PAVLOVICH VS. VOLKOV AMONG UNDERCARD FIGHTS ADDED TO SAUDI ARABIA CARD
Dana White announced a handful of notable matchups will take place June 22 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In addition to an anticipated main event between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker, the UFC president disclosed an all-Russian heavyweight tilt between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov is expected to serve as the co-main event.
Pavlovich is an elite knockout artist coming off a first-round loss to Tom Aspinall in their interim title fight at UFC 295. Prior to that outing, Pavlovich had recorded six consecutive first-round knockout wins. Volkov, a former Bellator MMA champion who’s 11-4 in the UFC since 2016, is riding a three-fight winning streak and looking to inch closer to an elusive title shot with a win over his compatriot.
Exciting light-heavyweights Volkan Oezdemir and Johnny Walker will meet in a 205-pound matchup. Oezdemir has won two of three including a submission of Bogdan Guskov in September in France, while Walker is looking to move past his pair of fights with Magomed Ankalaev, neither of which went his way. Walker was knocked out by Ankalaev in January just three months after they fought to a no-contest due to an illegal knee from Ankalaev.
A welterweight scrap between Kelvin Gastelum and Daniel Rodriguez should see one of these fighters get back on the winning track. Gastelum was submitted by Sean Brady in December in his first 170-pound contest since 2016. The 32-year-old is just 2-6 since 2018. Rodriguez is looking to snap a two-fight skid that saw him get submitted by Neil Magny in 2022 and finished with strikes by Ian Machado Garry last May.
White also announced a middleweight fight between Ihor Potieria and unbeaten Shara Magomedov. Potieria is coming off a win over Robert Bryczek after moving down from 205 pounds, while Magomedov is 12-0 and won his promotional debut against Bruno Silva in October.
More matchups for this event are expected to be announced in the coming weeks and months.
2024-03-28T18:19:46Z dg43tfdfdgfd