Dynamic Bantamweights Lineker and Dodson to Headline UFC Portland
HARD-HITTING BANTAMWEIGHT CONTENDERS JOHN LINEKER AND JOHN DODSON HEADLINE ACTION-PACKED CARD IN PORTLAND
Plus:
(#12) WILL BROOKS vs. ALEX ‘COWBOY’ OLIVEIRA
(#9) BRIAN ORTEGA vs. (#10) HACRAN DIAS
TICKETS FOR UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: LINEKER vs. DODSON AT MODA CENTER ON SALE AUG. 26
Las Vegas – UFC® returns to the City of Roses for the first time since 2009 when two of the most dynamic bantamweights in the world collide in the main event of UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: LINEKER vs. DODSON. Fifth-ranked John “Hands of Stone” Lineker is one of the most feared men to step foot in the Octagon® and he’ll look to extend his winning streak to six when he meets one of the best all-around athletes in the sport in No. 9-ranked John “The Magician” Dodson on Saturday, Oct. 1 from the Moda Center in Portland, Ore. and airing live on FS1.
Packing some of the heaviest punches ever seen in the bantamweight division, Lineker (28-7, fighting out of Paranagua, Brazil) makes his second straight headlining appearance. Quickly becoming a fan-favorite, the Brazilian’s fast-paced, striking heavy attack has led him to 13 knockout finishes and an unbeaten record since moving to 135 pounds. Dodson (19-7, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) is also undefeated at bantamweight and has the speed, power and relentlessness to climb his way to the top of the division and once again make a run to a title shot.
In addition, No. 12-ranked Will Brooks (18-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) looks to pick up right where he left off putting the lightweight division on notice that there’s a new face in the mix in one of the sport’s most talent-rich divisions. Hoping to halt Brooks’ momentum and crack the top 15 is Brazilian striking sensation Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira (14-3-1, 1NC, fighting out of Tres Rios, Brazil). Oliveira has finished three of his four UFC wins and is quickly making a name for himself as a must-see TV every time he steps in the Octagon.
Plus, one of the hottest prospects in mixed martial arts looks to keep his unbeaten record intact when No. 9-ranked Brian Ortega (11-0, 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) makes his fifth Octagon appearance. Having finished all his UFC opponents, Ortega is quickly making a name for himself in the featherweight division with his slick jiu jitsu and aggression. Ortega will face his toughest test yet in the form of fellow submission ace, No. 10 Hacran Dias (23-4-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). A training partner of Jose Aldo and Renan Barao, Dias comes from one of the best camps in the sport, Nova Uniao and has the pedigree and experience to halt the Ortega hype train in its tracks.
Additional bouts:
· Two of the flyweight division’s top prospects look to continue their climb to the top when No. 9 Louis Smolka (11-1, fighting out of Kapolei, Hawaii) meets No. 15 Sergio Pettis (14-2, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.).
· With 34 finishes between them, fans won’t want to blink when Josh Burkman (29-13, 1 NC, fighting out of Draper, Utah) clashes with Bobby Green (23-7, fighting out of Fontana, Calif.) at 155 pounds.
· Making his 56th professional MMA appearance, Nate Marquardt (37-16-2, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) meets submission ace Tamdan McCrory (14-4, fighting out of Binghamton, N.Y.) in a middleweight bout.
· Heavyweight knockout artists Walt Harris (8-4, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) and. Shamil Abdurakhimov (16-3, fighting out of Dagestan, Russia) meet in a potential Fight of the Night showdown.
· Coming off a Fight of the Night performance, Kelly Faszholz (3-1, fighting out of Santa Rosa, Calif.) welcomes undefeated newcomer Ketlen Vieira (6-0, fighting out of Manaus, Brazil) to the bantamweight division.
· Undefeated light heavyweight prospect Henrique da Silva (11-0, fighting out of Limoeiro, Brazil) clashes with highly touted Danish prospect Joachim Christensen (13-3, fighting out of Copenhagen, Denmark).
