The UFC are determined to hit the ground running in 2022, and their fight card for UFC 272 on March 5 is looking stacked to the gills already.
Topping the bill is a mouth-watering world championship double-header, with a pair of fan-friendly rematches set to light up the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Headlining the event is a trilogy fight for the undisputed UFC featherweight title, as former champion Max Holloway looks to claim his first victory over the man who dethroned him, then defeated him again in the rematch, current champ Alexander Volkanovski.
Australia’s Volkanovski showed all of his heart, determination and skill in a superb title defense against Brian Ortega. Despite finding himself caught in a succession of submission predicaments, Volkanovski somehow found a way out on each occasion before going on to defeat “T-City” by unanimous decision after one of the most thrilling title fights in UFC history.
Meanwhile, Holloway has bounced back to winning ways, with a pair of “Fight of the Night” unanimous decision victories over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez. The former showed Holloway at his striking best as he completely outboxed Kattar in one of the most eye-catching individual displays of 2021. He then followed up with a “Fight of the Year” contender with Rodriguez, as the pair battled back and forth for five thrilling rounds.
With both men in winning form and the fans clamouring for a third fight between the pair, Volkanovski and Holloway will do battle again. Will the Aussie make it 3-0, or will “Blessed” produce another virtuoso display to win back his old title?
Chief support comes from a bantamweight title unification fight with plenty of needle. Aljamain Sterling captured the UFC’s 135-pound strap when then-champ Petr Yan was disqualified for an illegal knee that left “The Funkmaster” unable to continue.
It meant the title changed hands via disqualification for the first time in UFC history and left a huge question mark over the division.
The duo were scheduled for a rematch at UFC 267 last year, but ongoing neck issues for Sterling forced the bout to be pushed back, with Yan going on to capture the interim bantamweight title against Cory Sandhagen at the same event.
Now each man holds a version of the bantamweight crown, and the pair will face off on March 5 to unify the titles, with Sterling keen to cement his status as champion, while Yan will be out for revenge as he looks to reclaim the undisputed title he still believes is rightfully his.
UFC 272: Confirmed Fights
- Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
- Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Petr Yan (ic) – for bantamweight title
- Bryce Mitchell vs. Edson Barboza
- Jessica Eye vs. Manon Fiorot
- Maryna Moroz vs. Mariya Agapova
- Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Dustin Jacoby
- Tim Elliott vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
- Yan Xiaonan vs. Marina Rodriguez
