The UFC’s return to Germany later this year appears to be finalized. The nine-card bout was fully announced today from Germany, with the expected headliner between middleweights Gegard Mousasi and Mark Munoz taking top billing.
The card takes place on May 31, the same day that a UFC Fight Night in Brazil is set to occur. The card takes place exclusively on Fight Pass, the subscription-based service of the UFC.
Mousasi and Munoz are both coming off tough losses and look to jump back into title talks against one another. Mousasi lost a technical chess match to Lyoto Machida, who is now the top contender to champion Chris Weidman. Munoz is coming off a devastating head-kick knockout, also at the hands of Machida, in the headliner of a UK show last year.
The matchup represents a striker versus a wrestler, which could make for an interesting bout. Munoz will likely look to plant Mousasi on his back, while Mousasi will look to use his technical, precise boxing to pick Munoz apart.
Fitting the bill of the co-main event will be another pair of middleweight contenders, as French grinder Francis Carmont looks to defend his European home turf against American wrestler CB Dollaway.
Carmont is coming off a tough loss to Ronaldo Souza, who was able to outwork the grinder. Before that, Carmont was on a huge winning streak that had him close to title contention.
Dollaway, on the other hand, is riding the strength of a quick, massive upset win in Brazil over Cezar Ferreira. Despite being a heavy underdog from oddsmakers, Dollaway quickly caught Ferreira with punches and finished him in devastating fashion.
Rounding off the main card will be a middleweight bout between up-and-coming prospects Luke Barnatt and Sean Strickland, as well as a featherweight tilt between Tom Niinimaki and Thiago Tavares.
The undercard hosts a bunch of new names, as well as a couple of familiar faces.
Of the newcomers, the UFC has put German lightweight Nick Hein on the roster, as well as Pole Pawel Pawlak, Russian heavyweight Ruslan Magomedov, Czech mauler Viktor Pesta and has even re-signed German welterweight Peter Sobotta to make appearances.
Here is a full rundown of the card, which includes nine bouts.
| Division | Fighter #1 | Fighter #2 |
| Middleweight | Gegard Mousasi (NET) | Mark Munoz (USA) |
| Middleweight | Francis Carmont (FRA) | CB Dollaway (USA) |
| Middleweight | Luke Barnatt (UK) | Sean Strickland (USA) |
| Featherweight | Tom Niinimaki (FIN) | Thiago Tavares (BRA) |
| Lightweight | Nick Hein (GER) | Drew Dober (USA) |
| Middleweight | Magnus Cedenblad (SWE) | Krzysztof Jotko (POL) |
| Featherweight | Andy Ogle (UK) | Maximo Blanco (VEN) |
| Welterweight | Peter Sobotta (GER) | Pawel Pawlak (POL) |
| Heavyweight | Ruslan Magomedov (RUS) | Viktor Pesta (CZE) |
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