Las Vegas – UFC® returns to Orlando, Fla. for the first time in over four years with an intriguing welterweight tilt that will see No. 7 ranked contender Stephen Thompson battle Kevin Holland. Heavyweight KO artists collide in the co-main event when No. 4 ranked contender Tai Tuivasa meets No. 5 Sergei Pavlovich.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: THOMPSON vs. HOLLAND will take place Saturday, December 3 at Amway Center. The entire card will be available on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, as well as simulcast on ESPN+ in English and Spanish, with the main card starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT and the prelims at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: THOMPSON vs. HOLLAND tickets will go on sale Friday, October 14 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, October 12 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, October 13 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®: THOMPSON vs. HOLLAND fight week credentials may sign up here.
Former title challenger Thompson (16-6-1, fighting out of Simpsonville, S.C.) returns to action for the first time in a year, looking to deliver a vintage performance. Throughout his UFC run, he has earned memorable KO wins over former UFC champions Johny Hendricks and Robert Whittaker, as well as Jake Ellenberger. Thompson now has his sights on defending his spot in the rankings by stopping Holland in emphatic fashion.
Holland (23-8 1NC, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) aims to cap off his 2022 campaign by cracking into the welterweight Top 10. An exciting striker, he holds notable finishes against Tim Means, Jacare Souza and Joaquin Buckley. Holland now hopes to steal the show and secure the biggest win of his UFC career.
Fan favorite Tuivasa (15-4, fighting out of Western Sydney, NSW, Australia) intends to close out the year with a bang. A heavy-handed striker, he has netted spectacular KO victories over Derrick Lewis, Augusto Sakai and Greg Hardy. Tuivasa now hopes to turn heads and stop Pavlovich’s momentum with a highlight-reel finish.
Rising contender Pavlovich (16-1, fighting out of Moscow, Russia) plans to continue his hot streak by taking out Tuivasa. Currently on a four-fight KO run, he holds impressive victories against Derrick Lewis, Shamil Abdurakhimov and Maurice Greene. Pavlovich now looks to take another step towards title contention by adding Tuivasa to his resume.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- No. 7 ranked contender Matheus Nicolau (18-3-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on No. 8 Matt Schnell (16-6 1NC, fighting out of Shreveport, La.) in a pivotal flyweight bout
- Middleweight contenders collide when No. 5 ranked Derek Brunson (23-8, fighting out of Wilmington, N.C.) faces No. 8 Jack Hermansson (23-7, fighting out of Oslo, Norway by way of Uddevalla, Sweden)
- Eryk Anders (14-7 1NC, fighting out of Scottsdale, Ariz. by way of Birmingham, Ala.) meets Kyle Daukaus (11-3 1NC, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn.) in a clash of exciting middleweights
- Michael Johnson (21-18, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) squares off with Marc Diakiese (16-5, fighting out of Doncaster, England by way of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in an all-action lightweight bout
- No. 13 ranked flyweight contender Tracy Cortez (10-1, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.) battles Amanda Ribas (11-3, fighting out of Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil)
- Natan Levy (7-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. by way of Herzliya, Israel) faces Genaro Valdez (10-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) at lightweight
- No. 12 ranked strawweight contender Angela Hill (14-12, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) takes on rising No. 13 Emily Ducote (12-6, fighting out of Oklahoma City, Okla.)
- UFC Hall of Famer Clay Guida (37-19, fighting out of Johnsburg, Ill.) locks horns with Scott Holtzman (14-5, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) at lightweight
- Gritty veteran Darren Elkins (28-10, fighting out of Portage, Ind.) faces Jonathan Pearce (13-4, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz. by way of Johnson City, Tenn.) in an exciting featherweight tilt
- Marcelo Rojo (16-9, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico by way of Rio Cuarto, Cordoba, Argentina) meets undefeated Dana White’s Contender Series signee Francis Marshall (6-0, fighting out of Jersey City, N.J.) at featherweight
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About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 688 million fans and 207 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 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 75 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.
About Amway Center
Amway Center, owned and operated by the City of Orlando on behalf of the Central Florida community, hosts major national events, concerts and family shows since its opening in fall 2010. The Orlando Magic served as the developer and the facility was designed to reflect the character of the community, meet the goals of the users and build on the legacy of sports and entertainment in Orlando. The building’s exterior features a modern blend of glass and metal materials, along with ever-changing graphics via a monumental wall along one facade. A 180-foot tall tower serves as a beacon amid the downtown skyline. The 875,000 square foot, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified building features a sustainable, environmentally-friendly design and unmatched technology, including 1,100 digital monitors, the tallest high-definition video board in an NBA venue and multiple premium amenities available to all patrons in the building. Amway Center was honored with the International Association of Venue Managers’ 2017 Venue Excellence Award, which is bestowed upon facilities that excel in the management and operation of public assembly venues. Amway Center was the only arena to garner this distinction. Additionally, the arena has earned numerous awards, which most notably includes TheStadiumBusiness Awards’ 2013 Customer Experience Award and was named SportsBusiness Journal’s 2012 Sports Facility of the Year. For more information about the Amway Center, visit AmwayCenter.com.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 22.8 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices).
About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features eight U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
