Dana White and the UFC have been on a roll with matchmaking. Perhaps it’s the if-you-don’t-know-now-you-know piece that White has popularized on social media.
The location for the official UFC Fight Night event on February 22 hasn’t been announced yet, but two potentially action-packed fights are scheduled for the card.
The headline fight is a women’s bantamweight clash between top contenders. No. 4 Macy Chiasson will take on No. 3 Ketlen Vieira in a fight that could put the winner on the cusp of a title shot.
I say ‘could’ because even if Vieira wins, she probably needs another victory to get a shot at the title because she lost a unanimous decision to Kayla Harrison at UFC 307. Chiasson would be in a much better position.
She is coming off a win over former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva in her last fight. A win over Vieira could position Chiasson for a rematch with Raquel Pennington or a matchup with Norma Dumont.
In any case, Chiasson has won back-to-back performance of the night bonuses and seems to be at her peak from a skills and excitement standpoint.
Vieira lost to Harrison at UFC 307, but she earned much respect in the process. Vieira could have folded after Harrison had a dominant first round, but she came back to take the second frame, cut the Olympic gold medalist, and made the fight competitive.
She’ll carry that moral victory into a battle with Chiasson with some pretty high stakes. Also added to the card and quite possibly in a position to be named the co-main event, veteran Edson Barboza takes on the UFC’s newest KO artist, Steve Garcia.
Marcel Dorff of Tapology first reported this fight, which is potentially a banger.
Barboza is the definition of an all-action fighter. He is coming off a loss to Lerone Murphy in May, and that scrap won Fight of the Night. Garcia has been wrecking opponents for the past two years.
Garcia has registered five consecutive wins by KO, and if Barboza fights the way he normally does, there will be opportunities to extend his streak. That said, Barboza still has the speed and explosiveness to get the finish himself.
While it’s not official, it would not be surprising if Barboza-Garcia is the co-headliner. Stay tuned for more information on the card’s location and the rest of the fights on the February 22 event.
UFC’s Upcoming Calendar
Before February or even the end of the month of November, the UFC has two huge shows coming up. The first happens on Saturday, November 16, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
UFC 309 will be headlined by UFC heavyweight champion and all-time great Jon Jones defending his title against former champion Stipe Miocic. Here is a look at the entire card coming to MSG.
Full UFC 309 Card
- Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic
- Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler
- Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig
- Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
- Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop
- Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
- Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders
- Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson
- David Onama vs. Roberto Romero
- Marcin Tybura vs. Jhonata Diniz
- Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
- Oban Elliott vs. Bassil Hafez
- Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
Watch for coverage of all the UFC events during fight week.
