UFC returns to Dallas with a pair of championship fights

Las Vegas – UFC® will return to Dallas, Tex. with a highly anticipated welterweight championship bout that will see Tyron Woodley defend against undefeated No.2-ranked contender Darren Till. Also, women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano makes her first defense versus No.1-ranked contender Valentina Shevchenko. UFC® 228: WOODLEY vs. TILL goes down Saturday, Sept. 8 at American Airlines Center and will air live on Pay-Per-View.

Unbeaten for almost four years, UFC welterweight champ and No.7-ranked pound-for-pound fighter Woodley (18-3-1, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) goes for his fourth successful title defense. Known for his elite wrestling and knockout power, he has earned victories against Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, Robbie Lawler, Kelvin Gastelum and Carlos Condit. Woodley now aims to stop a surging and unbeaten contender dead in his tracks.

A diverse and cerebral striker, Till (17-0-1, fighting out of Liverpool, England) has been on a tear since joining the UFC roster three years ago. He’s earned incredible wins over Donald Cerrone, Bojan Velickovic, Wendell de Oliveira and Stephen Thompson, the latter coming in front of his hometown crowd this past May. With momentum and unwavering confidence on his side, Till is now on the cusp of the becoming the first undefeated UFC welterweight champion.

Also at UFC® 228: WOODLEY vs. TILL, two dynamic flyweights battle for the top spot in the newly minted 125-pound division.

Montano (5-2, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) conquered The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion tournament to become the inaugural champ in December. Though she was seeded at #14, she put together an incredible run that saw her net impressive victories against Lauren Murphy, Montana Stewart and Barb Honchak. Montano then took home the title with a thrilling win over Roxanne Modafferi at the live finale. She is now gunning for her first successful defense.

A former title challenger at 135-pound, Shevchenko (15-3, fighting out of Lima, Peru by way of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) holds wins over many of the biggest names in women’s MMA. Though she failed to dethrone bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes, she holds spectacular wins over Holly Holm, Julianna Pena and Sarah Kaufman. She then put the flyweight division on notice when with her vicious victory over Priscila Cachoeira in February. A decorated kickboxer, Shevchenko now looks to add UFC gold to her resume.

Additional bouts on the card include:

No.14-ranked featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov (15-1, fighting out of Dagestan, Russia) squares off with No.15 Yair Rodriguez (11-2, fighting out of Chicago, Ill. by way of Parral, Mexico) in a bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks
In a pivotal strawweight fight, No.2-ranked contender Jessica Andrade (18-6, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) locks horns with No.4 Karolina Kowalkiewicz (12-2, fighting out of Lodz, Poland)
No.8-ranked bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling (14-3, fighting out of Uniondale, N.Y.) looks to keep his momentum going against surging No.10 Cody Stamann (17-1, fighting out of Sparta, Mich.)
Former strawweight champion and No.6-ranked contender Carla Esparza (14-5, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) takes on undefeated No.9 Tatiana Suarez (7-0, fighting out of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.)
Exciting bantamweight contenders collide when No.5-ranked Jimmie Rivera (21-2, fighting out of Ramsey, N.J.) faces No.7 John Dodson (21-9,fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.)
Perennial fan favorite Jim Miller (28-11 1NC, fighting out of Sparta, N.J.) faces Alex White (12-3, fighting out of Farmington, Mo.)
Dallas flyweight Ryan Benoit (10-5, fighting out of Dallas, Tex.) looks for another highlight-reel finish when meets Roberto Sanchez (8-1, fighting out of Houston, Tex.)
Surging hometown middleweight Charles Byrd (9-4, fighting out of Dallas, Tex.) goes for his fifth straight win against dangerous striker Darren Stewart (8-3 1NC, fighting out of London, England)’
Dallas welterweight Geoff Neal (9-2, fighting out of Dallas, Tex.) goes for his fourth straight win against gritty Frank Camacho (21-6, fighting out of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands)

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

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UFC® 228: WOODLEY vs. TILL will air live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Saturday, Sept. 8, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FS1 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.

Tickets for UFC® 228: WOODLEY vs. TILL go on sale Friday, July 27 at 10 a.m. CT and are priced at $350, $275, $225, $175, $125, $100, $85, $70 and $60 (does not include fees). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.