UFC® TRAVELS BACK TO TAMPA WITH A PIVOTAL WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT BOUT FEATURING
FORMER CHAMPION (#4) JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK AND (#7) MICHELLE WATERSON
UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+®: JOANNA vs. WATERSON
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, AUGUST 23
FEATURED BOUT: CUB SWANSON vs. KRON GRACIE
ALL FIGHTS EXCLUSIVELY ON ESPN+
LAS VEGAS – For the first time since 2016, UFC® will return to the AMALIE Arena in Tampa, Fla. with a crucial bout in the women’s strawweight division as former champion and No. 4-ranked contender Joanna Jedrzejczyk looks to earn another shot at her lost crown by stopping the win streak of No. 7-rankedMichelle Waterson. Also on the card, longtime veteran Cub Swanson looks to hand undefeated submission specialist Kron Gracie his first career loss.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+®: JOANNA vs. WATERSON will stream live from the AMALIE Arena with all fights carried exclusively on ESPN+ in English and Spanish. The main card begins at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 12, with the prelims kicking off at 5 p.m. ET. Doors open at 4 p.m. ET.
Competing in her adopted home state of Florida for the first time, Jedrzejczyk (15-3, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Olsztyn, Poland) returns to strawweight after recently attempting to become just the second woman to hold UFC championships in two divisions. Before moving up, Jedrzejczyk had established herself as the greatest strawweight champion in UFC history with dominant wins over Jessica Andrade, Claudia Gadelha (twice) and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. She now looks to get back to her winning ways and into the title conversation by taking out yet another top contender.
Currently on the longest win streak of her UFC career, Waterson (17-6, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) looks to add a UFC champion to her resume and insert herself into the title picture. A former Invicta FC champion, Waterson has been a contender from the moment she joined the UFC roster in 2015 and has already proven herself against some of the top competitors in the division, such as Paige VanZant, Felice Herrig and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. She now aims to secure the biggest win of her career and earn her first shot at UFC gold.
With seven UFC post-fight bonuses to his name, Swanson (25-11, fighting out of Palm Springs, Calif.) has established himself as one the most exciting athletes on the roster. During his career he has claimed impressive wins over the likes of Dooho Choi, Artem Lobov and Jeremy Stephens. Competing in his 18th UFC bout, Swanson hopes to prove he can still compete with the best in the world and break back into the rankings with another crowd-pleasing performance.
Looking to remain undefeated, Gracie (5-0, fighting out of Culver City, Calif.) aims to secure the most important victory of his career with another signature submission. The latest member of the legendary Gracie family to join the UFC roster, Kron made his debut in impressive fashion by submitting the experienced Alex Caceres in the first round. Now, he looks to take out his second veteran in a row and announce himself as the next prospect to watch in the featherweight division.
Announced bouts on the card include:
- In a clash of top ranked flyweights, No. 3-ranked contender Deiveson Figueiredo (16-1, fighting out of Condor Belem, Para, Brazil) takes on former title challenger and No. 6-ranked Tim Elliott (16-8-1, fighting out of Lee’s Summit, Mo.)
- Middleweight finishers meet as Eryk Anders (12-4, fighting out of Birmingham, Ala.) battles Gerald Meerschaert (29-11, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.)
- Undefeated Mackenzie Dern (7-0, fighting out of Peoria, Ariz.) aims to lock in another submission in her return to action against Amanda Ribas (7-1, fighting out of Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil)
- Max Griffin (15-6, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) and Alex Morono (16-5, fighting out of Houston, Texas) both look to extend their win streaks and move up the welterweight ranks
- Promising women’s flyweight competitors look to bounce back into the win column as JJ Aldrich (7-3, fighting out of Westminster, Colo.) meets Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Lauren Mueller (5-2, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.)
- Dana White’s Contender Series alum Ryan Spann (16-5, fighting out of Beaumont, Texas) aims to remain undefeated in UFC when he takes on Devin Clark (10-3. Fighting out of Sioux Falls, S.D.)
For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
Visit the UFC® Press Portal for information and content to support your UFC coverage. Please click here to apply for the event.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN+®: JOANNA vs. WATERSON go on sale Friday, August 23 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets 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, August 21 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, August 22 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
To sign up for ESPN+, go to www.ESPNplus.com/UFC.
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About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 300 million fans and 70 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly one billion TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 60 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.
About AMALIE Arena/Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, LLC
Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, LLC (TBSE) is an entity established by Jeff Vinik in March 2010 to manage the National Hockey’s League’s Tampa Bay Lightning and the leasehold rights to AMALIE Arena, the 19,092-seat downtown Tampa home in which the team plays its games. The venue opened in 1996 and became AMALIE Arena in September 2014 when the family-owned, Tampa Bay-based AMALIE Oil Company elected to partner with Vinik and the Lightning. Since his purchase in 2010, Vinik has led a complete brand and business transformation of the Lightning and the arena, featuring a mostly private $85+ million-dollar renovation of the publicly owned facility. Vinik is also focused on elevating the Tampa Bay community, partnering with Cascade Investment, LLC on Water Street Tampa, a nearly 60-acre development in downtown Tampa. In addition to owning the Lightning and managing AMALIE Arena, Vinik, through TBSE, now manages the Yuengling Center on the campus at the University of South Florida, while also managing multi-media rights for USF Athletics.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.
Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30films. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.
ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.
About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise, features more than 50 assets – eight U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
