Christmas came early for fans eagerly anticipating fight news. UFC president Dana White took to social media on Thursday night to announce seven fights taking place between UFC 298 on Feb. 17 and UFC 300 on April 13.
Among the notable bookings is a middleweight clash between former champion Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa at UFC 298. Whittaker has not competed since suffering a knockout loss to Dricus du Plessis on July 8. Costa returns from an 18-month layoff having last beaten Luke Rockhold. Costa was scheduled to fight Khamzat Chimaev in October but was forced off the card due to surgery.
Joining that fight is the welterweight tilt between Geoff Neal and Ian Machado Garry moving up from UFC 299 to UFC 298. The pay-per-view card takes place in Anaheim and is headlined by featherweight champion Alexander Volkanvski vs. Ilia Topuria.
Another welcomed return is Brian Ortega. The fan-favorite featherweight has been absent since suffering a shoulder injury in his main event fight with Yair Rodriguez on July 22. Ortega will rematch Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night in Mexico City on Feb. 24 in a five-round co-main event. Rodriguez has been the far busier fight, subsequently defeating Josh Emmett for the interim featherweight strap before losing a title unifier against Volkanovski. UFC’s Mexico card is headlined by Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi.
Speaking of featherweights, Ortega and Rodriguez will want to keep an eye on a new edition to the division. Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling makes his featherweight debut against ranked contender Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 on April 13.
Take a look at the full lineup of fights announced below.
More UFC news, rumors
- Whittaker vs. Costa at UFC 298, Feb. 17
- Neal vs. Garry at UFC 298, Feb. 17
- Ortega vs. Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night, Feb. 24
- Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot at UFC Fight Night, March 30
- Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300, April 13
- Sterling vs. Kattar at UFC 300, April 13
- Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage at UFC 300, April 13
