This weekend the UFC makes its annual trip to Maddison Square Garden. As usual, they are bringing a stacked fight card to New York, with two blockbuster title fights topping the deck.
Now unfortunately for UK fight fans, the main card commences at 3am however there are plenty of reason to consider setting an alarm and tuning in to this event.
In the Co-main event, the UK will be represented by Manchester’s Tom Aspinall, as he locks horns with Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich in a bid to win the Interim Heavyweight title. Pavlovich, who is currently riding a 6-fight win streak (all by first-round Knockout) possesses the second shortest average fight time in the UFC (2.23), this number is second only to Aspinall himself (2.19), who also owns a 100% finish rate (10 KO’s, 3 submissions). This bout all but guarantees fireworks.
In the main event, the light heavyweight title will be vacant no longer as Jiri Prochazka puts his 13-fight win streak on the line against Alex Pereira, in a contest of two highly credentialled strikers who prefer to keep the judges’ scorecards out of the equation. The Czech native Jiri boasts an incredible 29-3 record, with 28 of them victories coming by finish (25 KO’s, 3submissions). His opponent Pereira, who is aptly nicknamed ‘Poatan’ (Hands of Stone) will become the first UFC fighter to headline at MSG on multiple occasions and is a former two division kickboxing world champion. His skillset transitioned exceptionally to the world of MMA as he won the Middleweight title in just his fourth fight in the organisation. Now, up a weight class, the Brazilian is looking to join the illustrious list of fighters to become a UFC champion in multiple weight classes, whilst breaking the record for doing it in just ten MMA bouts, fewer than anyone else in company history.
This card has something for everyone, whether you are a die-hard fan or a casual viewer, this is not one to be missed.