Las Vegas – UFC® returns to Norfolk with the vacant flyweight title up for grabs, as No. 1 ranked contender Joseph Benavidez and No. 3 ranked Deiveson Figueiredo battle to secure their first UFC championship. Also on the card, top women’s featherweight prospects meet to stake their claim for a title shot as Felicia Spencer takes on Zarah Fairn.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+®: BENAVIDEZ vs. FIGUEIREDO will take place Saturday, Feb. 29 at Chartway Arena with all fights carried exclusively on ESPN+ in English and Spanish. The main card begins at 8 p.m. ET with the prelims kicking off at 5 p.m. ET. Doors open at 4 p.m. ET.
A member of the flyweight roster since its inception in 2012, Benavidez (28-5, fighting out of Las Cruces, N.M.) hopes that his third UFC title challenge will be the charm to obtaining his first gold strap. A perennial top contender for most of his career, Benavidez has proven himself to be one of the best in the world with wins over Jussier Formiga, Henry Cejudo and Tim Elliot. He now looks to become the only person to stop Figueiredo and finally earn his long-awaited championship.
One of the most dangerous finishers in the flyweight division, Figueiredo (17-1, fighting out of Condor Belem, Para, Brazil) looks to leave no doubt in his first-ever title opportunity. Since joining the UFC roster in 2017, he has earned impressive stoppage wins against Tim Elliot, John Moraga and Joseph Morales. Now, he intends on delivering his most impressive performance yet in the biggest fight of his career.
Intending to start the new year with a statement, Spencer (7-1, fighting out of Orlando, Fla. by way of Montreal, Canada) looks to bounce back into the win column and declare herself the top contender for the featherweight belt. A former Invicta FC champion, Spencer impressed in her UFC debut with a first-round submission over Megan Anderson. Now, she aims to add another dominant stoppage to her record when she faces Fairn in the co-main event.
A striking specialist, Fairn (6-3, fighting out of Paris, France) looks to improve on her UFC debut and show that she can compete with the best in the world. With four knockouts and four first-round finishes in her MMA career, Fairn has proven that she is a dangerous test for anyone. Now, she intends on securing her first UFC win and announcing herself as the next contender to watch in the division.
Additional bouts on the card include:
Dana White’s Contender Series signee Aalon Cruz (8-2, fighting out of Tampa, Fla.) aims to impress in his UFC debut against the always-exciting Steven Peterson (18-9, fighting out of Dallas, Texas)
Bantamweight prospects Gabriel Silva (7-1, fighting out of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil) and Kyler Phillips (6-1, fighting out of Glendale, Calif.) battle to secure their first official UFC win
Jordan Griffin (17-7, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) looks to bounce back into the win column against debuting Dana White’s Contender Series signee TJ Brown (14-6, fighting out of Little Rock, Ark.)
Top middleweight prospects clash as Brendan Allen (12-3, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) meets Tom Breese (11-1, fighting out of Birmingham, England)
In a battle of featherweight strikers, Mike Davis (8-2, fighting out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) intends to take out Giga Chikadze (6-1, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.)
In further women’s featherweight action, Megan Anderson (10-4, fighting out of Kansas City, Mo.) looks to spoil the debut of Norma Dumont (4-0, fighting out of State of Minas Gerais, Brazil)
Undefeated Sean Brady (11-0, fighting out of Philadelphia, Pa.) intends to secure another impressive win when he takes on fellow top welterweight prospect Ismail Naurdiev (19-3, fighting out of Salzburg, Austria)
Marcin Tybura (17-6, fighting out of Uniejow, Poland) and Serghei Spivac (10-1, fighting out of Chisinau, Moldova) meet in a battle of heavyweight hopefuls
In a light heavyweight bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks, Ion Cutelaba (15-4, fighting out of Chisinau, Maldova) takes on Magomed Ankalaev (12-1, fighting out of Dagestan, Russia)
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Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+®: BENAVIDEZ vs. FIGUEIREDO go on sale Friday, Jan. 10 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets are available for purchase online at YnotTix.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.
UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Jan. 9 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
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About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 300 million fans and 75 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly one billion TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 65 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.
About Chartway Arena:
Chartway Arena is a 9,100-seat multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Old Dominion University. Operated by Spectra Venue Management since it opened in 2002, Chartway Arena is known as one of the premier mid-sized collegiate venues in the country. Chartway Arena is home to the Old Dominion Monarch Men’s and Women’s basketball and plays host to ODU Wrestling matches, a variety of family-oriented events as well as concerts, ODU commencement, career fairs, and lectures.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the leading direct-to-consumer sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April, 2018, ESPN+ has grown quickly to 3.5 million subscribers in 18 months, offering fans thousands of live events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content.
Programming on ESPN+ includes exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, thousands of college sports events (including football and basketball) from more than a dozen sports at 20 conferences, hundreds of MLB and NHL games, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, Bundesliga – beginning in 2020, EFL Championship and Carabao Cup, Eredivisie), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, exclusive ESPN+ Original series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films.
Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) through the ESPN App, (on mobile and connected devices), ESPN.com or ESPNplus.com. It is also available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported), and ESPN+ — all for just $12.99/month.
About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise, features more than 50 assets – nine U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
