Double UFC offering this weekend
IT will be a packed weekend of mixed martial arts action as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) goes into higher gear with two championship events.
First to go off tomorrow (Manila time) is The Ultimate Fighter Finale, dubbed “Redemption,” that will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Headlining the event is the lightweight fight between Michael “The Menace” Johnson (#5) and Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje.
In the co- main event are the contenders for The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption that sprung from the two competing teams of Team Garbrandt, coached by UFC bantamweight champion Cory Garbrandt, and Team Dillashaw, handled by former champion TJ Dillashaw.
This edition of the UFC-produced reality TV series opted to bring back participants from the previous seasons for another shot at glory.
Team Dillashaw has proven to be a big winner so far as the fighters left are coming from his fold with Dhiego Lima (TUF 19) beating teammate Tom Gallicchio (TUF 22) by unanimous decision to barge into the finals.
As of this writing, he is awaiting the winner between teammates James Krause (TUF 15) and Jesse Taylor ( TUF 7) in the other semifinals.
Also featured in the finale are the lightweight battle between Mark Diakiese and Drakkar Klose, light heavyweight Jared Cannonier against Nick Roehrick, middleweight Brad Tavares versus Elias Theodorou, and light heavyweight Jordan Johnson against Marcel Fortuna.
UFC 213
Meanwhile on Sunday, “UFC 213” takes center stage also in Las Vegas and will feature two title fights.
Women’s bantamweight champion Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes of Brazil battles number one contender Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko of Kyrgyzstan in the main event of UFC 213, a rematch of their March 2016 fight.
The co-featured fight is the interim middleweight championship title fight between top contenders Yael “Soldier of God” Romero (#1) of Cuba and Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker of New Zealand.
Champion Nunes (14-4) got the better of Ms. Shevchenko (14-2) in their first encounter by a narrow unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27, which set the stage for their reengagement.
Ms. Nunes is coming off a technical knockout win over former champion and UFC superstar Ronda Rousey last December and is riding a five-fight winning streak.
Her opponent Ms. Shevchenko, meanwhile, has won back-to-back since losing to Ms. Nunes, beating Holly Holm and Julianna Pena, in that order.
Mr. Romero (12-1), for his part, looks to secure the interim middleweight title as he awaits the return of champion Michael Bisping from injury.
The Cuban Olympian has won his last eight fights, the last one over former champ Chris Weidman in November via an impressive third-round knockout off a flying knee and punches.
On the other hand, Mr. Whittaker (19-4) is also on a roll, winning in his last seven fights.
He fought earlier this year in April against Ronaldo Souza and was a TKO winner in the second round by way of head kick and punches.
Other fights at UFC 213 are heavyweight Daniel Omielanczuk (# 15) against Curtis Blaydes, heavyweight Fabricio Werdum (#1) versus Alistair Overeem (#3), and lightweight Anthony Pettis (#6) against Jim Miller.
The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption will be shown live tomorrow beginning at 10 a.m. over Hyper Ch. 91 in SD or 261 in HD on Cignal TV with replay at 9 p. m. while UFC 213: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2 will be broadcast on Sunday staring at 10 a. m. with replay at 6 p. m.
In the Philippines, Cignal TV, the country’s foremost direct-to-home (DTH) company, is the home of the UFC after the two groups agreed to an extensive deal that will see the UFC beamed on various platforms. —