UFC president Dana White was working hard on Thursday locking down a ton of fights for upcoming events, many of which will go down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
While most UFC fans were spending their 4/20 chilling out with a smoke and a snack, UFC president Dana White was hard at work putting the finishing touches on the promotion’s June and July schedule.
On Thursday night, White uploaded a video to the UFC’s YouTube page sharing four new headlining bouts for upcoming Fight Night shows. They include: Jack Hermansson vs. Brendan Allen, Marvin Vettori vs. Jared Cannonier, Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria, and Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov.
Three of the four cards will take place at the UFC Apex.
“On June 3rd at the Apex, UFC Fight Night will be headlined by Jack Hermansson vs. Brendan Allen,” White declared on the video. “That is a great fight between No. 10 and No. 13 in the middleweight division with both guys looking to get themselves into title contention.”
“Then, two weeks later on June 17th, we have another bad ass fight headlining UFC Fight Night at the Apex. Marvin Vettori vs. Jared Cannonier is a match up of top five middleweights. Both guys are absolute beasts, and the winner will be on a very short list for the next title shot at 185 pounds.”
“Then, the very next week on June 24th, we’re back in Jacksonville Florida with a UFC Fight Night card that will be live and free on ABC the network,” White said. “The main event: No. 5 ranked Josh Emmett vs. No. 9 Ilia Topuria. Two savages with knockout power. And that is a very fun fight in the 145 pound division.”
“Then to kick off July we have a killer main event that will be on ESPN network. Sean Strickland fights for the third time in less than seven months. The guy is always ready to fight, he’s taking on a guy that literally no one wants to fight, Abus Magomedov. He is a middleweight with 20 finishes in 25 pro wins. This fight will be in Vegas at the UFC Apex.”
White also announced the addition of Gilbert Burns vs. Belal Muhammad to UFC 288 and Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush for UFC 289. The UFC’s return to London, England was also confirmed with a July 22nd Fight Night event at the O2 Arena.
“We’re working on that card now,” White finished. “But you know I always have something special in line for the UK fight fans.”
So what do you think of the upcoming slate of UFC Fight Night headliners at the Apex, Maniacs? Is this a solid way to roll into the summer? Or where you hoping for a little more than Brendan Allen and Abus Magomedov?