UFC Returns to Calgary with a Pivotal Lightweight Rematch between contenders Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier

Calgary, Canada – UFC® makes its long-awaited return to Calgary with a thrilling lightweight rematch between former champion and No.3-ranked contender Eddie Alvarez and No.4 Dustin Poirier. Also, former featherweight champion and No.2-ranked contender Jose Aldo will battle No.4 Jeremy Stephens in a co-main event guaranteed to deliver fireworks. UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ALVAREZ vs. POIRIER 2 takes place Saturday, July 28 at Scotiabank Saddledome and will air live on FOX. The event will broadcast live in Canada on CTV Two.

Alvarez (29-5 1NC, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn., USA) and Poirier (23-5 1NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla., USA) originally met one year ago, in an exciting bout that ended in a no contest. They now get to pick up where they left off in front of a packed house in Calgary.

An MMA veteran for almost 15 years, Alvarez’s most recent outing saw him become the first fighter to finish Justin Gaethje this past December. Not only did the bout win Fight of the Night honors at UFC 218, it also took the No.2 spot on UFC.com’s Top 10 fights of 2017 list. Over the course of his career, he’s earned victories over Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez and Tatsuya Kawajiri. In 2016, he knocked out Rafael Dos Anjos to capture the UFC lightweight championship. Alvarez now looks for another show-stealing performance to stake his claim for a title shot.

A former featherweight mainstay, Poirier has been on a tear since moving back to lightweight in 2015. During his run in the UFC’s stacked 155-pound division, he’s taken home five fight night bonuses. He’s netted sensational wins against Antony Pettis, Jim Miller, Bobby Green, Yancy Medeiros and Joseph Duffy and in his last appearance, he delivered an incredible TKO victory over Justin Gaethje in a Fight of the Year contender last month. Poirier now plans to settle the score with Alvarez and earn his first shot at UFC championship gold.

The UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ALVAREZ vs. POIRIER 2 co-main event will feature a pair of featherweight KO artists.

The most dominant 145-pound titleholder in UFC history, Aldo (26-4, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) looks to get back on track following losses to current champ Max Holloway. During his legendary 10-year win streak, he beat the best the featherweight division had to offer. Among his victims are former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar, Chad Mendes and UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber. The all-time great is now gunning to reclaim momentum against one of the division’s heaviest hitters.

A 13-year MMA veteran, Stephens (28-14, fighting out of San Diego, Calif., USA) has been on a tear in the featherweight division. Currently riding a three-fight win streak – with each bout netting him a fight night bonus – he plans to use Aldo as a stepping-stone to a title shot. Known for his powerful hands, Stephens has delivered exciting knockouts against Josh Emmett, Dooho Choi, Dennis Bermudez and Rony Jason. A win over the Brazilian legend would thrust Stephens straight into the title mix.

Additional bouts on the card include:

Former women’s strawweight champion and No.1-ranked contender Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-2, fighting out of Olsztyn, Poland) throws down with No.5 Tecia Torres (10-2, fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colo., USA)
No.4-ranked women’s flyweight contender Alexis Davis (19-7, fighting out of San Jose, Calif., USA by way of Niagara Falls, Ont., Canada) looks to stake her claim for a title shot against No.8 Katlyn Chookagian (10-1, fighting out of Kenilworth, N.J., USA)
In a clash of surging lightweights, No.13-ranked contender Alexander Hernandez (9-1, fighting out of San Antonio, Tex., USA) squares off with No.15 Olivier Aubin-Mercier (12-2, fighting out of Montreal, Canada)
Strawweight contenders collide when No.12-ranked Randa Markos (8-6, fighting out of Windsor, Ont., Canada) takes on No.13 Nina Ansaroff (8-5, fighting out of Weston, Fla., USA)
No.10-ranked flyweight contender Dustin Ortiz (18-7, fighting out of Franklin, Tenn., USA) battles No.12 Matheus Nicolau (13-2-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
In a battle of talented strikers, John Makdessi (15-6, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) locks horns with Ross Pearson (22-14 1NC, fighting out of Sunderland, England)
Kajan Johnson (22-12-1, fighting out of Vancouver, Canada) goes for his fifth straight win against rising prospect Islam Makhachev (15-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia)
Alberta native Jordan Mein (30-12, fighting out of Lethbridge, Alta, Canada) looks to blow the roof off the Saddledome when he meets Alex Morono (14-4 1NC, fighting out of Houston, Tex., USA)
Hometown favorite Hakeem Dawodu (7-1-1, fighting out of Calgary, Canada) aims for his first UFC victory when he faces Austin Arnett (15-5, fighting out of Clarkston, Wash., USA)
In light heavyweight action, Gadzhimurad Antigulov (20-4, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) takes on Ion Cutelaba (13-3 1NC, fighting out of Chisinau, Republic of Moldova)

For more information or current fight news, visit ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ALVAREZ vs. POIRIER 2 go on sale Friday, June 1 at 10 a.m. MT and will be priced at $320.25, $236.25, $189.00, $152.25, $120.75, $99.75, $78.75 and $56.25 CAD. Tickets are available for purchase via Ticketmaster.ca and limited to eight (8) per person.

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, May 30 at 10 a.m. MT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, May 31 starting at 10 a.m. MT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ALVAREZ vs. POIRIER 2 will air live on Saturday, July 28 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on FOX. In Canada, the main card will be broadcast on CTV TWO and RDS 2.

Since 2008, the UFC has staged 25 events in the Great White North, across 10 different cities – Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.