Curtis Blaydes-Alexander Volkov Headline UFC On ESPN Saturday

UFC continues its run of shows at UFC Apex with a thrilling heavyweight clash featuring No. 3 ranked contender Curtis Blaydes and No. 7 Alexander Volkov this Saturday night.

The co-main event will see a battle between surging featherweight contenders, as No. 8 ranked Josh Emmett faces No. 10 Shane Burgos.

UFC on ESPN: Blaydes Vs. Volkov begins at 5 p.m. ET with prelims on ESPN and ESPN+. The main card is set for 8 p.m. ET and also on ESPN and ESPN+.

Currently riding a three-fight win streak, Blaydes (13-2 1NC, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) made a huge statement in his last outing this past January by securing an emphatic TKO victory over former champion Junior Dos Santos. The 29-year-old standout also holds spectacular wins against Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt and Aleksei Oleinik. Blaydes now looks to keep his momentum going and deliver another impressive finish to cement his status as a heavyweight title threat.

Victorious in seven of his last eight bouts, Volkov (31-7, fighting out of Moscow, Russia) looks to continue his winning ways following a dominant victory over Greg Hardy in November. Since joining the UFC roster in 2016, the talented striker has also earned impressive wins over Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve and Roy Nelson. Volkov now aims to crack the heavyweight top five by taking out one of the division’s most dangerous contenders.

A member of Team Alpha Male, Emmett (15-2, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) aims to capture his third consecutive win in the UFC’s talent-stacked featherweight division. Since dropping down to 145 pounds in 2017, Emmett has delivered sensational KO wins over Mirsad Bektic, Michael Johnson and Ricardo Lamas. Emmett now hopes to take out another surging featherweight to continue his hot streak.

On a three-fight win streak, Burgos (13-1, fighting out of Monroe, N.Y.) has established himself as a featherweight contender to watch. During his most recent run, Burgos has delivered impressive victories against Makwan Amirkhani, Cub Swanson and Kurt Holobaugh. Burgos now looks to stop another highly touted contender to further establish himself as a dangerous title threat.

Additional bouts on the card include

* No. 6 ranked women’s bantamweight contender Raquel Pennington (10-9, fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colo.) hopes to rebound when she takes on No. 10 Marion Reneau (9-5-1, fighting out of Visalia, Calif.)

* In a clash of entertaining welterweights, Belal Muhammad (16-3, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) squares off with Lyman Good (21-5 1NC, fighting out of New York, N.Y.)

* Jim Miller (31-14 1NC, fighting out of Sparta, N.J.) makes his 34th UFC appearance against rising prospect Roosevelt Roberts (11-1, fighting out of San Bernardino, Calif.) in a 160-pound catchweight bout

* Crafty veterans collide when Clay Guida (35-16, fighting out of Johnsburg, Ill.) faces Bobby Green (24-10-1, fighting out of Fontana, Calif.)

* No. 12 ranked women’s strawweight contender Tecia Torres (10-5, fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colo.) aims to get back in the win column against rising Brianna Van Buren (9-2, fighting out of Gilroy, Calif.)

* Marc-Andre Barriault (11-4, fighting out of Quebec City, Que., Canada) hopes to secure his first UFC victory when he takes on Oskar Piechota (11-3-1, fighting out of Gdynia, Poland)

* No. 15 ranked women’s flyweight contender Cortney Casey (9-7, fighting out of Maui, Hawaii) takes on exciting finisher Gillian Robertson (7-4, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla., by way of Niagara Falls, Ont., Canada)

* In an exciting featherweight bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks, Matt Frevola (8-1-1, fighting out of Long Island, N.Y.) takes on Frank Camacho (22-8, fighting out of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands)

* In a clash of women’s flyweight contenders, No. 5 ranked Roxanne Modafferi (24-17, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) meets No. 6 Lauren Murphy (12-4, fighting out of Houston, Tex.)

* In a battle of lightweight prospects, Austin Hubbard (11-4, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) faces undefeated UFC newcomer Max Rohskopf (5-0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.)