The UFC has announced plans for the Jacksonville main event as ONE Championship moves closer to a U.S. debut. Also, Combate Global takes on Japan.
UFC Jacksonville to feature Josh Emmett-Ilia Topuria
Featherweight contenders Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria will meet in the main event of UFC Jacksonville. The card takes place Saturday, June 24 from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
The main card will air on ABC with prelims on ESPN. All the action will also stream live on ESPN+.
“We are excited to welcome Dana White and UFC back to Jacksonville. This is always a major event for our city,” said Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry.
During the pandemic, Jacksonville hosted three consecutive empty venue shows at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. UFC returned in 2021 and 2022 for sold out fights. In 2021, UFC 261 earned an arena-record $3.3 million in ticket revenue and generated $17.6 million in economic impact for the area.
“Jacksonville was proud to host the first major indoor sporting event during the coronavirus pandemic. We look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to our downtown and demonstrating that we are a premier destination for live sports and entertainment.”
Emmett holds wins over Calvin Kattar, Dan Ige and Shane Burgos among his 18 career triumphs, while Topuria is unbeaten at 13-0. This will be his first UFC main event after picking up wins vs. Bryce Mitchell and Ryan Hall.
Other announced bouts include Tatsuro Taira putting his 13-0 mark on the line vs. Kelidison Rodrigues, Tabatha Ricci battling Gillian Robertson, Amanda Ribas taking on Maycee Barber and Austen Lane facing off against Justin Tafa.
ONE U.S. debut Friday with Demetrious Johnson in main event
Former UFC champion and reigning ONE flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson will headline the first United States event hosted by ONE Championship.
ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III takes place Friday live on Amazon Prime from the 1stBank Center in Denver, Colorado. “Mighty Mouse” will be meeting Adriano Moraes for a third time.
Along with that bout, Rodtang Jitmuangnon puts his flyweight Muay Thai title on the line against Edgar Tabares and flyweight submission grappling champion Mikey Musumeci faces Osamah Almarwai.
Stamp Fairtex, a former ONE champion, meets Alyse Anderson and former UFC fighter Sage Northcutt returns to take on Ahmed Mujtaba. Northcutt last competed in 2019 when he lost his ONE debut to Cosmo Alexandre.
Kairat Akhmetov, Reinier de Ridder and Aung La Nsang will all be in scheduled bouts throughout the night.
Combate Global takes on Japan on Paramount+
Combate Global will bring the best of Japan to the cage on Friday, May 13 with an event live on Paramount+.
In the main event, Ana Palacios battles Chihiro Sawada, while Victor Valenzuela faces Shinsho Anzai in a welterweight bout.
The event takes place from Miami and begins at midnight ET following a 30-minute pre-show.
Palacios is 7-1-1 and will be looking to deal Sawada, a former college wrestler, her first loss in five MMA bouts. Valenzuela and Anzai each have nine wins to their credit.
Yuji Yannick, unbeaten at 3-0, is a former student of the legendary Ryo Chonan. He will be taking on Geralbert Castillo on the prelims at 160 pounds in a catchweight contest.
