PIVOTAL BANTAMWEIGHT CONTENDERS’ BOUT BETWEEN
(#5) MARLON VERA AND (#8) DOMINICK CRUZ
HEADLINES UFC® RETURN TO SAN DIEGO
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: VERA vs CRUZ
TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, JUNE 24
UFC® returns to San Diego for the first time since 2015 with a pivotal battle between top bantamweight contenders that will see No. 5 ranked Marlon Vera takes on former champion and No. 8 ranked Dominick Cruz.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: VERA vs. CRUZ will take place Saturday, August 13 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, Calif. All bouts will air on ESPN and will be simulcast in English and Spanish on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes with the main card beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. The prelims will kick off at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT.
UFC® FIGHT NIGHT: VERA vs. CRUZ tickets will go on sale Friday, June 24 at 10 a.m. PT and are available for purchase at AXS.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, June 22 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, June 23 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
Media members wishing to apply for UFC® FIGHT NIGHT: VERA vs. CRUZ fight week credentials may sign up here.
Rising star Vera (19-7-1, fighting out of Chone, Manabi, Ecuador) intends to deliver his best performance yet in his second consecutive UFC main event. A well-rounded martial artist, Vera owns the record for most finishes in UFC bantamweight history, including those earned in his victories over former champion Frankie Edgar, Sean O’Malley and Brad Pickett. He now plans to insert his name into the UFC title picture for the first time by taking out Cruz.
Former UFC and WEC bantamweight champion Cruz (24-3, San Diego, Calif.) aims to make a statement in front of his hometown crowd. Owner of one of the most unique fighting styles in MMA, Cruz has cemented himself among the best to ever compete at 135-pounds with wins over fellow champions TJ Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson. He now looks to put a halt to Vera’s momentum and break back into the Top 5.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- Top ranked UFC women’s strawweights face off as No. 5 Alexa Grasso (14-3, fighting out of Guadalajara, Mexico) meets No. 7 Viviane Araujo (11-3, fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil)
- A flyweight bout sees Malcolm Gordon (14-5, fighting out of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada) take on Allan Nascimento (19-6, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- No. 7 ranked UFC women’s bantamweight contender Aspen Ladd (9-3, fighting out of El Dorado Hill, Calif.) looks to defend her spot in the rankings against No. 8 Sara McMann (13-6, fighting out of Gaffney, S.C.)
- Devin Clark (13-6, fighting out of Sioux Falls, S.D.) plans to be the first to defeat Azamat Murzakanov (11-0, fighting out of Fairfield, N.J. by way of Nalchik, Russia) in a light heavyweight bout
- Bruno Silva (22-7, fighting out of Parana, Brazil) aims for another signature finish when he faces veteran Gerald Meerschaert (34-15, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) in a middleweight bout
- Heavyweight action sees Martin Buday (10-1, fighting out of Nitra, Slovakia) collide with Lukasz Brzeski (8-1-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Małopolskie, Poland)
- Yazmin Jauregui (8-0, fighting out of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico) intends to make a statement in her UFC debut against Istela Nunes (6-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 688 million fans and 198 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 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 Pechanga Arena/ASM Global
ASM Global is 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 350 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention, and exhibition centers, and performing arts venues Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. asmglobal.com
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 22.3 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). Subscribers to Hulu + Live TV also receive ESPN+ at no additional cost.
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.