Las Vegas – For the first time in over two years, UFC returns to Arizona and welcomes fans back at full capacity with a pair of highly anticipated championship rematches. Headlining the event will be middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, as he looks to fend off No. 3 ranked contender Marvin Vettori. In the co-main event, flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and No. 1 contender Brandon Moreno seeks to settle the score following their thrilling majority draw in December.
UFC 263: ADESANYA vs. VETTORI 2 will take place Saturday, June 12 at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. All bouts will be streamed on ESPN+ in English and Spanish. The early prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass. The prelims will be distributed on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The UFC 263 main card will stream exclusively on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
UFC 263: ADESANYA vs. VETTORI 2 tickets will go on sale Friday, May 14 at 10 a.m. PT 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, May 12 at 12 p.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, May 13 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (20-1, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) returns to his natural weight class looking to successfully defend his title for the third time. Since joining the UFC roster in 2018, Adesanya has developed into one of the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighters in the world, a distinction he earned with impressive victories over Paulo Costa, Robert Whittaker, and Anderson Silva. He now intends to improve on his 2018 win over Vettori and continue his quest to become the greatest middleweight in UFC history.
Vettori (17-4-1, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif. by way of Mezzocorona, Italy) plans to make the most of his first UFC title shot by becoming the first middleweight to defeat Adesanya. Undefeated since his split decision loss to the current middleweight champion in 2018, Vettori climbed through the ranks with dominant wins over Karl Roberson, Jack Hermansson, and Kevin Holland. He now seeks to show off his evolution as a fighter and secure the biggest win of his career.
UFC flyweight champion Figueiredo (20-1-1, fighting out of Condor Belem, Para, Brazil) returns to action aiming to make a statement and show that he is the best 125-pounder in the world. A renowned finisher, he is currently tied for the most stoppages in UFC flyweight history with seven, a number he accumulated with victories over Alex Perez, Joseph Benavidez (twice), and Tim Elliott. Figueiredo now looks to continue his title reign with a record-breaking performance.
Top-ranked Moreno (18-5-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) has his sights set on shocking the world in his second chance at UFC gold. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Moreno secured his first shot at Figueiredo following notable wins over contenders Kai Kara-France, Jussier Formiga, and Brandon Royval. He now hopes to leave no doubt that he is the true flyweight champion and begin building his own legacy at the top of the 125-pound ladder.
Additional bouts on the card include:
In a historic first non-main event, five-round fight, No. 3 ranked welterweight Leon Edwards (18-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Birmingham, England) welcomes back fan favorite Nate Diaz (21-12, fighting out of Stockton, Calif.)
Ranked light heavyweights collide as No. 14 Paul Craig (14-4-1, fighting out of Coatbridge, Scotland) and No. 15 Jamahal Hill (8-0, fighting out of Kentwood, Mich.) vie to break into the top 10 in a battle of welterweight contenders.
No. 8 ranked Demian Maia (28-10, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) locks horns with No. 12 Belal Muhammad (18-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.)Drew Dober (23-10, 1 NC, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) and Brad Riddell (9-1, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) face off in an action-packed lightweight bout in a light heavyweight bout, Eryk Anders (13-5, 1 NC, fighting out of Birmingham, Ala.) meets Darren Stewart (12-6, fighting out of London, England)No. 3 ranked women’s flyweight Lauren Murphy (14-4, fighting out of Houston, Texas) seeks to secure her first UFC title shot by taking out No. 6 Joanne Calderwood (15-5, fighting out of Glasgow, Scotland)An intriguing featherweight bout sees undefeated No. 14 ranked Movsar Evloev (14-0, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Ingushetia, Russia) take on No. 15 Hakeem Dawodu (12-1-1, fighting out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada)No. 11 ranked women’s bantamweight contender Pannie Kianzad (15-5, fighting out of Helsingborg, Skane County, Sweden) goes for the biggest win in her career against former title challenger Alexis Davis (20-10, fighting out of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada)Frank Camacho (22-9, fighting out of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands) and Matt Frevola (8-2-1, fighting out of Long Island, N.Y.) clash in a lightweight bout all but guaranteed to entertain. 14 ranked women’s bantamweight Sijara Eubanks (7-6, fighting out of Toms River, N.J.) duels with No. 14 Karol Rosa (14-3, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)Featherweight prospect Chase Hooper (10-1-1, fighting out of Enumclaw, Wash.) plans to show off his evolving skillset when he battles veteran Steven Peterson (18-9, fighting out of Dallas, Texas)Fares Ziam (11-3, fighting out of Givors, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France) and Luigi Vendramini (9-1, fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil) compete in an exciting lightweight boutHeavyweights Carlos Felipe (10-1, fighting out of State of Bahia, Brazil) and Jake Collier (12-5, fighting out of Cuba, Mo.) look to steal the show and climb the ranks
Visit UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage.
Christopher James has been in the MMA industry for 15 years, Working as a ring announcer for promotions like the XFC, Island Fights, Combat Night and Fight Nights Global during his career. Chris’ love for the sport and the athletes that partake in it led him to writing and doing face to face interviews with the athletes he admired and respected. Chris isn’t conventional by any stretch of the imagination, he has his own style, and takes pride in not being a “cookie-cutter” member of the media. Unique and sometimes controversial takes are what he brings to the table, forcing folks to think a little differently about the world of MMA. He also has a love for music as he has been a dj for 25 years and his love for music gets brought to the MMA world when he gets his guests to sing on his weekly show Cage Side with Christopher James which can be seen Wednesday nights on FACEBOOK LIVE, and soon via podcast.