UFC Returns To Nashville For A Featherweight Showdown - Cub Swanson vs Artem Lobov
UFC Returns To Nashville For A Featherweight Showdown – Cub Swanson vs Artem Lobov
UFC RETURNS TO NASHVILLE FOR A FEATHERWEIGHT SHOWDOWN BETWEEN NO. 4 CUB SWANSON AND KNOCKOUT ARTIST ARTEM LOBOV
Plus:
(#14) AL IAQUINTA vs. DIEGO SANCHEZ
(#8) OVINCE SAINT PREUX vs. MARCOS ROGERIO DE LIMA
(#12) THALES LEITES vs. (#15) SAM ALVEY
TICKETS FOR UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: SWANSON vs. LOBOV
AT BRIDGESTONE ARENA ON SALE MARCH 3
Las Vegas – When UFC® returns to Nashville on Saturday, April 22, fans in Music City will be in for a treat when No. 4-ranked featherweight Cub Swanson collides with hard-hitting Artem Lobov in the main event of UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: SWANSON vs. LOBOV. The always-entertaining Swanson is back in action for the first time since his potential Fight of the Year victory over Dooho Choi in December. Lobov, a teammate of lightweight champion Conor McGregor, will be headlining his first UFC event, as he brings a two-fight win streak to the Octagon® at Bridgestone Arena.
Swanson (24-7, fighting out of Palm Springs, Calif.) has won three consecutive fights and nine of his last 11 UFC contests, earning seven Fight of the Night bonuses inside the Octagon. The featherweight staple looks to continue his run through the 145-pound division with another barnburner in Nashville. Lobov (14-12-1, 1 NC) fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) will be seeking the biggest win of his career against Swanson, as he plans to propel himself into the featherweight rankings. The 27-fight veteran is no stranger to stiff competition, and he hopes that Nashville will supply the backdrop for his UFC breakthrough.
No. 14-ranked lightweight Al Iaquinta (12-3-1, fighting out of Wantagh, N.Y.) has posted an impressive record of 7-2 inside the UFC, reeling off four consecutive wins, three of those coming by knockout. Iaquinta returns for the first time since April 2015 to take on Diego Sanchez (29-9, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.), a fan-favorite since his days on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter®. The “Nightmare” has been a part of some of the greatest fights in UFC history, and fans should expect nothing less this time around.
Tennessee’s own Ovince Saint Preux (19-10, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) gets his second home game since joining the UFC in 2013 when he meets Marcos Rogerio de Lima (15-5-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo Brazil). The No. 8 ranked light heavyweight in the world, Saint Preux has fought a who’s who of division including former champions Jon Jones and Shogun Rua. He’ll look to leverage that experience against the world class striking of de Lima, who is coming off a first-round knockout in January. The Brazilian has finished all four of his UFC wins in the first round and has 10 first round finishes overall. With 12 knockouts and two submissions, de Lima has the ability to finish the fight wherever it goes.
Additional bouts:
• Nashville’s own No. 6 Dustin Ortiz (16-6, fighting out of Franklin, Tenn.) faces the fast-rising No. 9 Brandon Moreno(13-3, fighting out of Tijuana, México) in a flyweight clash
• No. 12 Thales Leites (26-7, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and No. 15 Sam Alvey (30-8, 1 NC, fighting out of Temecula, Calif.) meet in a clash of top-15 middleweights
• Former title challenger and No. 14 strawweight Jessica Penne (12-5, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.) meets the dangerous and versatile Danielle Taylor (8-2, fighting out of Van Nuys, Calif.)
• In a battle of up and coming flyweight prospects, Mexico’s Hector Sandoval (13-3, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) collides with lethal finisher Matt Schnell (10-3, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.)
• Tennessee native Scott Holtzman (9-2, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) faces jiu-jitsu ace Michael McBride (8-2, fighting out of Webster City, Iowa.) at 155 pounds
• Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and No. 11 Alexis Davis (17-7, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) welcomes UFC newcomer Cindy Dandois (8-2, fighting out of Belgium) to the Octagon in a bantamweight battle
