PAIR OF THRILLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOUTS
HEADLINE UFC INTERNATIONAL FIGHT WEEKÔ
FEATURED BOUTS:
(C) ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI vs. (IC) YAIR RODRIGUEZ
(C) BRANDON MORENO vs. (#2) ALEXANDRE PANTOJA
UFC® 290: VOLKANOVSKI vs. RODRIGUEZ
TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, MAY 19
UFC International Fight Week returns to Las Vegas and will feature a blockbuster world championship doubleheader, capped off by a title unification bout that will see featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski battle interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez. Also, two-time UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno defends his belt against long-time rival Alexandre Pantoja.
UFC® 290: VOLKANOVSKI vs. RODRIGUEZ takes place Saturday, July 8 at T-Mobile Arena with the main card at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on ESPN+ PPV. The prelims will be available on ABC and ESPN, as well as simulcast in English and Spanish on ESPN+, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The night’s action will start at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT with Early Prelims on ESPN+ (English and Spanish) and UFC Fight Pass.
UFC® 290: VOLKANOVSKI vs. RODRIGUEZ tickets will go on sale Friday, May 19 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, May 17 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, May 18 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
No. 2 men’s pound-for-pound fighter Volkanovski (25-2, fighting out of Windang, NSW, Australia) returns to featherweight looking to secure his fifth successful title defense. A well-rounded grappler and striker, he holds spectacular wins against Max Holloway (thrice), Brian Ortega and Jose Aldo. Volkanovski now plans to prove he is the undisputed champion by stopping Rodriguez.
Rodriguez (16-3 1NC, fighting out of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) is coming off his incredible submission win over Josh Emmett in February to capture the interim title. A dynamic finisher, he also holds memorable stoppage victories over Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung and BJ Penn. Rodriguez now plans to dethrone Volkanovski and begin his reign atop the featherweight ladder.
Moreno (21-6-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) plans to defend his newly won title by securing his first career victory over Pantoja. Throughout his UFC run, he has secured notable victories against Deiveson Figueiredo (twice), Kai Kara-France (twice) and Brandon Royval. Moreno now plans to stop Pantoja in impressive fashion to retain his championship.
Pantoja (25-5, fighting out of Arraial Do Cabo, Brazil) hopes to repeat his past success against Moreno and achieve his dream of UFC gold. In addition to his professional and exhibition wins against the current champion, he also holds victories over Alex Perez, Brandon Royval and Matt Schnell. Pantoja now looks to put Moreno away to earn his first world championship.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- Former UFC middleweight champion and current No. 2 ranked contender Robert Whittaker (25-6, fighting out of Sydney, Australia) takes on No. 6 Dricus Du Plessis (19-2, fighting out of Pretoria, South Africa) in a bout with title implications
- Exciting lightweight contenders collide when No. 10 ranked Jalin Turner (14-6, fighting out of Fontana, Calif.) meets No. 11 Dan Hooker (22-12, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand)
- Dana White’s Contender Series signee Bo Nickal (4-0, fighting out of State College, Penn.) looks to remain undefeated when he faces The Ultimate Fighter veteran Tresean Gore (5-2, fighting out of Lawrenceville, Ga.) at middleweight
- Former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler (29-16 1NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) faces Niko Price (15-6 2NC, fighting out of Cape Coral, Fla.) in a bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks
- No. 9 ranked welterweight contender Sean Brady (15-1, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn.) looks to halt the momentum of No. 13 Jack Della Maddalena (14-2, fighting out of Perth, Western Australia)
- Unbeaten Yazmin Jauregui (10-0, fighting out of Guadalajara, Mexico) takes on Denise Gomes (7-2, fighting out of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in an intriguing strawweight tilt
- No. 13 ranked light heavyweight contender Jimmy Crute (12-3-1, fighting out of Bendigo, Victoria, Australia) rematches Alonzo Menifield (13-3-1, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) following their majority draw in February
- Shannon Ross (13-7, fighting out of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia) locks horns with Jesus Aguilar (8-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) at flyweight
- Vitor Petrino (8-0, fighting out of Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais, Brazil) looks to remain undefeated when he meets Marcin Prachnio (16-6, fighting out of Warsaw, Poland) in a light heavyweight bout
- Kamuela Kirk (12-5, fighting out of Peoria, Ariz.) squares off with Esteban Ribovics (11-1, fighting out of Cordoba, Argentina) at lightweight
- Christian Rodriguez (9-1, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) takes on unbeaten Cameron Saaiman (8-0, fighting out of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa) in a bantamweight tilt
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.
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About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 228 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 over 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 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 T-Mobile Arena
T-Mobile Arena, the 20,000-seat venue located on the Las Vegas Strip between Park MGM and New York-New York, opened April 6, 2016. The arena hosts more than 100 events annually including major headline entertainment, awards shows, UFC, boxing, basketball and other sporting events, family shows and special events. T-Mobile Arena also is the home of the Vegas Golden Knights, a National Hockey League expansion team and the city’s first professional sports team, as well as UFC’s exclusive Las Vegas arena destination. The venue, named the No. 1 venue on Billboard Magazine’s 2018 Arena Power List as well as the “Best New Major Concert Venue” by Pollstar Magazine in 2016, features 50 luxury suites, more than two dozen private loge boxes, complete broadcast facilities, and other specially designed exclusive hospitality offerings and fan amenities destined to create a guest experience second to none. Toshiba Plaza, an adjacent two-acre outdoor entertainment space, features performance stages, a variety of video screens and other interactive content and display areas. Industry-leading architect Populous designed T-Mobile Arena to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s standards for LEED® Gold Certification. T-Mobile Arena is a privately funded joint venture between AEG and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM). For more information, visit T-MobileArena.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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 25.3 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices).
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.