UFC RETURNS TO CHARLOTTE WITH ALL-ACTION HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE

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UFC® RETURNS TO CHARLOTTE WITH ALL-ACTION HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE

BETWEEN (#9) JAIRZINHO ROZENSTRUIK AND (#12) JAILTON ALMEIDA

 

FEATURED BOUT:

(#5) ANTHONY SMITH vs. (#7) JOHNNY WALKER

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROZENSTRUIK vs. ALMEIDA

TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, APRIL 7

Las Vegas – UFC® returns to Charlotte, North Carolina for the first time since 2018 with an all-action main event between heavyweight finishers as No. 9 ranked contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik aims to land another signature KO when he takes on surging No. 12 contender Jailton Almeida. Also on the card, No. 5 ranked light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith faces No. 7 Johnny Walker in a bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROZENSTRUIK vs. ALMEIDA will take place Saturday, May 13 at Spectrum Center. The main card will air on ABC and ESPN Deportes kicking off at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT, with the prelims airing on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT. The entire card will be simulcast in English and Spanish on ESPN+. The same ESPN+ English audio call will also be available on SiriusXM Fight Nation (Channel 156).

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROZENSTRUIK vs. ALMEIDA tickets will go on sale Friday, April 7 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, April 5 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, April 6 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

Media members wishing to apply for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROZENSTRUIK vs. ALMEIDA fight week credentials may sign up here.

Heavyweight knockout artist Rozenstruik (13-4, fighting out of Paramaribo, Suriname) intends on making his first bout of 2023 a memorable one. A former professional kickboxer with 12 of his 13 MMA wins coming via KO, he holds emphatic victories over former UFC heavyweight champions Junior Dos Santos and Andrei Arlovski, as well as Alistair Overeem. Rozenstruik now seeks to halt Almeida’s climb up the rankings and make a run towards the title.

Almeida (18-2, fighting out of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil) is considered by many to be among the top prospects in the UFC today. A freak athlete who has never had a victory go to the judges, Almeida burst onto the scene with decisive wins over Danilo Marques, Parker Porter and Shamil Abdurakhimov. He now looks to maintain his undefeated UFC record in the most important bout of his MMA career.

Fan favorite Smith (36-17, fighting out of Omaha, Neb.) returns to the Octagon looking to secure another highlight reel finish. The owner of an impressive 94 percent finishing rate, Smith has cemented himself as one of the most entertaining athletes on the UFC roster with stoppages of Rashad Evans, Mauricio Rua and Alexander Gustafsson. He now aims to add to his notable resume by taking out Walker.

Walker (20-7, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland by way of Rio das Ostras, Brazil) plans to continue his momentum with another explosive performance. With 16 KOs and three submissions to his name, Walker holds his own extraordinary finishing rate of 95 percent, which includes a remarkable 17 first-round finishes. He now has his sights set on making it another quick night in the Octagon and ascend past Smith in the rankings.

Additional bouts on the card include:

  • An intriguing welterweight matchup sees Ian Machado Garry (11-0, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) take on his toughest test yet in Daniel Rodriguez (17-3, fighting out of San Gabriel, Calif.)
  • No. 7 ranked women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern (12-3, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.) tests her submission skills against No. 13 Angela Hill (15-12, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.)
  • Carlos Ulberg (8-1, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) and Ihor Potieria (20-3, fighting out of Kiev, Ukraine) clash in a light heavyweight bout
  • Veterans Tim Means (32-14-1 1NC, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) and Alex Morono (22-8 1NC, fighting out of Houston, Texas) aim to put on a show at welterweight
  • The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 winner Bryan Battle (9-2, fighting out of Matthews, N.C.) returns to action against Gabe Green (11-4, fighting out of Downey, Calif.) at welterweight
  • Another welterweight battle sees Matt Brown (25-19, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) lock horns with Court McGee (22-11, fighting out of Orem, Utah)
  • Cody Stamann (21-5-1, fighting out of Sparta, Mich.) and Douglas Silva De Andrade (28-5 1NC, fighting out of Castanhal, Para, Brazil) face off in a bantamweight tilt
  • Jessica-Rose Clark (11-8 1NC, fighting out of Innisfail, Australia) plans to spoil the UFC debut of Tainara Lisboa (5-2, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
  • Flyweights Ji Yeon Kim (9-6-2, fighting out of Incheon, South Korea) and Mandy Bohm (7-2 1 NC, fighting out of Gelsenkirchen, Germany) look to make a statement

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