UFC returns to OKC with top young stars and hometown hero
UFC BRINGS RISING STARS MICHAEL CHIESA AND KEVIN LEE TO OKLAHOMA CITY, WHILE JOHNY HENDRICKS RETURNS HOME TO FACE TIM BOETSCH
Plus:
BJ PENN vs DENNIS SIVER
(#9) ILIR LATIFI vs (#10) ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA
TICKETS FOR UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: CHIESA vs LEE AT CHESAPEAKE ENERGY ARENA ON SALE MAY 5
Las Vegas – The Octagon® touches down in Oklahoma City for the first time in eight years when top prospects Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee clash in the main event of UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: CHIESA vs LEE. In the co-main event, No. 15-ranked middleweight Tim Boetsch enters enemy territory when he meets Oklahoma State alum Johny Hendricks. The action goes down Sunday, June 25 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. and will air live on FS1.
Riding a three-fight winning streak, No. 7 Chiesa (14-2, fighting out of Spokane Valley, Wash.) makes his first headlining appearance in Oklahoma City. Owner of 10 submission victories – five in under three minutes – Chiesa is primed to make a run to the top of the 155-pound division and his quest starts with Lee (15-2, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.). At just 24 years old, Lee may be one of the stars the future in the lightweight division, but he already has 10 UFC® appearances, finishing his last three fights. Hoping to vault into the top 10 of the weight class, Lee will attempt to use whatever it takes to secure the win.
Hendricks (18-6, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) looks to defend his home turf when he clashes with Boetsch (20-11, fighting out of Sunbury, Penn.) who hopes to play spoiler in Hendricks’ homecoming. Former welterweight champion Hendricks, returns to the site of his prestigious collegiate wrestling career. He is a four-time NCAA Div. 1 All-American, three-time Big 12 champion and two-time NCAA Div. 1 National Champion wrestler out of Oklahoma State. When he returns to Oklahoma, he’ll be looking to keep his perfect record at 185 pounds intact with a big win over Boetsch. With knockouts in 12 of his wins, Boetsch has the power to end the fight at any given moment and he’ll attempt to use that power to continue his climb up the middleweight rankings.
As the only active member of the UFC Hall of Fame, BJ Penn (16-11-2, fighting out of Hilo, Hawaii) has fought some of the biggest names in MMA history, including Georges St-Pierre, Matt Hughes, Diego Sanchez and Nick Diaz. When he faces off with German finisher Dennis Siver (22-11, 1 NC) he’ll need to use his world class jiu-jitsu to counter Siver’s elite striking. Siver is looking for the biggest win of his career and being able to add a victory over Penn to his resume will do just that. With 14 finishes in 22 pro victories – seven via knockout and seven by submission – Siver has the versatility to win the bout wherever it takes place.
Additional bouts:
In a battle of top-10 light heavyweights, No. 9 Ilir Latifi (16-5, 1 NC, fighting out of Malmo, Sweden) collides with No. 10 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (22-7, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Two high-level kickboxers jockey for position in the strawweight division when No. 9 Felice Herrig (12-6, fighting out of Crystal Lake, Ill.) meets undefeated No. 15 Justine Kish (6-0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.)
Former strawweight champion, No. 9 Carla Esparza (12-4, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) takes on No. 10 Maryna Moroz (8-1, fighting out of Volnogorsk, Ukraine) in her quest to get back to the top of the 115-pound division
Fan favorite Clay Guida (32-14, fighting out of Johnsburg, Ill.) clashes with dynamic finisher Erik Koch (15-4, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) in a lightweight duel.
