THRILLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOUTS
HEADLINE UFC® 273 IN JACKSONVILLE
FEATURED BOUTS:
(C) ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI vs. (#4) CHAN SUNG JUNG
(C) ALJAMAIN STERLING vs. (IC) PETR YAN
UFC® 273: VOLKANOVSKI vs THE KOREAN ZOMBIE
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4
UFC® returns to Jacksonville, Fla. with a world championship doubleheader that will see UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski defend against No. 4 ranked contender Chan Sung Jung. Also, UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling runs it back with interim titleholder Petr Yan.
“It’s an honor to welcome back the UFC and its President, Dana White, to the City of Jacksonville” Mayor Lenny Curry said. “I reached out to Dana in December to let him know we were ready to host another match-up as soon as possible, and as he always does, Dana delivered! Our City has consistently demonstrated that we are poised to host world-class sporting events of this caliber and we can’t wait to see the UFC, and its thousands of fans, in early April.“
UFC® 273: VOLKANOVSKI vs THE KOREAN ZOMBIE will take place Saturday, April 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. All bouts will be simulcast on ESPN+ in English and Spanish beginning at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT with the ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass prelims. The prelims will continue exclusively on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, followed by the ESPN+ Pay-Per-View main card that will kick off at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
UFC® 273: VOLKANOVSKI vs THE KOREAN ZOMBIE tickets will go on sale Friday, Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. ET 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, Feb. 9 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Feb. 10 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
No. 2 ranked men’s pound-for-pound fighter Volkanovski (23-1, fighting out of Windang, NSW, Australia) is coming off a thrilling title defense against Brian Ortega in a Fight of the Year contender. Unbeaten in almost nine years, he also holds notable victories over Max Holloway (twice), Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes. Volkanovski intends to once again steal the show by netting his third successful title defense against one of the division’s most talented finishers.
Perennial fan favorite Jung (17-6, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) is gunning to make the most of his second UFC featherweight title opportunity. A creative grappler with heavy hands, “The Korean Zombie” has thrilled fans with exciting finishes against Frankie Edgar, Dennis Bermudez and Dustin Poirier. Jung now has his sights set on handing Volkanovski his first loss in the UFC and achieving his dream of becoming UFC champion.
Sterling (20-3, fighting out of Uniondale, N.Y.) looks to cement his status as UFC bantamweight champion following a disqualification victory over Yan to capture the belt last March. A talented wrestler and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, he holds impressive submission wins over Cory Sandhagen, Cody Stamann and Takeya Mizugaki. Sterling now aims to get the last word by finishing Yan to secure his first successful title defense.
No. 11 ranked men’s pound-for-pound fighter Yan (16-2, fighting out of Yekaterinburg, Russia) is determined to stop Sterling and recapture the UFC bantamweight championship. A dangerous striker and grappler, Yan has delivered memorable knockouts against Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo and Douglas Silva de Andrade. Yan now hopes to earn a measure of revenge by dethroning Sterling in emphatic fashion.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- No. 5 ranked strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern (11-2, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.) squares off with No. 7 Tecia Torres (13.5, fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colo.)
- No. 10 ranked Kelvin Gastelum (17-8 1NC, fighting out of Yuma, Ariz. by way of Huntington Beach, Calif.) faces No. 12 Nassourdine Imavov (11-3, fighting out of Paris, France) in an intriguing middleweight contenders’ matchup
- In a pivotal women’s bantamweight contenders’ bout, No. 3 ranked Irene Aldana (13-6, fighting out of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico) takes on No. 4 Aspen Ladd (9-2, fighting out of El Dorado Hills, Calif.)
- Ian Garry (8-0, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) looks to continue his momentum when he locks horns with Darian Weeks (5-1, fighting out of Sedalia, Mo.) at welterweight
- Dricus du Plessis (16-2, fighting out of Pretoria, South Africa) faces Chris Curtis (28-8, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. by way of Cincinnati, Ohio) in clash of middleweight strikers
- Top 10 heavyweights collide when No. 6 ranked contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik (12-3, fighting out of Paramaribo, Suriname) meets No. 9 Marcin Tybura (22-7, fighting out of Uniejow, Poland)
- Albert Duraev (15-3, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. by way of Grozny, Russia) faces Anthony Hernandez (8-2 1NC, fighting out of Dunnigan, Calif.)
- Mickey Gall (7-4, fighting out of Green Brook, N.J.) takes on Dana White’s Contender Series signee Mike Malott (7-1-1, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif. by way of Waterdown, Ontario, Canada) in a welterweight bout
- Gavin Tucker (13-2, fighting out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) faces Pat Sabatini (16-3, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn.) in an exciting featherweight bout
- Julio Arce (17-5, fighting out of Bayside, N.Y.) squares off with UFC newcomer Daniel Santos (10-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) at bantamweight
- Vinc Pichel (14-2, fighting out of Englewood, Colo. by way of Simi Valley, Calif.) battles undefeated Mark O. Madsen (11-0, fighting out of Maribo, Denmark by way of Nykøbing Falster, Denmark) at lightweight
- Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner Piera Rodriguez (7-0, fighting out of Maracaibo, Venezuela) debuts against Kay Hansen (7-5, fighting out of Fullerton, Calif.) at strawweight
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About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 178 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 nearly 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 75 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 sports and entertainment 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 VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena is North Florida’s premier showplace of such entertainment greats as Kenny Chesney, Jimmy Buffett, Luke Bryan, Elton John and is home to the Jacksonville Icemen and the Arena Bowl Champions Jacksonville Sharks. VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena is managed by ASM Global, the world’s leading producer of entertainment experiences. It is the global leader in venue and event strategy and management – delivering locally tailored solutions and cutting-edge technologies to achieve maximum results for venue owners. The company’s elite venue network spans five continents, with a portfolio of more than 325 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention, and exhibition centers, and performing arts venues.
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 17.1 million subscribers.
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 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 eight 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.
