With a pair of 135-pound matchups, the UFC returns to San Antonio on March 25th, for the first time in almost four years. Marlon Vera, the No. 4 ranked bantamweight contender, takes on the exciting finisher and No. 5 ranked Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event. Former women’s bantamweight champion and current No. 3 ranked Holly Holm takes on No. 6 Yana Kunitskaya.
Vera (20-7-1, fighting out of Chone, Manabi, Ecuador) hopes to deliver another show-stealing performance in his third consecutive main event. With spectacular K.O. victories over Dominick Cruz, Frankie Edgar and Sean O’Malley, Vera is now looking to win a title shot by knocking Sandhagen out for the first time.
A former interim bantamweight title challenger, Sandhagen (15-4, fighting from Aurora, Colo.), has delivered a number of highlight-reel performances in his career. Sandhagen now looks to halt Vera’s momentum and stake his claim for a shot at the belt after K.O. wins against Frankie Edgar, Marlon Moraes and Iuri Alcantara.
The UFC has shifted a bantamweight main event between Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen from February 18 to March 25, sources confirmed to @bokamotoESPN.
The bout will now serve as the main event at UFC Fight Night in San Antonio. pic.twitter.com/npuGHaqoBz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 3, 2023
Among the greatest women’s combat sports athletes of all time, Holm (14-6, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) is looking to start the new year with a vintage K.O. victory. In her quest to defend her ranking, Holm plans to stop her former teammate. She holds memorable victories over Ronda Rousey, Megan Anderson, and Bethe Correia.
As a former UFC title challenger, Kunitskaya (14-6, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Florida, by way of Saint Petersburg, Russia) looks to secure her biggest win to date. In addition to finding victory versus Ketlen Vieira, Marion Reneau and Lina Lansberg, Kunitskaya hopes to crack the division’s Top 5 by beating Holm.
Holly Holm vs. Yana Kunitskaya in the works for UFC event on March 25
Full story: https://t.co/jFTW2dcfrj pic.twitter.com/oiuaxOZNcE
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) December 18, 2022