TOP 15 LIGHTWEIGHT CONTENDERS
(#11) ARMAN TSARUKYAN AND (#12) MATEUSZ GAMROT
CLASH AT UFC® APEX
FEATURED BOUT:
(#10) NEIL MAGNY vs. (#15) SHAVKAT RAKHMONOV
UFC® returns to UFC APEX with a thrilling lightweight contenders’ bout featuring No. 11 ranked Arman Tsarukyan taking on No. 12 Mateusz Gamrot. The co-main event will see No. 10 ranked welterweight Neil Magny attempt to halt the momentum of undefeated No. 15 Shakvat Rakhmonov.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: TSARUKYAN vs. GAMROT will take place Saturday, June 25 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The main card will be available on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, as well as simulcast in English and Spanish on ESPN+, starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The prelims will kick off on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
One of the top lightweights in the sport today, Tsarukyan (18-2, fighting out of Krasnodar, Russia, by way of Yerevan, Armenia) looks to extend his five-fight win streak in his first UFC main event opportunity. During his last two trips to the Octagon, he secured impressive knockout wins against Joel Alvarez and Christos Giagos. Tsarukyan now aims to become the first person to finish Gamrot with a statement performance.
Thrilling grappler Gamrot (20-1, fighting out of Poznan, Poland) plans to continue his journey up the 155-pound rankings with a breakout performance. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, he has earned dominant wins over Scott Holtzman, Jeremy Stephens and Diego Ferreira. Gamrot now hopes to dispatch Tsarukyan and break into the Top 10 for the first time in his career.
Magny (26-9, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) returns to action seeking to take sole possession of the record for most UFC welterweight wins. A longtime fixture in the Top 10, he holds notable victories against fellow ranked opponents Geoff Neal and Li Jingliang. Magny now has his sights set on dispatching another rising welterweight contender.
Rakhmonov (15-0, fighting out of Kokshetau, Uzbekistan) hopes to bolster his undefeated résumé by taking out his first ranked opponent. In his first three UFC outings, the rising star has collected wins over Carlton Harris, Michel Prazeres and Alex Oliveira. Rakhmonov is now looking for another victory to maintain his 100 percent finishing rate and continue his meteoric ascent up the rankings.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- A heavyweight bout sees Josh Parisian (14-5, fighting out of Howell, Mich.) battle Alan Baudot (8-4, fighting out of Paris, France)
- Bantamweight prospects lock horns as Nate Maness (14-1, fighting out of Henderson, Kent.) seeks to hand Umar Nurmagomedov (14-0, fighting out of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia) his first loss
- Chris Curtis (28-8, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. by way of Cincinnati, Ohio) squares off with Rodolfo Vieira (8-1, fighting out of Orlando, Fla. by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) at middleweight
- Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (37-10, fighting out of Beijing, China) meets TJ Brown (16-8, fighting out of Little Rock, Ark.) in an intriguing featherweight bout
- Light heavyweight finishers collide as Carlos Ulberg (6-1, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) returns against Tafon Nchukwi (6-2, fighting out of Temple Hill, Md.)
- Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil signee Thiago Moises (15-6, fighting out of Indaiatuba, Brazil) battles Christos Giagos (19-9, fighting out of Hawthorne, Calif.) at lightweight
- Raulian Paiva (21-4, fighting out of Amapa, Brazil) takes on Sergey Morozov (34-14, fighting out of Aktobe, Mangystau, Kazakhstan) in a bantamweight clash
- Bantamweights Brian Kelleher (24-13, fighting out of Selden, N.Y.) and Mario Bautista (9-2, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.) aim to steal the show
- JP Buys (9-4, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif. by way of Johannesburg, South Africa) and Cody Durden (12-4-1, fighting out of Loganville, Ga.) meet in a flyweight bout
- Vanessa Demopoulos (7-4, fighting out of Brook Park, Ohio) and Jinh Yu Frey (11-6, fighting out of Arlington, Texas) square off at strawweight
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