Top Ranked Flyweights Erin Blanchfield And Manon Fiorot Headline UFC Return To Atlantic City
Featured Bouts: Chris Weidman Vs Bruno Silva; Vicente Luque Vs Joaquin Buckley
UFC returns to Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall for the first time since 2018 with a stacked event headlined by top ranked flyweights as No. 2 ranked contender Erin Blanchfield faces No. 3 Manon Fiorot with title aspirations on the line. Also, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman battles Bruno Silva.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: BLANCHFIELD vs. FIOROT will take place Saturday, March 30 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The entire card will stream on ESPN+ in English and Spanish, with the prelims also airing on ESPN2 beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT followed by the main card on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: BLANCHFIELD vs. FIOROT tickets will go on sale Friday, February 23 at 10 a.m. ET and 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, February 21 at 10 a.m. ET via www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, February 22 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
Media members wishing to apply for UFC FIGHT NIGHT: BLANCHFIELD vs. FIOROT fight week credentials may sign up here.
No. 4 ranked women’s pound-for-pound fighter Blanchfield (12-1, fighting out of Elmwood Park, N.J.) looks to secure the biggest win of her MMA career in front of her home state fans. Still only 24 years old, she has cemented herself as one of the top prospects in the UFC with wins over Jessica Andrade, Taila Santos and Molly McCann. Blanchfield now plans to clinch her first title shot with a dominant performance.
French striker Fiorot (11-1, fighting out of Nice, France) intends to make a statement in her first UFC main event. A Karate black belt, Fiorot burst onto the UFC scene with highlight finishes of Victoria Leonardo and Tabatha Ricci before announcing herself as a top contender with her most recent win over former champion Rose Namajunas. She now aims to become the first to finish Blanchfield in the UFC and earn her spot as the top contender in the division.
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman (15-7, fighting out of Baldwin, N.Y.) seeks to deliver a vintage performance. Considered among the greatest UFC middleweights of all time, Weidman holds historic wins over Anderson Silva (twice), Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort. He now has his sights set on adding to his record for most takedowns in UFC middleweight history with a commanding victory over Silva.
Always exciting Silva (23-10, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) hopes to add Weidman’s notable name to his resume with a signature knockout. Having finished 20 of his 23 wins via strikes, Silva has entertained fans with triumphs over Brad Tavares, Jordan Wright and Andrew Sanchez. He now looks to start his 2024 campaign off on a high note by stopping Weidman.
Additional bouts on the card include:
Welterweight strikers lock horns as No. 9 ranked Vicente Luque (22-9-1, fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil) faces Joaquin Buckley (17-6, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.)
No. 4 ranked strawweight Virna Jandiroba (19-3, fighting out of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil) aims to defend her spot in the rankings against No. 10 Loopy Godinez (12-3, fighting out of Vancouver, B.C., Canada by way of Aguascalientes, Mexico)
Nursultan Ruziboev (35-8-2 2NC, fighting out of Tashkent, Uzbekistan) aims to stay undefeated in the UFC as he takes on Dana White’s Contender Series signee Sedriques Dumas (9-1, fighting out of Pensacola, Fla.) at middleweight
Julio Arce (18-6, fighting out of Bayside, N.Y.) locks horns with Herbert Burns (11-4, fighting out of Lantana, Fla. by way of Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in an exciting featherweight bout
All-action featherweights Pat Sabatini (18-5, fighting out of Bristol, Penn.) and Nate Landwehr (17-5, fighting out of Clarksville, Tenn.) aim to put on a show
Bill Algeo (18-7, fighting out of King of Prussia, Penn.) and Kyle Nelson (15-5-1, fighting out of Huntsville, Ontario, Canada) meet in an all-action featherweight bout
Dana White’s Contender Series signee Ibo Aslan (12-1, fighting out of Istanbul, Turkey) looks to impress in his UFC debut again Anton Turkalj (8-3, fighting out of Gothenburg, Sweden) at light heavyweight
Featherweights Dennis Buzukja (11-4, fighting out of Merrick, N.Y.) and Connor Matthews (7-1, fighting out of Fall River, Mass.) collide
Angel Pacheco(7-2, fighting out of Rice, Minn.) and Caolan Loughran(8-1, fighting out of Anfield, England) vie for their first UFC wins in a bantamweight bout
A battle of middleweight grapplers sees Andre Petroski (10-3, fighting out of Springfield, Penn.) go toe-to-toe with Jacob Malkoun (7-3, fighting out of Oran Park, NSW, Australia)
Chidi Njokuani (22-10 1NC, fighting out of Saginaw, Texas) and Rhys McKee (13-5 1NC, fighting out of Ballymena, Northern Ireland) meet in an intriguing welterweight bout
Flyweight contenders Viktoriia Dudakova (8-0, fighting out of Volgograd, Russia) and Melissa Gatto (8-2, fighting out of Parana, Brazil) aim for a statement win
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