Las Vegas, Nevada – For the first time since 2010, the Octagon® makes its way back to the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, as former UFC® lightweight champ and current No. 3 featherweight contender Frankie “The Answer” Edgar takes on second-ranked Cub Swanson in a five-round main event that could propel the winner into a title shot.
Edgar (16-4-1, fighting out of Toms River, N.J.) returns to action riding a two-fight win streak over B.J. Penn and Charles Oliveira, hoping to earn his spot as the next title contender. The former lightweight champ has been a force since dropping to 145 pounds and is looking for his chance to become only the third fighter in UFC history to claim gold in two different weight classes. Swanson (21-5, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.), a native of Palm Springs, Calif. who also splits time training at Jackson/Winkeljohn MMA, has been on a six-fight undefeated tear since January 2012 that includes wins over Ross Pearson, Dustin Poirier and, most recently, Jeremy Stephens. The heavy-handed knockout artist has plans for a potential title shot in 2015.
Also scheduled for the card:
· Top-ranked lightweights collide in the co-main event as the always-exciting No. 7 contender Bobby Green (23-5, fighting out of Fontana, Calif.) meets twelfth-ranked Brazilian striker Edson Barboza (14-2, fighting out of Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
· Fan-favorite and eleventh-ranked Brad “One Punch” Pickett (25-9, fighting out of East London, England) returns to action against the hard-hitting Chico Camus (14-5, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wis.) in a flyweight bout.
· Heavyweights collide as former Oklahoma State University wrestling standout Jared Rosholt (11-1, fighting out of Arlington, Texas) looks to remain unbeaten in the UFC as he takes on Sambo specialist Oleksiy Oliynyk (49-9-1, fighting out of Moscow, Russia.).
· San Antonio native and former flyweight title contender Joseph Benavidez (20-4, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) puts his second-place ranking on the line against thirteenth-ranked Dustin Ortiz (14-3, fighting out of Franklin, Tenn.) in a pivotal bout in the division.
· The Ultimate Fighter season 5 veteran Matt Wiman (15-7, fighting out of Arvada, Colo.) returns following an extended layoff against Greg Jackson-product Isaac Vallie-Flagg (14-5-1, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) at lightweight.
· Russian heavyweight Ruslan Magomedov (12-1, fighting out of The Republic of Dagestan, Russia) takes on the debuting Josh Copeland (9-0, fighting out Denver, Colo.).
· Britain’s The Ultimate Fighter season 17 cast member Luke Barnatt (8-1, fighting out of Cambridge, England) squares off against Texan Roger Narvaez (6-1, fighting out of Corpus Christi, Texas) at middleweight.
· Undefeated James “The Texecutioner” Vick (6-0, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) meets German Nick Hein (11-1, 1NC, fighting out of Cologne, Germany) at lightweight.
· Austin’s own Yves Edwards (42-21-1, 1NC, fighting out of Austin, Texas) makes his 66th professional MMA appearance against Mexican-born Akbarh Arreola (22-8-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico) in a lightweight contest.
· Women’s strawweight Paige VanZant (3-1, fighting out of Reno, Nev.) competes against unbeaten Kailin Curran (3-0, fighting out of Ewa Beach, Hawaii).
· Mexican grappler Juan Puig (11-3, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) faces South Korean prospect Dooho Choi (11-1, fighting out of Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea) in a battle of featherweights.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT™: EDGAR vs. SWANSON go on sale Friday, October 17 at 10 a.m. CT and are priced at $150, $100, $75, $50 and $40. Tickets may be purchased online at www.TexasBoxOffice.com, calling the Texas Box Office at 1-800-982-BEVO or visiting select Austin-area H-E-B Grocery Stores. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.
UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, October 15 at 10 a.m. CT
via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, October 16 starting at 10 am. CT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT™: EDGAR vs. SWAWNSON will air live on FOX Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Saturday, November 22, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and on UFC FIGHT PASS™ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
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Photo from UFC press release
