History will be made in February next year, as the UFC has officially confirmed their main event and co-main event for UFC 157 in Anaheim.
Despite rumors that former No. 1 light heavyweight title contender Dan Henderson‘s knee injury could oust him from the card, the UFC has confirmed via Twitter that he will indeed be facing former champion Lyoto Machida in UFC 157’s co-main event. Tickets will be on sale starting on Dec. 21.
So far, this is the current lineup of confirmed fights for the UFC’s return to Anaheim’s Honda Center on Feb. 23:
• Women’s Bantamweight Title: Ronda Rousey (Champion) vs. Liz Carmouche
• Light Heavyweight Title Eliminator: Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida
• Men’s Bantamweight Bout: Urijah Faber vs. Ivan Menjivar
Notably, this will be Henderson’s first time not headlining a card since UFC 100 in July 2009.
Previously, Henderson has been featured as the main event for his last five fights, including UFC 139 and four separate Strikeforce events, which included a stint as the promotion’s light heavyweight champion.
Concordantly, this will be Rousey’s third time as the main event star, following her two previous appearances in Strikeforce where she won and defended the women’s bantamweight championship.
This will be a bit of a test for the UFC, as the Honda Center previously drew record-low attendance for their last event at the first UFC on FOX card.
As outlined before, UFC heavyweight title fights have been the biggest draws for that venue.
Additionally, the card is planned to feature Brendan Schaub vs. Lavar Johnson, in a heavyweight match that was pulled from UFC on FOX 5 due to an injury suffered by Johnson. Ultimate Fighter Season 11 winner Court McGee will also drop to welterweight to face Josh Neer, as reported earlier today.
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