#Knockeando: Notas recientes del UFC y Bellator MMA

EXCITING WELTERWEIGHT MATCHUP HEADLINES UFC^® DEBUT IN ROCHESTER AS 

 (#4) RAFAEL DOS ANJOS BATTLES (#5 - LW) KEVIN LEE

FEATURED BOUTS:

(#6) ASPEN LADD vs. (#2 – WFLW) SIJARA EUBANKS

(#12) ANTONIO CARLOS JUNIOR vs. IAN HEINISCH

UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+^®: DOS ANJOS vs. LEE TICKETS

AT BLUE CROSS ARENA GO ON SALE FRIDAY, MARCH 29

Las Vegas – UFC^® heads to Rochester, N.Y. for the first time with a marquee matchup featuring former UFC lightweight champion and No. 4-ranked welterweight contender Rafael Dos Anjos welcoming former interim lightweight title challenger and No. 5-ranked lightweight Kevin Lee to the 170-pound division. In a high-stakes rematch at bantamweight, undefeated prospect and No. 6-ranked contender Aspen Ladd looks to prove that her first win over No. 2-ranked flyweight contender Sijara Eubanks was no fluke.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+^®: DOS ANJOS vs. LEE will stream live from Blue Cross Arena exclusively on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 18, with prelims kicking off at 5 p.m. ET. Doors open at 4 p.m. ET. All UFC live events on ESPN+ will also be available in English and Spanish. 

A perennial top contender since joining UFC over a decade ago, Dos Anjos (28-11, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has defeated some of the biggest names in the sport. He holds impressive victories over former UFC champions Anthony Pettis, Benson Henderson and Robbie Lawler. A fan-favorite for his aggressive fighting style, Dos Anjos now aims to work his way back into the title picture by spoiling Lee’s welterweight debut and earning his eighth UFC post-fight bonus.

Hailed as the next generation of MMA talent since he debuted in the UFC at just 21 years old, Lee (17-4, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) looks to make a statement in his welterweight debut. While at lightweight, Lee impressed with notable stoppage victories over Francisco Trinaldo, Michael Chiesa and Edson Barboza. Now, Lee intends to make an immediate impact in his new division by being the first man to finish Dos Anjos at 170-pounds and asserting himself as one of the top contenders for the belt.

One of the top rising women’s prospects in the UFC, Ladd (7-0, fighting out of El Dorado Hills, Calif.) aims to break into the top-5 rankings for the first time in her career. Still only 24 years old, Ladd has finished all but one of her opponents, including stopping former title challenger Tonya Evinger and multiple-time Muay Thai world champion Lina Lansberg. Now, Ladd looks to improve on the only decision victory on her resume by being the first person to finish Eubanks in their rematch.

A multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion, Eubanks (5-2, fighting out of Toms River, N.J.) competes at bantamweight for the first time in her UFC tenure. A finalist on The Ultimate Fighter: 26, Eubanks has established herself as one of the top contenders in women’s MMA by following her appearance on the show with dominant victories over Lauren Murphy and Roxanne Modafferi. Now, Eubanks looks to even the score with Ladd and show that she is worthy of title contention in any division she competes in.

Announced bouts on the card include:

• Heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 and the current No. 12-ranked middleweight contender Antonio Carlos Junior (11-2, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) aims to extend his winning streak to six when he battles Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series signee Ian Heinisch (12-1, fighting out of Englewood, Colo.)
• Looking for her eight stoppage victory in a row, Megan Anderson (9-3, fighting out of Kansas City, Mo. by way of Gold Coast, Australia) welcomes the debuting Felicia Spencer (6-0, fighting out of Orlando, Fla. by way of Montreal, Quebec, Canada) to the UFC women’s featherweight division
• Looking to stay unbeaten at middleweight in the UFC, Zak Cummings (22-6, fighting out of Kansas City, Mo.) intends to hand undefeated prospect Trevin Giles (11-0, fighting out of Houston, Texas) his first career loss
• Lightweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: 27 Michael Trizano (9-0, fighting out of Ramsey, N.J.) looks to maintain his perfect record by taking out Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series signee Grant Dawson (13-1, fighting out of Lee’s Summit, Mo.)
• In a light heavyweight slugfest that is sure to please fans, Patrick Cummins (10-5, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) meets proven veteran Ed Herman (24-14, fighting out of Portland, Ore.)

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Visit the UFC^® Press Portal for information and content to support your UFC coverage. Please click here to apply for the event.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+^®: DOS ANJOS vs. LEE go on sale Friday, March 29 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets are available for purchase online 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 27 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 28 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC^® RETURNS TO OTTAWA

WITH LIGHTWEIGHT THRILLER BETWEEN

(#4) AL IAQUINTA AND (#9) DONALD CERRONE

  

FEATURED BOUTS:

(#8) DEREK BRUNSON vs. (#14) ELIAS THEODOROU

(#9) ALEKSEI OLEINIK vs. WALT HARRIS

UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+^®: IAQUINTA vs. COWBOY TICKETS

AT CANADIAN TIRE CENTRE GO ON SALE FRIDAY, MARCH 22

Ottawa, Canada – UFC^® will return to Ottawa with a thrilling lightweight battle between No. 4 ranked contender Al Iaquinta and No. 9 Donald Cerrone. In a clash of middleweight contenders, No. 8 ranked Derek Brunson looks to re-assert himself in the title picture against No. 14 and Ontario native Elias Theodorou.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+^®: IAQUINTA vs. COWBOY will stream live from Canadian Tire Centre exclusively on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 4 with prelims kicking off on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET. All UFC live events on ESPN+ will also be available in English and Spanish.

A talented grappler with knockout power, Iaquinta (14-4-1, fighting out of Wantagh, N.Y.) returned to action in December with a spectacular win over Kevin Lee. During his UFC stint he’s picked up impressive wins against Diego Sanchez, Jorge Masvidal, Joe Lauzon and Ross Pearson. He now aims to build on his momentum with a victory over one of the biggest names in MMA. 

A perennial favorite who’s equally dangerous striking as he is on the mat, Cerrone (35-11 1NC, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) stormed back into the lightweight division with a show-stealing victory over Alexander Hernandez. He also holds highlight-reel victories against Edson Barboza, Mike Perry, Matt Brown and Rick Story. Cerrone is now ready to continue his climb back up the 155-pound ranks.

A NCAA Division II wrestler with heavy hands, Brunson (18-7, fighting out of Wilmington, N.C.) has fought the who’s who of the 185-pound division. During his UFC run, he’s delivered spectacular knockout wins against former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, Uriah Hall, Sam Alvey and Ed Herman. He now looks to make a statement on enemy territory against a rising contender.

Winner of The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia, Theodorou (17-2, fighting out of Toronto, Canada) aims to crack the middleweight top 10. An unorthodox and diverse fighter, he has picked up hard-fought victories over Eryk Anders, Trevor Smith, Cezar Ferreira and Sam Alvey. He’s now set to stake his claim as a title contender against one of the division’s most battle-tested competitors.

Announced bouts on the card include:

• Submission ace and No. 9 ranked heavyweight contender Aleksei Oleinik (57-11-1, fighting out of Moscow, Russia) makes 70^th professional appearance against dangerous Walt Harris (11-7 1NC, fighting out of Birmingham, Ala.).
• The Ultimate Fighter winner Brad Katona (9-0, fighting out of Winnipeg, Canada) aims to remain undefeated when he takes on gritty Merab Dvalishvili (8-3, fighting out of Long Island, N.Y. by way of Tbilisi, Georgia)
• Tristar Gym’s Aiemann Zahabi (7-1, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) is back in action against Vince Morales (7-2, fighting out of Ontario, Ore.)
• Marc-Andre Barriault (11-1, fighting out of Quebec City, Canada) makes his highly anticipated debut against Andrew Sanchez (11-4, fighting out of Fairfield, N.J.)
• Nordine Taleb (14-6, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) takes on fellow welterweight KO artist Siyar Bahadurzada (23-7, fighting out of Amsterdam, The Netherlands by way of Kabul, Afghanistan)
• Arjan Bhullar (8-1, fighting out of Vancouver, Canada) battles unbeaten Juan Adams (5-0, fighting out of Houston, Tex.) in a clash of rising heavyweights
• Mitch Gagnon (12-4, fighting out of Sudbury, Ont., Canada) returns against tough Brian Kelleher (19-10, fighting out of Seldan, N.Y.)
• Sarah Moras (5-5, fighting out of Kelowna, B.C., Canada) takes on Leah Letson (5-2, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) in a battle of The Ultimate Fighter veterans
• Kyle Nelson (12-2, fighting out of Huntsville, Ont., Canada) drops down to featherweight against Matt Sayles (6-2, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.)

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

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

To subscribe to ESPN+, visit www.espnplus.com/ufc.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+^®: IAQUINTA vs. COWBOY will air live from Canadian Tire Centre on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 4. Early prelims stream on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. Doors open at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+^®: IAQUINTA vs. COWBOY go on sale Friday, March 22 at 10 a.m. ET and are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.ca. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club^® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, March 20 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 21 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

ESPN+ Becomes Exclusive Provider of UFC Pay-Per-View Events for U.S. Fans

Multi-year agreement gives ESPN+ subscribers exclusive access to purchase UFC’s biggest events

UFC^® and ESPN+, the direct-to-consumer sports video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN, today announced an agreement that will deliver value and simplicity to mixed martial arts fans, making ESPN+ the exclusive distributor of UFC Pay-Per-View events in the United States through 2025. The agreement will make ESPN+ the single point of purchase for consumers of the biggest UFC events throughout the year and the definitive destination for fans to get the most comprehensive coverage of UFC.

Starting with UFC^® 236: HOLLOWAY vs. POIRIER 2 on April 13, ESPN+ becomes the exclusive distributor in the United States of all UFC PPV events, showcasing 12 blockbuster live events per year from the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, for each of the next seven years. The agreement adds a new business model to ESPN+ and builds upon the historic multi-platform rights agreement announced in 2018, which is now extended through 2025.

UFC PPV events sold through ESPN+ will include all bouts on the Main Event fight cards and will be streamed in high definition in both English and Spanish. Preliminary bouts for all UFC PPV events will continue to air nationally on ESPN (English) and ESPN Deportes (Spanish) under the agreement announced in 2018. Early preliminary bouts will be available to all ESPN+ subscribers, as well as on UFC FIGHT PASS^® and to those who have purchased the PPV. UFC will continue to sell its PPV events to commercial establishments. 

“With the addition of UFC PPV events, we are making ESPN+ an absolute must-have for any fan of the UFC and mixed martial arts,” saidKevin Mayer, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer & International, The Walt Disney Company. “In less than a year, ESPN+ has established itself as the leader in direct-to-consumer sports and this new programming agreement adds a significant business to our platform while reinforcing the value and strength of our product and our content lineup.”
“Today’s announcement further establishes the strength of the partnership between UFC and ESPN,” said UFC President Dana White. “Now our fans will be able to watch all UFC events exclusively on ESPN platforms, including ESPN+, which is an innovative way to deliver fights to our young fan base. I couldn’t be more excited to work with ESPN for the next seven years. Together we’re going to do amazing things to help grow this sport.”

Jimmy Pitaro, President, ESPN and Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks added: “The extremely successful launch of the UFC on ESPN+ emphatically demonstrated the collective power and scale of ESPN and DTCI, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue to drive passionate fans to these new pay per view experiences.”

In addition to giving MMA fans a one-stop home for all UFC PPV events, ESPN+ pricing and packaging will deliver new value to fans as well:

• New ESPN+ subscribers will get one-year of ESPN+ and a UFC PPV event for $79.99;
• Existing ESPN+ subscribers will be able to purchase UFC PPV events for $59.99 per event.

ESPN+ may explore other potential packaging in the months ahead.

UFC^® 236: HOLLOWAY vs. POIRIER 2 goes on sale via ESPN+ at espnplus.com/ppv on April 8. Fans must purchase the event on the web, and then can stream it via the web or on the ESPN App on any connected device. ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN app on all major mobile and connected TV devices and platforms, including Amazon Fire, Apple, Android, Chromecast, PS4, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, X Box One and more. 
UFC’s digital brands --- UFC.TV, UFC.com and UFC App --- will continue to serve as a consumer entry point for PPV events. Once there, fans will be directed to ESPN+ on ESPN.com, where they will be able to purchase and watch UFC PPV events.

UFC made its record-setting debut on ESPN+ on January 19, 2019, logging 568,000 new subscribers over two days. The debut marked the largest event and subscription catalyst for ESPN+ to date. Through its base subscription package ($4.99 / month, $49.99 / year), ESPN+ already offers 20 UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night events, as well as hundreds of hours of original and on-demand programming.

MICHAEL “THE COUNT” BISPING HEADLINES UFC^® HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2019 AS FIRST INDUCTEE

Las Vegas ­– UFC^® today announced that former UFC middleweight champion and winner of season three of The Ultimate Fighter^®,Michael Bisping, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s ‘Modern Wing’ as a member of the class of 2019. The 2019 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Toyo Tires^®, will take place on Friday, July 5 in Las Vegas. The event will be streamed live and exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS^®.

“It’s hard to have the level of talent needed to compete in UFC for any amount of time, but Michael Bisping was able to have an 11-year career where he became a world champion and won The Ultimate Fighter, not many people can say that,” UFC President Dana White said. “He also came back and coached The Ultimate Fighter and is now one of the best analysts on our broadcast team. Michael has been a huge part of not only building our brand, but also the sport of mixed martial arts. He absolutely deserves to be in the UFC Hall of Fame. Congratulations.”

Bisping, the first British fighter to become a UFC champion, will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as a member of the Modern Wing, joining Forrest Griffin (2013), BJ Penn (2015), Urijah Faber (2017) and Ronda Rousey (2018). The “Modern Era” category includes athletes who turned pro on or after November 17, 2000 (when the rules of mixed martial arts were adopted), are a minimum age of 35, or have been retired for one year or more.

A veteran of 40 professional fights during his 13-year career, Bisping compiled a record of 31-9, while capturing the UFC middleweight title, as well as the Cage Warriors, and Cage Rage light heavyweight titles. During his impressive career, Bisping earned notable victories over UFC Hall of Famer Dan Henderson, former UFC middleweight champions Anderson Silva and Luke Rockhold, former Strikeforce^®middleweight champion Cung Le, former WEC^® light heavyweight champion Brian Stann, and former WEC middleweight champion Chris Leben.  

Following impressive stints with Cage Warriors and Cage Rage, Bisping entered the third installment of UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock, with a 10-0 record in 2006. Bisping breezed through his first two fights on the show, dispatching each opponent with first round stoppages, before finishing Josh Hayes via second round TKO to win the light heavyweight tournament. Bisping began his post-TUF career at UFC^® 66: LIDDELL vs. ORTIZ, on December 30, 2006, defeating Eric Schafer via first-round TKO.

In 2011, Bisping would return to The Ultimate Fighter as a coach for season 14 against Jason Miller, while training featherweights and bantamweights in The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller. Bisping defeated Miller via TKO in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller Finale.

During his remarkable tenure inside the world-famous Octagon^®, “The Count”, complete with his trademark entrance music, “Song 2” by Blur, would become a global fan favorite, registering a 20-9 record in UFC, which included capturing the UFC middleweight title by defeating Luke Rockhold at UFC^® 199: ROCKHOLD vs. BISPING 2 in June 2016. Having lost to Rockhold in 2014, Bisping took the fight as the main event’s second replacement, on 17 days’ notice, winning the contest via strikes in the first round.

Bisping enters the UFC Hall of Fame with an impressive resume that includes:

• 16 wins as a UFC middleweight – most in UFC history   

• 20 wins – Tied for 2^nd in UFC history

• 29 total fights – Tied for 3^rd most in UFC history

• 5:15:15 of time inside the Octagon – most by a middleweight in UFC history    

• 1,384 significant strikes as a middleweight – most in the history of the middleweight division

• 1,567 total significant strikes – 2^nd in UFC history (Max Holloway – 1,627)

• 1 of 8 TUF winners to become an undisputed UFC champion

• The only UFC athlete in UFC history to win a season of The Ultimate Fighter and become a UFC champion that also successfully defended their title   

• 1 of 4 UFC athletes to land 100 or more significant strikes in five different fights (TJ Dillashaw, Max Holloway, Joanna Jedrzejczyk)

• Headlined UFC events in seven different countries – most in UFC history

A native of Manchester, England, Bisping began training jiu-jitsu at the age of eight. At the age of 15, he competed as an amateur in Britain’s first “no holds barred” competition, a precursor to modern MMA. Outside the Octagon, Bisping has become an accomplished combat sports analyst and commentator for UFC, as well as a successful entrepreneur as a stakeholder in UFC GYM – Costa Mesa and UFC UK. He has also excelled as an actor with roles / cameos in Den of Thieves; XXX: Return of Zander Cage; My Name is Lenny; and Triple Threat. He lives with his wife and three children in Orange County, CA.

The remaining inductees of the UFC Hall of Fame class of 2019 will be announced in the coming weeks leading to the 8^th Annual UFC International Fight Week ™, taking place from Wednesday, July 3 – Sunday, July 7 in Las Vegas. To view Bisping’s UFC FIGHT PASS collection please visit: https://www.ufc.tv/category/ufc-hall-of-fame-michael-bisping-2019.

To view the Hall of Fame fight library, please visit UFCHOF. To see a complete list of UFC athletes and fights enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, as well as details regarding the UFC Hall of Fame format, please visit UFCHOFFAQ. For additional information, please visitUFC.com.

UFC^® RETURNS TO FORT LAUDERDALE

WITH PIVOTAL MIDDLEWEIGHT REMATCH BETWEEN

(#1) YOEL ROMERO AND (#3) JACARE SOUZA

FEATURED BOUTS:

(#11) GLOVER TEIXEIRA vs. ION CUTELABA

(#8) JOHN LINEKER vs. (#10) CODY SANDHAGEN

TICKETS FOR UFC FIGHT NIGHT^® ON ESPN: ROMERO vs. JACARE 2 

AT BB&T CENTER GO ON SALE FRIDAY, MARCH 15

Las Vegas – UFC^® returns to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. with a thrilling middleweight rematch between No. 1 ranked contender Yoel Romero and No. 3 Jacare Souza. In a battle of light heavyweight sluggers, No. 11 ranked Glover Teixeira takes on hard-hittingIon Cutelaba. UFC FIGHT NIGHT^® ON ESPN: ROMERO vs. JACARE 2 takes place at the BB&T Center on Saturday, April 27 with ESPN airing the main card live at 9 p.m. ET. Prelims start at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+ kicks off the event with a live stream of the early prelims at 5:30 p.m. ET. ESPN Deportes will air the prelims live at 7 p.m. ET and stream the main card in Spanish at 9 p.m. ET on the ESPN App. All UFC live events on ESPN+ will also be available in English and Spanish.

Romero (13-3, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba) got his hand raised in the competitive first encounter, edging out a split decision win. A silver medalist in freestyle wrestling in the 2000 Olympics, Romero has earned emphatic wins over the 185-pound elite. He has delivered spectacular knockouts against Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman, Lyoto Machida and Derek Brunson, and now he aims for another show-stealing finish to stake his claim for a title shot.

Among the most decorated grapplers in MMA, Souza (26-6 1NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has shown his striking can be just as dangerous as his submission game. During his UFC run, he’s netted impressive victories against Vitor Belfort, Gegard Mousasi, Derek Brunson and Tim Boetsch. His most recent outing saw him earn a sensational KO over former champion Chris Weidman. He now looks to earn a measure of revenge against Romero and secure the No. 1 contender’s spot.

Former light heavyweight title challenger Teixeira (28-7, fighting out of Danbury, Conn. by way of Minas Gerais, Brazil) looks to earn his way back into the championship conversation. He has defeated some of the most iconic names in the sport, including former champions Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. With 14 of his last 16 wins coming by stoppage, Teixeira is eager to show he can still compete with the best in the world by taking out up-and-coming prospect Cutelaba.

Cutelaba (14-3, fighting out of Chisinau, Moldova) is gunning to earn his third stoppage victory in a row against the toughest test of his career in Teixeira. A 25-year-old with an impressive 10 wins in under 1:13, Cutelaba is one of the brighter prospects at 205 pounds, most recently taking out Luis Henrique da Silva and Gadzhimurad Antigulov via first-round KO. Now, Cutelaba looks to break into the rankings and work his way to title contention with his most impressive performance yet.

Announced bouts on the card include:

• No. 8-ranked bantamweight contender John Lineker (31-8, fighting out of Paranagua, Brazil) goes for his 15^th career KO as he looks to hand rising prospect Cory Sandhangen (10-1, fighting out of Aurora, Colo.) his first UFC loss
• Former UFC heavyweight champion and No. 14-ranked contender Andrei Arlovski (27-17, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) sets his sights on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series signee Augusto Sakai (11-1-1, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil)
• In a welterweight bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks, Alex Oliveira (19-5-1 2NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on Li Jingliang (15-5, fighting out of Beijing, China)
• In an early Fight of the Night candidate, long-time veteran Jim Miller (29-13, fighting out of Sparta, N.J.) guns for his 19^thUFC victory by taking out Jason Gonzalez (11-4, fighting out of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.)
• Former strawweight champion and No. 10-ranked contender Carla Esparza (14-6, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) collides with surging prospect Livinha Souza (12-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
• The Ultimate Fighter season 11 winner Court McGee (20-6-1, fighting out of Orem, Utah) hopes to keep his momentum going against Dhiego Lima (15-7, fighting out of Atlanta, Ga.)
• Former strawweight title challenger Jessica Penne (12-6, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.) aims to rebound againstJodie Esquibel (6-4, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.)
• Former NFL standout Greg Hardy (2-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) goes for his first UFC victory when he meetsDmitrii Smoliakov (9-2, fighting out of Kaliningrad City, Russia)

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

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

To subscribe to ESPN+, visit www.espnplus.com/ufc.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT^® ON ESPN: ROMERO vs. JACARE 2 will air live from BB&T Center on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 27, with the ESPN broadcast prelims kicking off the ESPN broadcast at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. Early prelims stream on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT^® ON ESPN: ROMERO vs. JACARE 2 go on sale Friday, March 15 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club^® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, March 13 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 14 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.