FORMER WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION(#2) HOLLY HOLM FACES SURGING (#6) IRENE ALDANAON
UFC FIGHT ISLAND
FEATURED BOUTS: (#1) GERMAINE DE RANDAMIE vs. (#4) JULIANNA PENACARLOS CONDIT vs. COURT MCGEE
Las Vegas – UFC® will continue its run of shows on UFC FIGHT ISLAND with a pair of exciting bouts featuring top contenders from the women’s bantamweight division. In the headliner, former champion and No. 2 ranked Holly Holm will look to stop the momentum of No. 6 Irene Aldana. Also, former women’s featherweight champion and current No. 1 ranked bantamweight contender Germaine de Randamie clash with No. 4 Julianna Peña.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON ESPN®: HOLM vs. ALDANA will take place Saturday, October 3 from UFC FIGHT ISLAND on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island. The main card will begin at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, with the prelims exclusively on ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT. The event is in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
Former champion Holm (13-5, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) aims to continue her winning ways in 2020 with a vintage performance against one of the division’s rising stars. Known for her vicious left high kick, Holm has delivered memorable knockouts against Ronda Rousey and Bethe Correia. She has also netted impressive wins over top contenders Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau. Holm is now seeking another thrilling finish to again earn a crack at the women’s bantamweight belt.
Aldana (12-5, fighting out of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico) is one of the sport’s most formidable strikers. In her most recent appearance, she handed highly touted contender Ketlen Vieira her first loss via highlight-reel KO. Aldana also holds memorable wins against Bethe Correia and Lucie Pudilova. Aldana now aims to take out a former champion to earn her first UFC title shot.
Recent women’s bantamweight title challenger de Randamie (9-4, fighting out of Utrecht, The Netherlands) is intent on reasserting herself among the weight class’ top contenders. Tied with Ronda Rousey for fastest KO in the division following a 16-second victory against Aspen Ladd last year, de Randamie has also netted spectacular knockouts over Anna Elmose and Larissa Pacheco. De Randamie now hopes to stop Peña to defend her spot in the rankings.
Winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 18, Peña (9-3, fighting out of Chicago, Ill. by way of Spokane, Wash.) aims to stake her claim for her first title shot with a trademark performance. An aggressive striker and grappler, Peña has delivered entertaining victories over former flyweight champion Nicco Montaño, as well as former UFC title challengers Cat Zingano and Jessica Eye. Peña now goes for the biggest win of her career to secure her spot as the top contender.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- Yorgan De Castro (6-1, fighting out of Fall River, Mass.) locks horns with fellow heavyweight prospect Carlos Felipe (8-1, fighting out of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil)
- Dequan Townsend (21-11, fighting out of Lansing, Mich.) goes for his first UFC win against debuting Dana White’s Contender Series signee Dusko Todorovic (9-0, fighting out of Belgrade, Serbia) in a middleweight bout
- Former interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit (30-13, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) squares off with Court McGee (Orem, Utah) in an entertaining battle of veterans
- Tom Breese (11-2, fighting out of Birmingham, England) returns to action against Roman Kopylov (8-1, fighting out of Bachatsky, Kemerovo, Russia) in a middleweight scrap
- In an exciting featherweight prospects’ bout, Charles Jourdain (10-3, fighting out of Beloeil, Que., Canada) meets Josh Culibao (8-1, fighting out of Sydney, Australia)
- Loma Lookboonmee (4-2, fighting out of Phuket, Thailand) faces Jinh Yu Frey (9-5, fighting out of Arlington, Texas) in what promises to be an action-packed women’s strawweight contest
- Casey Kenney (14-2-1, fighting out of Tuscan, Ariz.) meets AlatengHeili (14-7-1, fighting out of Beijing, China) in a battle of bantamweight hopefuls
- In a clash of returning lightweights, Luigi Vendramini (8-1, fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil) takes on Jessin Ayari (16-5, fighting out of Nuremburg, Germany)
A full line of UFC FIGHT ISLAND products, including t-shirts, hats, water bottles, tote bags, and more are available now on UFCStore.com.
###
About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 318 million fans and 102 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly one billion TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 65 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to 8.5 million subscribers, offering fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content.
Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.
About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise, features more than 50 assets – nine U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.