Las Vegas – The UFC® will debut in Glendale, Ariz. with an explosive matchup of lightweight contenders pitting No.5-ranked Dustin Poirier against No.6 Justin Gaethje. UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: POIRIER vs. GAETHJE takes place at Gila River Arena on Saturday, April 14.
Poirier (22-5, 1NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) is looking to continue his ascent up the 155-pound rankings with another spectacular performance. In his most recent outing, the exciting finisher earned a thrilling TKO victory against former champion Anthony Pettis to push his unbeaten streak to three bouts. During his run in the ultra-competitive lightweight division, he’s also bested Jim Miller, Bobby Green and Yancy Medeiros. Poirier now aims to take another impressive step towards a title shot and add to his long list of Fight Night bonuses.
Safford, Ariz. native Gaethje (18-1, fighting out of Arvada, Colo.) has proven to be must-watch television since joining the UFC roster last summer. Though he’s only fought twice in the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization, both bouts were for the ages. His stunning comeback TKO win over Michael Johnson was selected by UFC.com as Fight of the Year for 2017, with his wild war against Eddie Alvarez taking the runner-up spot. Gaethje now looks to rebound from the first loss of his career and reassert himself among the lightweight division’s elite.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: POIRIER vs. GAETHJE will also feature a welterweight thriller that will see former interim welterweight champion and No.12-ranked contender Carlos Condit battle dangerous striker and perennial fan favorite Matt Brown.
An aggressive striker and crafty grappler, Condit (30-11, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) has engaged in some of the most epic fights in MMA history. During his 16-year career, he’s earned legendary victories over Nick Diaz, Dan Hardy, Rory MacDonald, Martin Kampmann and Dong Hyun Kim. Condit is now gunning to kick off 2018 with a bang by taking out a fellow veteran.
A self-labelled technical brawler, Brown (23-16, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) is known for delivering fireworks each time he steps inside the Octagon®. He holds exciting wins against Stephen Thompson, Tim Means, Erick Silva and Mike Pyle. His recent finish of Diego Sanchez was named fourth best KO of 2017 by UFC.com. Brown looks to continue his momentum with another highlight-reel KO.
Additional bouts on the card include:
Former flyweight title challengers collide when No.6-ranked Wilson Reis (22-8, fighting out of San Diego, Calif. by way of Januaria, Brazil) takes on No.10 John Moraga (18-6, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.)
In a battle of strawweight contenders, No.7-ranked Michelle Waterson (14-6, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) faces No.12 Cortney Casey (7-5, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.)
Gritty brawler Tim Boetsch (21-11, fighting out of Sunbury, Penn.) meets submission ace Antonio Carlos Jr. (10-2 1NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Joao Pessoa, Brazil)
Undefeated Indo-Canadian heavyweight Arjan Singh Bhullar (7-0, fighting out of Vancouver, Canada) squares off with Polish standout Adam Wieczorek (9-1, fighting out of Chorzow, Poland)
No.14-ranked women’s flyweight Shana Dobson (3-1, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) welcomes DANA WHITE’S TUESDAY NIGHT CONTENDER SERIES contract winner Lauren Mueller (4-0, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.)
No.13-ranked middleweight contender Krzysztof Jotko (19-3, fighting out of Orneta, Poland) returns against No.15 Brad Tavares (16-5, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.)
In an exciting welterweight bout, The Ultimate Fighter® veteran Dhiego Lima (14-6, fighting out of Atlanta, Ga. by way of Goiania, Brazil) locks horns with former middleweight title challenger Yushin Okami (34-11, fighting out of Kanagawa, Japan)
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 FIGHT NIGHT®: POIRIER vs. GAETHJE will air live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Saturday, Feb. 24, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FOX at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and on UFC FIGHT PASS® at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. Doors open at 3 p.m. ET/Noon PT.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: POIRIER vs. GAETHJE go on sale Friday, February 16 at 10 a.m. MST and are priced at $160, $130, $115, $90, $80, $70, $60 and $50 (does not include fees). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.