2 of 2,423 HIGH-STAKES WELTERWEIGHT MATCHUP HEADLINES UFC RETURN TO TAMPA
HIGH-STAKES WELTERWEIGHT MATCHUP BETWEEN
(#7) IAN MACHADO GARRY AND (#9) JOAQUIN BUCKLEY HEADLINES UFC® RETURN TO TAMPA
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHADO GARRY vs BUCKLEY
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FEATURED BOUT:
(#6) MACKENZIE DERN vs (#8) AMANDA RIBAS
Las Vegas – UFC® returns to Tampa, Fla. for the first time since 2019 with a Top 10 welterweight matchup between two rising stars of the division as No. 7 ranked contender Ian Machado Garry battles No. 9 Joaquin Buckley. Also on the card, No. 6 ranked UFC strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern faces No. 8 Amanda Ribas in a rematch of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHADO GARRY vs BUCKLEY will take place Saturday, December 14 at Amalie Arena. The prelims will be simulcast on ESPNNEWS and ESPN+ in English and Spanish beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. The main card will be simulcast in English and Spanish on ESPN2 and ESPN+ starting at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT. The full card will also air on ESPN Desportes.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHADO GARRY vs BUCKLEY tickets are available for purchase at ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.
VIP Experience packages are available via On Location, UFC’s Official VIP Experience Provider. Enjoy exclusive access with an official ticket package that can feature premium seating, VIP access to weigh-ins, all-inclusive hospitality, meet-and-greets with UFC fighters and more. For more information, visit UFCVIP.com to view package details.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHADO GARRY vs. BUCKLEY will also serve as UFC’s annual “Fight Like Hell” night, which honors the legacy of Stuart Scott, the late ESPN sportscaster, by raising funds and awareness for the V Foundation’s Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund. The telecast will include vignettes of UFC athletes who have been impacted personally by cancer, either directly or through family or friends who have suffered from the disease.
Undefeated Machado Garry (15-0, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland by way of Belo Horizonte, Brazil) aims to impress in his first UFC main event. Widely considered one of the top prospects in any division, he holds victories over Michael Page, Geoff Neal and Neil Magny. Machado Garry now intends to retain his perfect record with a statement victory over Buckley.
Buckley (20-6, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) has been on fire since returning to the welterweight division in 2023. Owner of some of the most impressive knockouts in UFC history, Buckley is currently on a five-fight win streak, including victories over Stephen Thompson, Nursulton Ruziboev and Vicente Luque. He now seeks to knock Machado Garry from the ranks of the unbeaten in his first UFC main event.
Grappling ace Dern (14-5, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.) has her sights set on breaking into the Top 5 by becoming the first person to submit Ribas. A multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, she has showed off her skills in wins against Loopy Godinez, Angela Hill and Nina Nunes. Dern now plans to even the score with Ribas by delivering another exciting Octagon appearance.
Ribas (12-5, fighting out of Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil) looks to end the year with a highlight-reel victory. Currently ranked in both the UFC strawweight and flyweight divisions, Ribas has proven herself as one of the best in the world with victories over Luana Pinheiro, Viviane Araujo and Virna Jandiroba. She now sets out to show that her 2019 win over Dern was no fluke.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- An exciting featherweight bout sees UFC Hall of Famer Cub Swanson (29-14, fighting out of Palm Springs, Calif.) match up with Billy Quarantillo (18-6, fighting out of Tampa, Fla.)
- No. 12 ranked flyweight contender Tracy Cortez (11-2, fighting out of Scottsdale, Ariz.) puts her spot in the rankings on the line against Miranda Maverick (16-5, fighting out of Highlands Ranch, Colo.)
- Veteran Michael Johnson (23-19, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) looks to add another knockout to his resume when he faces Ottman Azaitar (13-2, fighting out of Rabat, Morocco)
- No. 9 ranked flyweight contender Manel Kape (19-7, fighting out of Phuket, Thailand by way of Porto, Portugal) battles No. 12 Bruno Silva (14-5-2 1NC, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- Lightweights Joel Alvarez (21-3, fighting out of Asturias, Spain) and Drakkar Klose (15-2-1, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.) lock horns
- Vitor Petrino (11-1, fighting out of Curitiba, Parana, Brazil) and Dustin Jacoby (19-9-1, fighting out of Springfield, Ill.) face off in a collision of light heavyweight strikers
- Adrian Yanez (17-5, fighting out of La Porte, Texas) returns to action against Daniel Marcos (16-0 1NC, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla. by way of Lima, Peru) in an exciting bantamweight bout
- A bantamweight bout sees Davey Grant (15-7, fighting out of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England) battle Ramon Taveras (10-2, fighting out of Jacksonville, Fla.)
- Josefine Knutsson (8-0, fighting out of Bromma, Varmland, Sweden) aims to keep her undefeated record intact against Piera Rodriguez (9-2, fighting out of Malaga, Spain)
- Dana White’s Contender Series signee Navajo Stirling (5-0, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) intends to make a statement in his UFC debut against Tuco Tokkos (10-4, fighting out of Lakeworth, Fla.)
- Featherweights Sean Woodson (12-1-1, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) and Fernando Padilla (16-5, fighting out of Chihuahua, Mexico) meet in an all-action bout
For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change. Please click here to apply for the event.