UFC is all set to kick off its latest PPV endeavor in Las Vegas this weekend. A pair of title fights headline on the marquee for UFC 728 on Saturday night as middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will defend the – pound crown against two-time title challenger Yoel Romero, and in an anticipated co-main event , women’s strawweight champ Weili Zhang puts her strap on the line against former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
This is set to be Romero’s third title fight in his last four appearances inside the Octagon and Jedrzejczyk’s third in her last five. Romero has had multiple chances at gold, but never made the most of it, losing twice to Robert Whittaker for gold and then beating Luke Rockhold via vicious knockout, but the former Cuban Olympian was ineligible to win the interim title that night after missing weight.
Jedrzejczyk, meanwhile, is looking to become the first female fighter to regain a title she previously owned in UFC after her reign as strawweight queen ended via first-round knockout against Rose Namajunas in .
Can’t get enough UFC? Subscribe to my podcast – State of Combat with Brian Campbell – where we break down everything you need to know in the Octagon, including a complete preview of UFC with Brandon Wise . Meanwhile, Zhang is set to make her first defense of the 180 – pound crown on Saturday after mowing down Jessica Andrade in August in under a minute. The Chinese champion is on a – fight winning streak and looking to add another notch to her impressive resume. Jedrzejczyk, meanwhile, looks to become the first female fighter to regain a title in her fourth title fight in five showings.
This card had a little more depth before a pair of fights fell off. Namely, former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker withdrew from a scheduled bout with Jared Cannonier last month. Plus, a scheduled fight between Edmen Shahbazyan and Derek Brunson was moved to next month. Still, some top prospects fill out the undercard, including “Suga” Sean O’Malley facing off against Jose Quinonez.
Below is the complete fight card for Saturday night as well as everything that happened this week in the lead up to the event that you need to catch up on. CBS Sports will be with you throughout the night with updates, results and recaps for all the action in Houston. Check back in on this page to keep track.
UFC
- Sean O’Malley def. Jose Quinonez via first-round TKO (punches) Mark Madsen def. Austin Hubbard via unanimous decision (90 – , (-) , – 90) Rodolfo Vieira def. Saparbek Safarov via first-round submission (arm triangle)
- Gerald Meerschaert def. Deron Winn via third-round submission (rear naked choke)
- Giga Chikadze def. Jamall Emmers via split decision ( – , (-) , – 90) Danaa Batgerel def. Guido Cannetti via first-round knockout (punch)
-
UFC (viewing info
) Date: March 7 | Location: T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas
Time: ET- (Stream:
ESPN Price : $ .UFC countdown
- Complete staff predictions and expert picks for UFC
- Salaries, fight purses: Adesanya to earn $ 728, 06 in main event Campbell: Jedrzejczyk looking to cement her legacy by regaining belt
- Campbell:
- (Opponents facing Romero are never the same again
- Brookhouse: & nbsp; Romero’s title shot a change in standards for UFC (Complete fight card breakdown and info )
- Campbell: Adesanya
- aiming to take on the biggest challenges Campbell: Five biggest storylines to follo w in Las Vegas this week Adesanya claims to have had malaria eight time in his life
- Who will win Adesanya vs. Romero, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight on the main card , all from the accomplished expert who has been profitable for five straight years, and find out.
Read More 728
- Beneil Dariush def. Drakkar Klose via second-round KO (punch) Neil Magny def. Li Jingliang via unanimous decision ( – , (-) , – 90) Alex Oliveira def. Max Griffin via split decision (90 – , – 30, – 90)
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings