “It will be a pleasure to represent MMA again, this time in the ring against one of the biggest names in the history of boxing. It will be a war not to be missed and a fight my kids will be talking about. This is certain to make combat sports history.”

Known as ‘The Golden Boy’ Oscar De La Hoya won 11 world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championship in three weight classes as well as being an Olympic gold medalist. He’s one of the best drawing boxers in the sport’s history and was named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year in 1995, and was its top-rated fighter in the world, pound for pound, in 1997 and 1998. He announced his retirement as a fighter in 2009, following a professional career spanning 16 years.

Brazilian MMA fighter Vitor Belfort is known to fight fans as “The Phenom” for his explosive striking power that helped him secure the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship title and tie for third for the most finishes in UFC history. His fights became part of two of the biggest all-time best-selling UFC Pay-Per-View events in a successful career that includes fighting in UFC’s Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions, fighting for the Strikeforce, Pride and Affliction promotions and winning the Cage Rage championship.

The full festival lineup and details will be announced shortly accompanying the world class boxing card.

The TrillerVerz weekend festival comes on the heels of the Triller’s record-breaking Tyson-Jones event in November followed up by the chart-topping Jake Paul-Ben Askren event Triller Fight Club event in April.

Verzuz, recently acquired by Triller, has become a cultural phenomenon breaking barriers in music with co-founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland and 43 of the world’s top hip hop artist as partners including, John Legend, DMX, Alicia Keys, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross, Too $hort, Patti LaBelle, Gucci Mane, Jeezy, E-40, Bounty Killer, D’Angelo, Ludacris, RZA, The Dream, Babyface, Nelly, Jagged Edge, Fred Hammond, Jadakiss, Fabolous, Brandy, Monica, Gladys Knight, Boi-1da, Hit-Boy, Ne-Yo, Johnta Austin, Scott Storch, T-Pain, Lil Jon, DJ Premier, Mannie Fresh, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, 112, Kirk Franklin, Sean Garrett and D’Angelo and has shattered social records often breaking millions of concurrent views across triller, fite.tv and Instagram.

“This is a first step in expanding the Verzuz ecosystem but certainly not the last. It has not only changed culture but is the center of a paradigm shift. We listened carefully to the audience and are giving them what they asked for.” Said Sarnavesht.

CEO and chairman Mahi de Silva said “Triller changed social media, Fight Club changed boxing, Verzuz changed music. The TrillerVerz will shift culture”.

Las Vegas – UFC^® returns to Las Vegas with a pair of heavyweight bouts, headlined by a clash between elite strikers as No. 3 ranked contender Ciryl Gane battles No. 5 Alexander Volkov. In the co-main event Canadian standout Tanner Boser battles Ovince Saint Preux.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: GANE vs. VOLKOV will take place Saturday, June 26 from UFC APEX is Las Vegas. The entire card will be available in English and Spanish on ESPN+, starting with the prelims at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT and continuing with the main card at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT.

Undefeated Gane (8-0, fighting out of Paris, France) is coming off his first successful UFC main event, having bested fellow contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik in February. The former kickboxer immediately turned heads upon joining the UFC roster in 2019, picking up sensational wins over former champion Junior Dos Santos, Don’Tale Mayesr and Raphael Pessoa. Gane now hopes to continue his momentum with another high-level performance to stake his claim for a title shot.

Seasoned veteran Volkov (33-8, fighting out of Moscow, Russia) kicked off his 2021 campaign with a spectacular TKO victory over Alistair Overeem this past February. With 22 knockout victories on his resume, Volkov has also stopped former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum, Walt Harris and Stefan Struve in emphatic fashion. Volkov now has his sights on cementing his status as a title threat by handing Gane his first career loss.

Dynamic striker Boser (19-8-1, fighting out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) is wasting no time returning to the Octagon with his sight set on delivering another spectacular KO win. Throughout his UFC run he has earned impressive finishes against Raphael Pessoa and Philipe Lins. Boser now hopes to make the most of his second co-main event spot by stopping Saint Preux.

Talented finisher Saint Preux (25-15, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) has proven to be just as skilled at striking as he is on the mat. A former interim light heavyweight title challenger, he has netted memorable wins against Tyson Pedro, Corey Anderson and Shogun Rua. Saint Preux now aims to deliver another highlight-reel victory to secure his first UFC win at heavyweight.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• Kennedy Nzechukwu (8-1, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) goes for his third consecutive win when he faces Danilo Marques (11-2, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif. by way of Sao Paulo, Brazil) in a light heavyweight bout
• Featherweight finishers collide as Andre Fili (21-8, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) returns to the Octagon against Daniel Pineda (27-14, 2 NC, fighting out of Houston, Texas).
• Renato Moicano (14-4-1, fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil) meets Jai Herbert (10-2, fighting out of Wolverhampton, England) in an intriguing lightweight bout
• Raoni Barcelos (16-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) faces Timur Valiev (17-2 1NC, fighting out of Toms River, N.J. by way of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia) in a battle of promising bantamweights
• Unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov (13-0, fighting out of Kokshetau, Kazakhstan) takes on returning Michel Prazeres (26-3, fighting out of Belem, Para, Brazil) at welterweight
• Nicolas Dalby (19-3-1 2NC, fighting out of Copenhagen, Denmark) squares off with Tim Means (31-12-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) in a welterweight bout
• Marcin Prachnio (14-5, fighting out of Krasnodar, Russia) meets Ike Villanueva (17-11, fighting out of Houston, Texas) at light heavyweight
• No. 15 women’s bantamweight contender Julia Avila (8-2, fighting out of Oklahoma City, Okla.) battles Julija Stoliarenko (9-5-1, fighting out of Kaunas, Lithuania)
• Charles Rosa (13-5, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla. by way of Peabody, Mass.) takes on Justin Jaynes (16-7, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) in a featherweight bout guaranteed to deliver action
• An exciting lightweight fight sees veteran Yancy Medeiros (15-7, 1 NC, fighting out of Makaha, Hawaii) lock horns with Damir Hadzovic (13-6, fighting out of Copenhagen, Denmark)

Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

###

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 155 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 13.8 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $12.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $18.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – June 10, 2021 – The second half of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) Regular Season got off to an action-packed start on Thursday night, with five fighters punching their tickets to the 2021 PFL Playoffs and two-time Olympic boxing gold medalist Claressa Shields victorious in an impressive PFL MMA debut. 

In the final bout of the nine-fight event, Shields defeated Brittney Elkin via TKO with a vicious ground and pound attack. Shields held off Elkin’s ground attacks in the first two rounds before closing the show in round three.

In the co-main event, “Cassius” Clay Collard earned three points and a trip to the PFL playoffs with a split decision victory over Joilton Lutterbach. In a close fight, Bubba Jenkins won a unanimous decision over Bobby Moffett, to pick up a fifth straight victory and secure his place in PFL playoffs. Brendan Loughnane clinched a spot in the PFL playoffs with a hard fought majority decision over Tyler Diamond.

Loik Radzhabov set a PFL lightweight record for the fastest stoppage in division history with a 27-second first round knockout over Akhmed Aliev to earn six points. With Olivier Aubin-Mercier’s unanimous decision win over Marcin Held later in the night, Radzhabov clinched a spot in the 2021 playoffs. 

In the first fight of the night, Chris Wade defeated Arman Ospanov by second round knockout – the first of his career – to earn five points and clinch his third straight PFL playoff appearance.

“What a thrilling event to kick off the second half of the PFL Regular Season, with five fighters clinching spots in the 2021 Playoffs and Claressa Shields putting an exclamation point on her MMA debut with a powerful knockout,” said Peter Murray, PFL CEO. “Tonight showcased intensity that only the Professional Fighters League can deliver with our unique true-season format, where every athlete faced a win-or-go-home scenario. I know that our two remaining Regular Season events will be spectacles delivering non-stop excitement, and I can’t wait to see our playoff field be rounded out.” 

“PFL 4 continued the momentum from the first half of the Regular Season as our lightweights and featherweights delivered an outstanding event for the more than 550 million MMA fans across the globe,” said Ray Sefo, President of Fighter Operations of the PFL. “Our fighters demonstrated the mental and physical skills required to earn a spot in the PFL playoffs, and I can’t wait to see the Regular Season finales for our welterweights and light heavyweights next week.”

In earlier action, two-time PFL lightweight champion Natan Schulte bounced back from his first loss in four years to win a split decision over the previously undefeated Alexander Martinez. The result pushed Schulte’s Regular Season point total to three, and he remains in contention to make the PFL playoffs. Sheymon Moraes remains in playoff contention following a second round submission over Jesse Stirn. 

The remaining playoff spots in the lightweight and featherweight divisions will be determined following the culmination of PFL 6 on Thursday, June 24. 

The PFL returns to Ocean Casino Resort next Thursday, June 17 as the league’s welterweights and light heavyweights make their final push for the 2021 PFL playoffs. After a dominating performance in his PFL debut, Rory MacDonald looks to continue his momentum and solidify a spot in the PFL playoffs. Meanwhile, 2019 PFL Light Heavyweight champion Emiliano Sordi currently sits in 4th place as he looks to separate himself from the pack and secure another world title.

All PFL 2021 Season events are live in primetime on ESPN networks and streaming platforms, as well as on a wide and diverse group of premier global distribution partner platforms reaching 160 countries around the world.

COMPLETE RESULTS

ESPN Card

Claressa Shields def. Brittney Elkin by 3rd round TKO (1:44)

Clay Collard def. Joilton Lutterbach by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Bubba Jenkins def. Bobby Moffett by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Brendan Loughnane def. Tyler Diamond by majority decision (29-27, 28-28, 30-27)

ESPN+ Card

Natan Schulte def. Alexander Martinez by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 28-29)

Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Marcin Held by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Loik Radzhabov def. Akhmed Aliev by 1st round KO (0:27)

Sheymon Moraes def. Jesse Stirn by 2nd round submission (4:59)

Chris Wade def. Arman Ospanov by 2nd round KO (2:18) 

Las Vegas – UFC^® continues its run of events at UFC APEX with a thrilling featherweight matchup, as fan favorite and No. 4 ranked contender Chan Sung Jung looks to add another exciting victory to his resume when he faces No. 8 Dan Ige. In the co-main event, heavyweight grapplers clash as No. 15 Aleksei Oleinik meets Serghei Spivac.  

UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: THE KOREAN ZOMBIE vs. IGE will take place Saturday, June 19 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ will carry the entire event, with the main card beginning at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT and the prelims at 4 p.m. ET/ 1 p.m. PT.

Featherweight star Jung (16-6, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) intends to deliver another impressive performance and continue working towards a UFC title shot. Beloved for his aggressive fighting style, Jung has finished an impressive 14 of his 16 wins, including his last nine victories in a row over the likes of Frankie Edgar, Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano. He now looks to start his 2021 campaign on a high note by becoming the first person to stop Ige.

Ige (15-3, fighting out of Haleiwa, Hawaii) has wasted little time propelling himself towards the top of the stacked UFC featherweight division. He established himself as one of the best in the world with a highly entertaining six-fight win streak that featured victories over Edson Barboza, Mirsad Bektic and Danny Henry. Ige now looks to follow up his devastating 22-second knockout of Gavin Tucker from earlier this year with another highlight-reel performance in his second UFC main event.

No. 15 ranked heavyweight Oleinik (59-15-1, fighting out of Moscow, Russia) aims to get back to his winning ways and prove that he is still one of the elite of the division. Among the most prolific grapplers in heavyweight MMA history, Oleinik has secured a staggering 46 submissions in his career, including his Performance of the Night-earning victories over Junior Albini, Mark Hunt and Maurice Greene. He now has his sights set on taking out another up-and-coming contender and defending his spot in the rankings.

Spivac (12-2, fighting out of Chisinau, Moldova) plans on making a statement and show that he is the next top contender at heavyweight. One of the youngest athletes in the division, he debuted in the UFC at only 24 years old and quickly separated himself from the pack with wins over Tai Tuivasa, Carlos Felipe and, most recently, Jared Vanderaa. Spivac now intends to add the biggest name yet to his resume and breaking into the top 15.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• Welterweight veterans clash as Tim Means (31-12-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) faces Danny Roberts (17-5, fighting out of Liverpool, England)
• No. 15 ranked UFC bantamweight contenderMarlon Vera (16-7-1, fighting out of Chone, Manabi, Ecuador) returns to action against Davey Grant (13-4, fighting out of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England)
• Wellington Turman (16-4, fighting out of Curitiba, Parana, Brazil) and Bruno Silva (19-6, fighting out of Paraiba, Brazil) meet in a middleweight bout
• Fan favorite Matt Brown (24-18, fighting out of Columbus, Ohio) locks horns with fellow veteran Dhiego Lima (17-8, fighting out of Atlanta, Ga.) at welterweight
• Dana White’s Contender Series signee Aleksa Camur (6-1, fighting out of Broadview Heights, Ohio) battles Nicolae Negumereanu (9-1, fighting out of Brasov County, Romania) at light heavyweight
• An exciting women’s strawweight bout sees No. 13 ranked Virna Jandiroba (16-2, fighting out of Feira De Santano, Brazil) defend her spot in the rankings against Kanako Murata (12-1, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan)
• Khaos Williams (11-2, fighting out of Jackson, Mich.) aims for another signature knockout against Matthew Semelsberger (8-2, fighting out of Ijamsville, Md.) in a welterweight bout guaranteed to deliver action
• Featherweights Julian Erosa (25-9, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) and SeungWoo Choi (9-3, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) look to steal the show
• Josh Parisian (13-4, fighting out of Howell, Mich.) and Roque Martinez (15-7-2, fighting out of Tamuning, Guam) collide at heavyweight
• Submission specialist Joaquim Silva (11-2, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) hopes to add another post-fight bonus to his resume when he takes on Ricky Glenn (21-6, fighting out of Des Moines, Ia.)
• Women’s flyweights look to make a statement as Casey O’Neill (6-0, fighting out of Gold Coast, Australia) matches up with Lara Procopio (7-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

###

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 155 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 13.8 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $12.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $18.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

Episode 1 “New Beginnings” —  The Return of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF29) premieres tonight as UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and No. 2 contender Brian Ortega evaluate and draft their respective teams of fighters. After moving into the fighter house, the competition kicks off with a bout in the middleweight division. 

Las Vegas – UFC^® returns to UFC APEX with a pair of thrilling heavyweight contenders’ bouts, as No. 6 ranked Jairzinho Rozenstruik battles No. 9 Augusto Sakai. The co-main event will see No. 8 Walt Harris take on surging No. 11 Marcin Tybura.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: ROZENSTRUIK vs. SAKAI will take place Saturday, June 5 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The entire card will be available in English and Spanish on ESPN+, starting with the prelims at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT and the main card at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.

Former kickboxing standout Rozenstruik (11-2, fighting out of Paramaribo, Suriname) made waves upon joining the UFC roster in early 2019, securing four consecutive knockouts within a 10-month span. He has delivered spectacular KO victories over heavyweight legends Junior Dos Santos, Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski to crack the division’s top five. Rozenstruik now hopes to defend his spot in the rankings by turning away a dangerous rising contender.

After turning heads on Dana White’s Contender Series to secure a UFC contract, Sakai (15-2-1, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) immediately began ascending the heavyweight ladder. Throughout his Octagon run he has earned memorable wins against Blagoy Ivanov, Andrei Arlovski and Chase Sherman. Sakai now has his sights set on making the most of his second UFC main event by netting the biggest victory of his career to enter the heavyweight top five.

KO artist Harris (13-9 1NC, fighting out of Birmingham, Ala.) is gunning for another highlight-reel finish to cement his status as one of the top heavyweights in the world. The heavy-handed striker has finished each of his career wins, including standout performances against Aleksei Oleinik, Sergey Spivak and Chase Sherman. Harris now looks to send a message with another thrilling KO.

Tybura (21-6, fighting out of Uniejow, Poland) enters his fifth year on the UFC roster riding an impressive four-fight win streak. Coming off a Performance of the Night earning win over Greg Hardy in December, he has also delivered notable victories over Ben Rothwell, Stefan Struve and Andrei Arlovski. Tybura now aims to continue his momentum by taking out another hard-hitting contender.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• Roman Dolidze (8-1, fighting out of Batumi, Georgia) faces Laureano Staropoli (9-3, fighting out of La Plata, Argentina), who is stepping in for injured Alessio Di Chirico at middleweight
• Welterweight veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio (28-4, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) aims to become the first fighter to stop undefeated Miguel Baeza (10-0, fighting out of Davie, Fla.)
• Dusko Todorovic (10-1, fighting out of Belgrade, Serbia) squares off with replacement Gregory Rodrigues (9-3, fighting out of Los Angeles), who is replacing injured Maki Pitolo at middleweight
• Tom Breese (12-3, fighting out of Birmingham, England) meets Antonio Arroyo (9-4, fighting out of Belem, Para, Brazil) in a clash of middleweight strikers
• Makwan Amirkhani (16-5, fighting out of Turku, Finland by way of Kurdistan) locks horns with replacement Kamuela Kirk (11-4, fighting out of Peoria, Ariz.) at featherweight, due to an injury sustained by Nate Landwehr
• Montana De La Rosa (11-6-1, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) faces Ariane Lipski (13-6, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) in a women’s flyweight contest
• Tanner Boser (19-7-1, fighting out of Edmonton, Alta., Canada) meets Ilir Latifi (15-8 1NC, fighting out of Malmo, Sweden) in a battle of budding heavyweight contenders
• Francisco Trinaldo (26-7, fighting out of Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil) makes his welterweight debut when he takes on Muslim Salikhov (17-2, fighting out of Buynaksk, Dagestan, Russia)
• Alan Patrick (15-3, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) aims to return to his winning ways against Mason Jones (10-1, fighting out of Blaenavon, Wales) at lightweight
• Manon Fiorot (6-1, fighting out of Nice, France) looks to build off the momentum of her impressive debut when she takes on tough Maryna Moroz (10-3, fighting out of Volnogorsk, Ukraine) at flyweight
• Sean Woodson (7-1, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) takes on Youssef Zalal (10-4, fighting out of Englewood, Colo. by way of Casablanca, Morocco) in a clash of promising featherweights
• Claudio Puelles (10-2, fighting out of Lima, Peru) hopes to hand unbeaten Jordan Leavitt (8-0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) his first career loss in a lightweight bout

Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

###

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 155 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 13.8 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

Claressa Shields, a new four-part, all-access series, premiering exclusively on ESPN+ in June, will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at Shields’ quest to become the greatest two-sport athlete of all time, simultaneously maintaining her dominance in boxing while making her debut in mixed martial arts. A two-time boxing Olympic Gold Medalist and the first professional boxer – male or female – to win undisputed world titles in two separate weight divisions in the four-belt era, Shields has now set her sights on an MMA championship as part of her ambitious goal to be recognized as the undisputed, greatest woman in combat sports.

From Shields’ humble beginnings as a young girl who discovered boxing in a tough Flint, Michigan neighborhood, to winning Olympic Gold in London and Rio, to establishing herself as the No. 1 pound-for-pound female boxing champion, Claressa Shields tells her unique and inspiring story as she continues to rise.

The first episode of the series, premiering Thursday, June 3, captures Shields as she prepares to make her MMA debut with the Professional Fighters League in a lightweight bout versus Brittney Elkin at PFL 4 on Thursday, June 10, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. PFL 4 will be live on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET and on ESPN2 at 10 p.m. ET.

Since announcing her decision to pursue an MMA title, Shields has been training at the famed Jackson Wink MMA Academy, where former UFC champions Holly Holm and Jon Jones (the UFC’s No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter) train with Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.

“Claressa has accomplished so much as an athlete already and her life story is both authentic and compelling,” said Brian Lockhart, senior vice president, original content and ESPN Films. “We know she’s just getting started, and this new series is a chance for all of us to join Claressa on her journey and to see up close what drives the ambition of a world champion who is reaching for all-time greatness.”

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 13.8 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

Las Vegas – UFC^® is set to deliver another entertaining card at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, headlined by a bantamweight bout all but guaranteed to deliver action as No. 3 ranked contender Rob Font takes on former champion and No. 4 Cody Garbrandt. Also on the card, top five women’s strawweights collide with title aspirations on the line as No. 3 ranked contender Yan Xiaonan battles former champion and No. 4 Carla Esparza.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: FONT vs. GARBRANDT will take place Saturday, May 22 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. All bouts will be available exclusively on ESPN+ in English and Spanish with the main card beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT and the prelims kicking off the action at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT.

Font (18-4, fighting out of Woburn, Mass.) is the newest member of the UFC bantamweight top five following his first round knockout of former title challenger Marlon Moraes. A member of the UFC roster since 2014, he rose up the ranks with a series of impressive stoppage wins, including victories over Thomas Almeida, Matt Schnell and Douglas Silva de Andrade. Font now intends to secure the biggest win over his career by taking out Garbrandt.

Former bantamweight champion Garbrandt (12-3, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) plans to continue his journey back to the title by delivering a vintage performance against Font. Among the most dangerous strikers in the division’s history, he showed off his power with statement knockouts over Raphael Assuncao, Thomas Almeida and Marcus Brimage. Garbrandt now aims to put together another long win streak and prove that he is still among the best bantamweights in the world.

Chinese contender Yan (13-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Beijing, China) seeks to maintain her undefeated record in the UFC and add the first former champion to her resume. A Sanda expert with all of her finishes coming by knockout, Xiaonan announced herself as a top prospect in the division with wins over perennial contenders Angela Hill, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Claudia Gadelha. She now looks to cement herself as the next in line for the title with a standout performance.

Esparza (18-6, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) became the first UFC women’s strawweight champion in history after winning the 20^th season of The Ultimate Fighter. Currently on the longest win streak of her UFC career, she fought her way back into the title conversation with wins over Alexa Grasso, Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez. Esparza now plans to earn a chance to regain her belt and repeat her victory over current champion Namajunas.  

Additional bouts on the card include:

• No. 7 ranked middleweight Jack Hermansson (21-6, fighting out of Oslo, Norway) looks to return to the winner’s circle when he meets No. 12 Edmen Shahbazyan (11-1, fighting out of Glendale, Calif.)
• Heavyweight finishers collide as Justin Tafa (4-2, fighting out of North Lakes, Australia) meets Jared Vanderaa (11-5, fighting out of Hemet, Calif.)
• Former women’s featherweight title challenger Felicia Spencer (8-2, fighting out of Orlando, Fla., by way of Montreal, Canada) intends to bounce back into the win column against short notice replacement Norma Dumont (5-1, fighting out of Minas Gerais, Brazil)
• Top 15 flyweights David Dvorak (19-3, fighting out of Horice, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic) and Raulian Paiva (20-3, fighting out of State of Amapa, Brazil) vie to break into the top 10 of the division
• In an entertaining featherweight bout, Ricardo Ramos (14-3, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) locks horns with Bill Algeo (14-5, fighting out of King of Prussia, Pa.)
• Heavyweight veteran Ben Rothwell (38-13, fighting out of Kenosha, Wisc.) competes in his 52^nd professional MMA bout against UFC newcomer Chris Barnett (21-6, fighting out of Athens, Ga.)
• The Ultimate Fighter season 11 winner Court McGee (20-10, fighting out of Orem, Utah) takes on submission specialist Claudio Silva (14-2, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) at welterweight
• Veteran flyweight Bruno Silva (11-5-2, 1 NC, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) plans to stop Victor Rodriguez (7-3, fighting out of Soldotna, Ala.) from earning his first UFC victory
• Josh Culibao (8-1-1, fighting out of New South Wales, Australia) aims to secure his first UFC win against the debuting Sha Yilan (19-6, fighting out of Beijing, China)
• Exciting lightweights Yancy Medeiros (15-7, 1 NC, fighting out of Makaha, Hawaii) and Damir Hadzovic (13-6, fighting out of Copenhagen, Denmark) look to deliver bonus-earning performances
• Dana White’s Contender Series signee Rafael Alves (19-9, fighting out of Miami, Fla. by way of Belem, Para, Brazil) aims for a successful UFC debut against Damir Ismagulov (19-2, fighting out of Orenburgskaia, Russia) at lightweight
• In a women’s bantamweight bout, Stephanie Egger (5-2, fighting out of St. Gallen, Switzerland) faces off with Sarah Alpar (9-5, fighting out of Oklahoma City, Okla.)

Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

###

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 155 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 11.5 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

Las Vegas – 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 the event will be middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, as he looks to fend off No. 3 ranked contender Marvin Vettori. 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 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.

UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (20-1, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) returns to his natural weight class looking to successfully defend his title for the third time. Since joining the UFC roster in 2018, 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. He now intends improve on his 2018 win over Vettori and continue his quest to become the greatest middleweight in UFC history.  

Vettori (17-4-1, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif. by way of Mezzocorona, Italy) 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 and secure the biggest win of his career.

UFC flyweight champion Figueiredo (20-1-1, fighting out of Condor Belem, Para, Brazil) returns to action aiming to make a statement and show that he is the best 125-pounder in the world. A renowned finisher, 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 with a record-breaking performance.

Top ranked Moreno (18-5-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) has his sights set on shocking the world in his second chance at UFC gold. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, 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 125-pound ladder. 

Additional bouts on the card include:

• In a historic first non-main event, five-round fight, No. 3 ranked welterweightLeon Edwards (18-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Birmingham, England) welcomes back fan favorite Nate Diaz (21-12, fighting out of Stockton, Calif.)
• Ranked light heavyweights collide as No. 14 Paul Craig (14-4-1, fighting out of Coatbridge, Scotland) and No. 15 Jamahal Hill (8-0, fighting out of Kentwood, Mich.) vie to break into the top 10
• In a battle of welterweight contenders, No. 8 ranked Demian Maia (28-10, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) locks horns with No. 12 Belal Muhammad (18-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.)
• Drew Dober (23-10, 1 NC, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) and Brad Riddell (9-1, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) face off in an action-packed lightweight bout
• In a light heavyweight bout, Eryk Anders (13-5, 1 NC, fighting out of Birmingham, Ala.) meets Darren Stewart (12-6, fighting out of London, England)
• No. 3 ranked women’s flyweight Lauren Murphy (14-4, fighting out of Houston, Texas) seeks to secure her first UFC title shot by taking out No. 6 Joanne Calderwood (15-5, fighting out of Glasgow, Scotland)
• An intriguing featherweight bout sees undefeated No. 14 ranked Movsar Evloev (14-0, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Ingushetia, Russia) take on No. 15 Hakeem Dawodu (12-1-1, fighting out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
• No. 11 ranked women’s bantamweight contender Pannie Kianzad (15-5, fighting out of Helsingborg, Skane County, Sweden) goes for the biggest win in her career against former title challenger Alexis Davis (20-10, fighting out of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada)
• Frank Camacho (22-9, fighting out of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands) and Matt Frevola (8-2-1, fighting out of Long Island, N.Y.) clash in a lightweight bout all but guaranteed to entertain
• No. 14 ranked women’s bantamweight Sijara Eubanks (7-6, fighting out of Toms River, N.J.) duels with No. 14 Karol Rosa (14-3, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• Featherweight prospect Chase Hooper (10-1-1, fighting out of Enumclaw, Wash.) plans to show off his evolving skillset when he battles veteran Steven Peterson (18-9, fighting out of Dallas, Texas)
• Fares Ziam (11-3, fighting out of Givors, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France) and Luigi Vendramini (9-1, fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil) compete in an exciting lightweight bout
• Heavyweights Carlos Felipe (10-1, fighting out of State of Bahia, Brazil) and Jake Collier (12-5, fighting out of Cuba, Mo.) look to steal the show and climb the ranks

Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage. Please click here to apply for the event.

###

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 155 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

About Gila River Arena

Gila River Arena is a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility situated on 13.5 acres in the City of Glendale, Arizona. The Arena is home to the Arizona Coyotes NHL Hockey team and entertains over one-million visitors annually through concerts, family shows and sporting events. The arena anchors the Westgate Entertainment District located on 223 acres for shopping, dining, entertainment and commercial offices. www.gilariverarena.com

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.5 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst. 

Las Vegas – UFC^® delivers another action-packed card at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, headlined by a flyweight battle of strawweight contenders as No. 6 ranked Marina Rodriguez takes on No. 9 Michelle Waterson. The co-main event will feature an exciting welterweight bout between talented strikers, as Donald Cerrone squares off with Alex Morono.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: RODRIGUEZ vs. WATERSON will take place Saturday, May 8 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The main card will be available on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, as well as simulcast on ESPN+ in English and Spanish starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The prelims will kick off exclusively on ESPN+ (English and Spanish) at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT.

Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil signee Rodriguez (13-1-2, fighting out of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil) has wasted little time securing herself as a potential title challenger since joining the UFC roster in 2018. During this time, she has delivered exciting wins over Amanda Ribas, Tecia Torres and Jessica Aguilar. Rodriguez now has her sight set on securing the biggest win of her career in her first UFC main event opportunity.

Perennial contender Waterson (18-8, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) looks to kick off her 2021 campaign by building on the momentum of her thrilling Fight of the Night win over Angela Hill last year. A former Invicta FC champion, she also holds notable victories against Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Jessica Penne and Paige VanZant. Waterson now hopes to make a statement by stopping Rodriguez’s momentum with another show-stealing performance.

Cerrone (36-15 2NC, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) makes his record-tying 37^th Octagon appearance. The owner of most wins (23) and tied for most finishes (16) in UFC history, Cerrone has earned epic stoppages against Matt Brown, Rick Story and Edson Barboza. Cerrone now aims to deliver another vintage “Cowboy” performance to further etch his name in the record books.

Morono (18-7 1NC, fighting out of Houston, Texas) steps in on short notice looking to secure the biggest win of his 11-year career. A diverse striker and grappler, he has delivered memorable victories against Max Griffin, Song Kenan, Zak Ottow and Josh Burkman. Morono is now gunning to turn heads in his first UFC co-main event opportunity by finishing a legend.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• Phil Hawes (10-2, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) takes on Kyle Daukaus (10-1, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn.) in a middleweight battle between Dana White’s Contender Series veterans
• In an exciting clash of welterweight contenders, No. 9 ranked Neil Magny (24-9, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) squares off with No. 10 Geoff Neal (13-3, fighting out of Dallas, Texas)
• No. 12 ranked lightweight contender Diego Ferreira (17-3, fighting out of Pharr, Texas) locks horns with returning No. 14 Gregor Gillespie (13-1, fighting out of Long Island, N.Y.)
• Heavyweight finishers collide when Maurice Greene (9-6, fighting out of St. Cloud, Minn.) meets Marcos Rogerio de Lima (17-8-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
• No. 11 ranked women’s strawweight contender Amanda Ribas (10-2, fighting out of Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil) takes on No. 12 Angela Hill (13-9, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.)
• Ben Rothwell (38-13, fighting out of Kenosha, Wisc.) faces Philipe Lins (14-5, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil) in an intriguing heavyweight bout
• Ludovit Klein (17-2, fighting out of Nove Zamky, Slovakia) goes for his ninth consecutive win when he meets The Ultimate Fighter season 27 winner Mike Trizano (9-1, fighting out of Ramsey, N.J.) in a featherweight bout
• Christian Aguilera (14-7, fighting out of Brea, Calif.) battles UFC newcomer Carlston Harris (15-4, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in a welterweight contest
• Ryan Benoit (10-7, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) meets Zarrukh Adashev (3-3, New York, N.Y. by way of Samarkand, Uzbekistan) at flyweight
• Junyong Park (12-4, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) squares off with undefeated Tafon Nchukwi (5-0, fighting out of Temple Hills, Md. by way of Bamenda, Cameroon) in a clash of middleweight prospects

Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

###

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 155 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.1 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

UFC 261:  Usman vs. Masvidal 2will stream exclusively on ESPN+ PPV this Saturday, April 24, at 10p.m. ET from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL. The UFC 261 main card features three Championship bouts, topped by the highly-anticipated UFC welterweight rematch between champion Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman (18-1-0), defending his title in a against No.4-ranked contender Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal (35-14-0), in a rematch of their meeting at UFC 251 on Fight Island last July – a fight Masvidal took on less than a week’s notice, and which was a unanimous decision victory for Usman.

Also on the main card are two fights, for two championship belts, featuring four of the UFC’s top five women’s pound-for-pound fighters. The Co-Main fight will be a battle for the Women’s strawweight title, with Champion Zhang Weili (21-1-0) facing no. 1 contender and former strawweight Champion “Thug” Rose Namajunas (10-4-0) in a showdown of the no. 3 and no. 4 pound-for-pound women’s fighters in the UFC.  In the third title fight of the night, Women’s Flyweight champion Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko (20-3-0) puts her title on the line for the sixth straight time – this time against no.1 contender Jessica Andrade (21-8-0).

UFC 261:  Usman vs. Masvidal 2will begin with early prelims at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 and ESPN+ (English and Spanish), prelims at 8 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, and the PPV main card at 10 p.m., exclusively on ESPN+ (English, Spanish).  Live coverage begins with UFC Live presented by DraftKings: Usman vs. Masvidal 2 on ABC at 4 p.m.. The Pre-Show provides fans with exclusive insights and views on the biggest stories heading into UFC 261. 

The no. 2 ranked men’s pound-for-pound fighter, Usman kicked off his 2021 campaign with an impressive TKO win over former teammate Gilbert Burns in February and now has his sights set on his fourth title defense by proving his first win over Masvidal was no fluke.

Masvidal aims to even the score with Usman and capture the UFC welterweight championship in his second crack at the title. Owner of the fastest KO in UFC history at six seconds over Ben Askren in 2019, he has also had wins against Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone and Darren Till.

UFC 261 will be Zhang’s first appearance since her 2020 Fight of the Year win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk one year ago. Currently riding a 21-fight win streak, she is looking to take out another high-profile former titleholder and continue her run at the top of the strawweight division.

Namajunas is gunning to become the first ever two-time champion in UFC strawweight history. Originally featured as a cast member on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, Namajunas looks to become the first fighter to defeat Zhang in almost eight years.

Shevchenko seeks to continue her dominant title reign against one of her toughest opponents to date. Undefeated since moving to flyweight in 2018, she aims to add another former UFC champion to her resume and prove she is undoubtably the top women’s flyweight in the world.

Andrade immediately made an impact upon moving to the flyweight division by delivering a TKO win over top contender Katlyn Chookagian last October, and now hopes to become only the second female fighter in UFC history to win titles in two separate divisions.

The Ultimate Fighter on ESPN+

The Ultimate Fighter 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck (2010)andThe Ultimate Fighter 20: A Champion Will Be Crowned (2014)arenow available on ESPN+. TUF 12 features lightweights only, with rivals Georges St-Pierre and Josh Koscheck as coaches prior to their face off at UFC 124. TUF 20 is the first season to feature all female athletes and was used to create the UFC Women’s Strawweight division. Watch runner-up Rose Namajunas before she faces UFC Strawweight champion Zhang Weili at UFC 261 on Saturday.  How to watch The Ultimate Fighter on ESPN+ and other MMA Stories.

UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2Original Content:

• COVER STORY: Kamaru Usman– “The Nigerian Nightmare” has a new act ahead of him, one rooted in the past: to not just win, but dominate and break souls. (Debuting Thursday across ESPN platforms)
• Baddest In The Game – A little more than a decade ago, the backyards of South Dade Miami provided the ultimate venue for Jorge “GameBred” Masvidal to showcase his skills. Now he’s getting a second crack at a UFC title. (Debuting Friday across ESPN platforms)
• El Guerrero de la Semana: Jeffrey Molina – The second instalment of the weekly ESPN Deportes cross-platform series highlighting Latinx combat sports athletes focuses on Colombian-American Jeff “El Jefe” Molina and how his love of Jackie Chan films inspired him to pursue a career in MMA. 

• UFC 261 Countdown: Usman vs. Masvidal 2 behind-the-scenes look at the training camps for the main and co-main fighters. Available on ESPN+.
• UFC 261: Embedded:  all-access series follows athletes throughout fight week, leading up to UFC 261. New episodes available on ESPN+ throughout fight week.
• Unlocking Victory: UFC 261 available now on ESPN+
• Ariel & the Bad Guy: Recent episodes available on ESPN+ 

ESPN Digital

• Jeff Wagenheim looks at how UFC 261 is a showcase of the increasingly undeniable power of women’s MMA
• MMA’s welterweight Mount Rushmore: Ranking Kamaru Usman among the greats
• An Oral History of the most impactful night of Masvidal’s career – when he defeated fellow welterweight contender Darren Till, and then served a “three piece with a soda” to Leon Edwards backstage. (Coming Friday)
• UFC 261 Viewer’s Guide (Coming Saturday)
• This week: How to watch and stream, plus expert analysis and predictions 
• ESPN’s UFC 261 Pick’Em – fans can play for FREE and compete for a chance to win $5,000 

Social: @ESPNMMA Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Fans can sign-up for ESPN+ at any time at ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or on the ESPN App and purchase UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2.

Programming (All times ET)

* immediately following main card

Main Card, Prelims and Early Prelims (All times ET)

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 20^th 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

Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage.

Las Vegas – The highly anticipated The Return of The Ultimate Fighter^®: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortegawill see UFC^® featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and No. 2 contender Brian Ortega coach men’s bantamweights and middleweights competing to make the UFC roster. Following the series, which exclusively debuts Tuesday, June 1 on ESPN+, the two coaches will prepare to square off for the featherweight title at a date that will be determined in the near future.

The Return of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF 29) will feature a dynamic cast of 16 ascending athletes in the men’s bantamweight (135 lbs.) and middleweight (185 lbs.) divisions, who have put everything else in their lives aside for the chance to pursue their UFC dreams.

The entire twelve episode season of TUF 29 will be available exclusively on ESPN+, with one episode dropping each Tuesday beginning June 1. In addition, UFC fans can re-watch all 28 previous seasons of TUF on ESPN+, the industry-leading sports streaming service, with entire seasons premiering on the service each week through the end of May for bingeable viewing.

The Ultimate Fighter is the iconic reality television series that has introduced millions of new and die-hard fans to future UFC champions and top contenders. Those whose careers have been shaped by their participation in The Ultimate Fighter include: Kamaru Usman, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Rose Namajunas, Michael Bisping, Robert Whittaker, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson, T.J. Dillashaw, Matt Serra, Michael Chiesa, Al Iaquinta, Kelvin Gastelum, Uriah Hall and many others.

Undisputed UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski (22-1, fighting out of Windang, New South Wales, Australia) is unbeaten in almost eight years, including nine straight wins in the UFC. Volkanovski proved himself as one of UFC’s top pound-for-pound fighters with two title fight victories over Max Holloway, along with dominant performances against Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes and Darren Elkins. Volkanovski now hopes to experience the same type of success in his first opportunity as a head coach.

Ortega (15-1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) is determined to make 2021 the year his UFC title dreams become a reality. Two years removed from his first title challenge, Ortega hopes to apply the same skills that helped him defeat the likes of Chan Sung Jung, Frankie Edgar, Cub Swanson and Renato Moicano, to foster the careers of future UFC stars.

Below is a full list of competitors scheduled to compete in The Return of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega (name, age, professional record and fighting out of):

MEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS

Daniel Argueta | 27 | 5-0 | Chicago, IL

Brady Hiestand | 21 | 4-1 | Spokane, WA

Dustin Lampros | 26 | 5-0 | Deerfield Beach, FL

Vince Murdock | 30 | 11-6 | Sacramento, CA

Mitch Raposo | 22 | 5-0 | Fall River, MA

Joshua Rettinghouse | 31 | 16-5 | Spokane, WA

Liudvik Sholinian | 30 | 9-1 | Kiev, Ukraine

Ricky Turcios | 27 | 10-2 | Houston, TX

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Aaron Phillips | 29 | 5-1 | Kotzbue, AK

Andre Petroski | 29 | 5-1 | Philadelphia, PA

Bryan Battle | 26 | 4-1 | Charlotte, NC

Ryder Newman | 25 | 3-1 | Las Vegas, NV

Tresean Gore | 26 | 3-0 | Decatur, GA

Miles Hunsinger | 30 | 7-0 | Las Vegas, NV

Kemran Lachinov | 30 | 10-3 | West Springfield, MA

Gilbert Urbina | 25 | 6-1 | Rio Grande Valley, TX

*All athletes are subject to change

Visit the UFC.com for additional information and content to support your UFC coverage.

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 142 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 territories. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 12.1 million subscribers.

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

About Pilgrim Media Group

Pilgrim Media Group, headed by Emmy®-winning producer Craig Piligian, produces a diverse slate of unscripted and documentary projects. The company is behind hit series such as: “Ghost Hunters,” “American Chopper,” “Fast N’ Loud,” “My Big Fat Fabulous Life,” “Dirty Jobs,” “Dodgeball: Thunderdome,” the “Street Outlaws” and “Wicked Tuna” franchises, and the World MMA Award-winner “The Ultimate Fighter.” Upcoming projects include “The Ultimate Surfer” for ABC and the Sundance Festival Favorite Award-winning documentary “Giving Voice” for Netflix.

NEW YORK (April 14, 2021) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, today announced the world’s best female boxer and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Claressa Shields, will make her PFL MMA debut against Brittney Elkin on June 10. The match will be aired live and in primetime on ESPN 2 and ESPN 3 (Spanish) in the U.S. and on leading broadcast and streaming outlets in more than 160 countries worldwide.
 
The 26-year-old has been training with some of the sport’s biggest stars ahead of her debut in Atlantic City. Since announcing her decision to join PFL last December, Shields has been prepping at Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico alongside former world champions Jon Jones and Holly Holm. The three-division boxing champion is set to enter the 2022 PFL season.
 
“I am very excited to cement my legacy as the Greatest Woman of All Time,” said Shields. “I cannot wait to step into the PFL cage for the first time on June 10 and show the world that I never back down from a challenge. I have shown I am the best boxer in the world and eventually I intend to do the same thing as a mixed martial artist.”
 
Elkin has a career record of 3-6-0 and the brown belt jiu-jitsu athlete has experience competing across Bellator, Sparta Combat League and Fight 2 Win. Her first and only matchup with the PFL came in June 2018 when she battled future PFL champion Kayla Harrison, losing via submission in Round 1.
 
“I’m very grateful to be back in the PFL and to have this opportunity to square off with Claressa Shields,” Elkin said. “I know she is a great boxer but this is MMA and I plan to show everyone that I am a well-rounded fighter who can compete wherever the fight takes me.”
 
“We’re thrilled to announce the highly anticipated PFL debut of the world’s consensus top female pound-for-pound boxer, Claressa Shields,” said PFL President of Fighter Operations, Ray Sefo. “We’ve seen the videos of her training inside the cage and can’t wait to see the showdown between her and Brittney Elkin on June 10.” 
 
The rest of the June 10 card will be announced in the coming weeks.  
 
Professional Fighters League has quickly established itself as the No. 2 MMA company in the world. The league has experienced tremendous YoY growth across digital channels – 68% follower increase on Instagram, 30% total audience growth across digital and a 200% social engagement spike.
 
With the addition of world-class talent – from elite fighters to established business executives – and partnering with industry-leading brands such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, GEICO, CarParts.com and Socios, the PFL continues to accelerate its global expansion. Sports fans across more than 160 countries around world will be able to tune in to the league’s highly anticipated return on April 23 in Atlantic City, NJ. 
 
About Professional Fighters League
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is the first and only to present MMA in the sports-season format where individual fighters compete in Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship. PFL is the innovation leader with the PFL SmartCage delivering viewers on-screen fight analytics and real-time prop bets. PFL Roster is second to none with 25% of its fighters ranked in the top 25 in their weight-class. All PFL 2021 Season events are live primetime on ESPN2/ESPN+ in the U.S. and available on leading broadcast and streaming outlets in 160 countries worldwide. 
 
For more info visit www.PFLmma.com and follow PFL on Instagram (@PFLmma), Twitter (@PFLMMA) and Facebook (/PFLmma).