THE OCTAGON® RETURNS TO PRUDENTIAL CENTER
WITH BLOCKBUSTER UFC® 288 CARD
UFC® announced today it will return to Newark, N.J. on Saturday, May 6 for UFC® 288 at Prudential Center. The event will be available live on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View.
UFC® 288 marks the first event at Prudential Center since UFC FIGHT NIGHT: COVINGTON vs. LAWLER in August 2019. The famed arena has played host to a total of eight UFC events dating back to 2007 and has seen world championship bouts featuring MMA icons including Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Mauricio Rua and Urijah Faber.
UFC® 288 tickets will go on sale Friday, March 17 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, March 15 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, March 16 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
“I am excited to bring another massive Pay-Per-View back to Newark,” UFC President Dana White said. “New Jersey has always been amazing to the UFC. We’ve had so many great events there and I can’t wait to bring a stacked card to the city for UFC 288.”
“Our state is proud to host this exciting event and provide a premium experience for the thousands of UFC fans attending,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. “New Jersey’s world-class sports and entertainment venues, exceptional restaurants and hotels, and unparalleled airports and location have made our state the premier destination for some of the world’s most high-profile events. Hosting this major UFC card, coupled with the additional community-based and tourism opportunities leading up to the main event, will bring significant economic activity and impact to the region.”
“Newark is a vibrant city accustomed to hosting mega events that help showcase our vitality, diversity, and zest for the best the world has to offer,” Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said. “We open our arms to UFC’s astounding athletes and the thousands of fans in attendance who will experience how robust our city is in entertainment and the arts. Millions of TV households worldwide will also be ringside for this sports extravaganza and come away knowing that the City of Newark is itself a worthy destination.”
“Prudential Center is extremely excited to partner with UFC to deliver a global pay-per-view event to the great state of New Jersey,” said Tad Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. “There is a rich tradition of iconic UFC events in NJ, including legendary World Championship matches which have taken place in front of enthusiastic crowds at Prudential Center in Newark. We are looking forward to adding this next chapter to our history books at UFC 288 on May 6.”
Current official bouts on the card include:
- Former UFC lightweight champion and current No. 1 ranked contender Charles Oliveira (33-9 1NC, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) battles No. 4 Beneil Dariush (22-4-1, fighting out of Yorba Linda, Calif.) with title implications on the line
- An exciting bout between featherweight grapplers sees No. 11 ranked contender Bryce Mitchell (15-2, fighting out of Sherwood, Arkansas) take on Jonathan Pearce (14-4, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.)
- Kron Gracie (5-1, fighting out of Culver City, Calif.) makes his highly anticipated return to the Octagon against Charles Jourdain (13-6-1, fighting out of Beloeil, Quebec, Canada) at featherweight
- No. 4 ranked strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez (16-2, fighting out of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil) aims to defend her spot in the rankings against No. 10 Virna Jandiroba (18-3, fighting out of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil)
- Light heavyweights Kennedy Nzechukwu (11-3, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) and Devin Clark (14-7, fighting out of Sioux Falls, S.D.) lock horns
- Andre Petroski (9-2, fighting out of Springfield, Penn.) looks to remain undefeated in the UFC against Armen Petrosyan (8-2, fighting out of Krasnoyarsk, Russia) at middleweight
- Nate Maness (14-3, fighting out of Henderson, Ky.) faces Zhalgas Zhumagulov (14-8, fighting out of Aktobe, Kazakhstan) in a flyweight tilt
- Khaos Williams (13-3, fighting out of Jackson, Mich.) intends to spoil the UFC debut of Rolando Bedoya (14-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) at welterweight
- Bantamweights Daniel Santos (10-2, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Johnny Munoz (12-2, fighting out of Norco, Calif.) collide in a thrilling bout
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About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 228 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 over 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 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 Prudential Center
Prudential Center is the world-class sports and entertainment venue located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Opened in October 2007, the state-of-the-art arena is the home of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) three-time Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils, Seton Hall University’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball program, and more than 175 concerts, family shows and special events each year. The arena is also home to the GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center, which opened its doors to the public in October 2017. The 8,200-square-foot experience marks the first GRAMMY Museum outpost on the East Coast and features a dynamic combination of educational programming and interactive permanent and traveling exhibits, including a spotlight on legendary GRAMMY winners from New Jersey. Ranked in the Top 8 nationally by Pollstar, Billboard and Venues Today, Prudential Center is recognized as one of the premier venues in the United States, and hosts over 2 million guests annually. For more information about Prudential Center, visit PruCenter.com and follow the arena on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @PruCenter. Prudential Center is a Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment property.
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 24.9 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices).
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.
