The UFC’s return to New Jersey has taken shape in a big way.
On Tuesday, the promotion announced 10 bouts for UFC on ESPN 5, which takes place Aug. 3 at Prudential Center in Newark and airs entirely on ESPN.
Headlining the card, a clash between former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington (14-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and former champ Robbie Lawler (28-13 MMA, 13-7 UFC) is slated for the event.
In the co-main event, light heavyweights collide as Volkan Oezdemir (15-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) battles Ilir Latifi (14-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC). The pair of ranked 205-pound hitters originally was slated to square off at UFC on ESPN+11, but a fight week injury forced Latifi out of the bout.
Oezdemir, 29, will look to rebound from three straight losses suffered against then-champ Daniel Cormier, recent title challenger Anthony Smith and top contender Dominick Reyes.
A winner of two out of his last three bouts, Latifi also will look to get in the win column. The Swedish fighter last competed at UFC 232, losing a unanimous decision to Corey Anderson.
Also added to the card, veteran lightweights meet in a matchup which, somewhat surprisingly, has never been booked until now. A combined 60 UFC bouts between them, Jim Miller (30-13 MMA, 19-12 UFC) and Clay Guida (35-18 MMA, 15-12 UFC) will meet in the cage for the first time.
Eight additional fights also were officially added to the card. New additions include Trevin Giles (11-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (29-11 MMA, 4-3 UFC) and Antonina Shevchenko (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs. Lucie Pudilova (8-4 MMA 2-3 UFC).
The latest UFC on ESPN 5 lineup includes:
- Colby Covington vs. Robbie Lawler
- Volkan Oezdemir vs. Ilir Latifi
- Jim Miller vs. Clay Guida
- Joaquim Silva vs. Nasrat Haqparast
- Jordan Espinosa vs. Matt Schnell
- Lauren Murphy vs. Mara Romero Borella
- Antonina Shevchenko vs. Lucie Pudilova
- Trevin Giles vs. Gerald Meerschaert
- Darko Stosicvs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
- Ramazan Emeev vs. Claudio Silva
- Scott Holtzman vs. Dong Hyun Ma
For more on UFC on ESPN 5, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
