Athletes
Fights To Watch Before UFC Tampa
Look back at eight stand out fights from some of the card's biggest stars
The Octagon has returned to sunny Florida with a strawweight showdown. Former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will take on the surging Michelle Waterson to see which fighter deserves to rise to title contention.
Jedrzejczyk is coming off an up an down 2018, but now that she has returned to strawweight she looks to get back to her throne. Jedrzejczyk defeated Tecia Torres the last time she made the walk at 115-lbs and after nearly all of 2019 off she believes she is ready to make another run. Waterson on the other hand, had a great 2018, securing back-to-back wins over Cortney Casey and Felice Herrig. And then her win at UFC Philadelphia over Karolina Kowalkiewicz in late March helped set-up this bout with Jedrzejczyk.
It's going to be a fun one.
The rest of the card is full of names like Cub Swanson, Kron Gracie, Mackenzie Dern, Luis Pena, Eryk Anders, Niko Price, Ryan Spann, Deiveson Figueiredo, Chito Vera and more.
Get ready for UFC Tampa by watching the past performances of some of the card’s biggest stars and prospects. Watch the whole collection here: https://www.ufc.tv/category/ufc-tampa-fights-to-watch
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Jessica Andrade
UFC 211 - May 13, 2017
The strawweight queen made sure to continue her reign of dominance at UFC 211. Joanna Jedrzejczyk took on the powerful (and future champ) Jessica Andrade and she showed why she kept the strap for so long.
Michelle Waterson vs Felice Herrig
UFC 229 - October 6, 2018
In a match-up of former "Fight Girls" alumni, Michelle Waterson made sure to get the job done against friend Felice Herrig. It's a fun fight that shows the versatility of Waterson and why she has been climbing the strawweight ranks.
Cub Swanson vs Artem Lobov
UFC Nashville - April 22, 2017
Fan favorites collided in Nashville as Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov met in the Octagon. It was a dominant performance from Swanson who showed his wide variety of skills in route to a nice victory against the gritty Lobov.
Kron Gracie vs Alex Caceres
UFC Phoenix - February 17, 2019
Talk about making a good first impression. Kron Gracie justified all the hype behind him by taking it to Alex Caceres in his UFC debut.
Mackenzie Dern vs Amanda Cooper
UFC 224 - May 12, 2018
Mackenzie Dern wanted to prove why she is one of the most exciting prospects in the UFC. And she managed to do just that at UFC 224 in Rio De Janiero against Amanda Cooper.
Luis Pena vs Matt Wiman
UFC Nashville - March 23, 2019
It didn't take long for Luis Pena to take his momentum for The Ultimate Fighter 27: Undefeated and run with it. He put together a couple nice fights and earned a shot at veteran Matt Wiman at UFC Nashville. It was a test for "Violent Bob Ross" and he passed with flying colors.
Ryan Spann vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueria
UFC 237 - May 11, 2019
It's not easy to take on a legend in their home country. Ryan Spann made the trip to Rio De Janeiro and put on the performance of a lifetime against the well-respected Antonio Rogerio Nogueria.
Niko Price vs Tim Means
UFC Wichita - March 9, 2019
You want to watch some fireworks? Then turn on a Niko Price fight. That dude brings excitement and a show every time he steps into the Octagon. It was more of the same against the dangerous Tim Means at UFC Wichita.
Watch the whole collection here: https://www.ufc.tv/category/ufc-tampa-fights-to-watch
The UFC Tampa main card starts live on ESPN+ at 8pm/5pm ETPT. Make sure you tune in to see all the action live from Tampa Bay, Florida.
Gavin Porter is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com, follow him on Twitter at @PorterUFCNews