UFC is set to make its debut at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. with a critical rematch in the light heavyweight division, No. 5 ranked Corey Anderson and No. 6 Jan Blachowicz each look to secure the first title shot of their UFC careers.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+®: ANDERSON vs. BLACHOWICZ will stream live from Santa Ana Star Center with all fights carried exclusively on ESPN+ in English and Spanish. The main card begins at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 15, with the prelims kicking off at 5 p.m. ET. Doors open at 4 p.m. ET.
Currently riding the longest winning streak of his UFC career, Anderson (14-4, fighting out of Robbinsville, N.J.) aims to prove that his first win over Blachowicz was no fluke. The winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 19, Anderson has been a perennial contender for much of his career and has recently netted impressive victories over Glover Teixeira, Ilir Latifi and Johnny Walker. He now looks to make it five wins in a row and finally earn his shot at UFC gold.
Coming off the two biggest victories of his UFC career, Blachowicz (25-8, fighting out of Warsaw, Poland) intends to avenge his 2015 loss to Anderson in impressive fashion. One of the most successful Polish athletes in UFC history, Blachowicz holds wins over Jacare Souza, Luke Rockhold, Jimi Manuwa and Jared Cannonier. Now, he aims to cement himself as the clear No. 1 contender in the division by snapping Anderson’s win streak.
Announced bouts on the card include:
- Fan favorite Diego Sanchez (31-12, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) meets Michel Pereira (23-10, fighting out of Tucuma, Para, Brazil) in a welterweight bout guaranteed to deliver action
- No. 7 ranked flyweight contender Rogerio Bontorin (16-1, fighting out of State of Paraná, Brazil) battles hometown hero Ray Borg (12-4, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.)
- Women’s featherweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters and No. 12 ranked bantamweight Macy Chiasson (6-1, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) takes on former UFC flyweight champion Nicco Montano (5-3, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.)
- Top women’s flyweight contenders clash as No. 11 Montana De La Rosa (10-5, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) and No. 13 Mara Romero Borella (13-6, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) each look to break into the top 10
- No. 14 ranked flyweight and Jiu Jitsu black belt Mark De La Rosa (11-3, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) meets No. 15 ranked Raulian Paiva (18-3, fighting out State of Amapá, Brazil)
- Devin Clark (10-4, fighting out of Sioux Falls, S.D.) looks to bounce back into the win column against Gadzhimurad Antigulov (20-6, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) in a light heavyweight bout
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+®: ANDERSON vs. BLACHOWICZ go on sale Friday, December 20 at 10 a.m. MST. Tickets are available for purchase at ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.
UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, December 18 at 10 a.m. MST via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, December 19 starting at 10 a.m. MST. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
To sign up for ESPN+, go to www.ESPNplus.com/UFC.
