The next UFC show is actually on a Friday night at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Time zone differences mean that the card is technically on a Saturday, but who’s up for some Friday Night Fights? The main event was supposed to be a rematch between Mauricio Rua and Ovince Saint Preux, but Shogun suffered an injury, and the replacement is… Yushin Okami?! Why yes, Okami is a former UFC middleweight title challenger, but he’s also been fighting at welterweight recently. There’s now a non-zero chance that next week could usher in the era of Yushin Okami: ranked light heavyweight.
Anyway, the co-main event is really the best fight of the night. Strawweight contenders Jessica Andrade and Claudia Gadelha meet in an all-Brazilian battle, with both men looking for another crack at UFC gold. This honestly should be five rounds over OSP-Okami. Kickboxing star Gokhan Saki makes his UFC debut against Henrique da Silva, and Takanori Gomi is taking on “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim in a fight that simply doesn’t need to happen.
I’m utterly perplexed as to why Jussier Formiga and Ulka Sasaki are on the prelims, but there’s no point anymore in figuring out UFC bout orders. Here’s the full lineup for next Friday’s card, with the televised bouts airing on FXX:
Main Card (FXX, 10 PM ET)
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Yushin Okami
Jessica Andrade vs. Claudia Gadelha
Takanori Gomi vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Gokhan Saki vs. Luis Henrique
Rolando Dy vs. Teruto Ishihara
Mizuto Hirota vs. Charles Rosa
Preliminary Card (FXX, 8 PM ET)
Alex Morono vs. Keita Nakamura
Jussier Formiga vs. Ulka Sasaki
Chan-Mi Jeon vs. Syuri Kondo
Shinsho Anzai vs. Luke Jumeau
Preliminary Card (Fight Pass, 7:30 PM ET)
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