UFC 255 This Saturday, Features Pair Of Championship Matches

UFC will continue its year-end run of shows at UFC APEX with two exciting world championship bouts in the 125-pound divisions. Deiveson Figueiredo will look to secure his first successful flyweight title defense when he takes on No. 4 ranked contender Alex Perez. Women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko hopes to continue her dominant reign when she faces Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and No. 3 ranked contender Jennifer Maia.

The event will take place Saturday, November 21 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas and will stream live on Pay-Per-View, exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S. at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT in both English and Spanish.

Preliminary fights will air nationally in English on ESPN2 and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes, as well as being simulcast in both languages on ESPN+ starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Early prelims will be available on UFC Fight Pass, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes (Spanish) and ESPN+ (in English and Spanish) at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

Figueiredo (19-1, fighting out of Soure, Pará, Brazil) is coming off his dominant submission win over Joseph Benavidez to capture the vacant flyweight championship in July. A heavy-handed striker and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, he has also earned thrilling victories against Tim Elliott, Alexandre Pantoja and John Moraga. Figueiredo now aims to secure his first successful title defense with another show-stealing performance.

Perez (24-5, fighting out of Lemoore, Calif.) has wasted no time since joining the UFC roster in 2017, as he becomes the first Dana White’s Contender Series signee to challenge for a UFC title. Following exciting wins against Jordan Espinosa and Mark De La Rosa, Perez turned heads with his calf-kick TKO victory over perennial contender Jussier Formiga in June. Perez now aims to continue his rapid ascent by dethroning Figueiredo to achieve his dream of being UFC flyweight champion.

No. 3 ranked women’s pound-for-pound fighter Shevchenko (19-3, fighting out of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) hopes to continue her dominant title reign with another highlight-reel finish. Throughout her career, she has netted impressive wins over Holly Holm, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Julianna Pena and Jessica Eye. Shevchenko now has her sights set on delivering a spectacular victory to secure her fourth consecutive title defense.

Skilled Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Maia (18-6-1, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) feels she has the tools to shock the world and dethrone Shevchenko. An 11-year MMA veteran and former Invicta FC Flyweight champion, Maia has secured sensational victories against Joanne Calderwood, Alexis Davis and Roxanne Modafferi (twice). Maia now aims to take home UFC gold by becoming the first fighter to defeat Shevchenko at 125 pounds.

Additional bouts on the card include

* No. 2 ranked contender Katlyn Chookagian (14-4, fighting out of Amity Harbor, NY) squares off with No. 4 Cynthia Calvillo (9-1-1, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) in a pivotal women’s flyweight contest

* No. 2 ranked flyweight contender Brandon Moreno (17-5-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on No. 6 Brandon Royval (12-4, fighting out of Englewood, Colo.) in a bout with serious title implications

* No. 14 ranked light heavyweight contender Shogun Rua (27-11-1, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) runs it back with No. 15 Paul Craig (13-4-1, fighting out of Coatbridge, Scotland) following their entertaining draw one year ago

* Hot on the heels of his viral spinning back kick KO victory over Impa Kasanganay, Joaquin Buckley (11-3, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) makes a quick turnaround against unbeaten Jordan Wright (11-0 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) in a middleweight clash

* In a welterweight bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks, Mike Perry (14-6, fighting out of Orlando, Fla.) takes on Tim Means (30-12-1 1NC, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.)

* No. 15 ranked contender Antonina Shevchenko (8-2, fighting out of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) faces Ariane Lipski (13-5, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) in what is expected to be an entertaining women’s flyweight bout

* Middleweight hopefuls collide when Kyle Daukaus (9-1, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn.) meets Dana White’s Contender Series signee Dustin Stoltzfus (13-1, fighting out of Germersheim, Germany)

* Alan Jouban (16-7, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) returns against debuting Jared Gooden (17-4, fighting out of Atlanta, Ga.) in a welterweight bout

* Daniel Rodriguez (13-1, fighting out of Alhambra, Calif.) steps in to face Nicolas Dalby (18-4-1 1NC, fighting out of Copenhagen, Denmark) in an entertaining welterweight bout

* Recent Dana White’s Contender Series Louis Cosce (7-0, fighting out of Arcata, Calif.) takes on Sasha Palatnikov (5-2, fighting out of Hong Kong, China) in a battle of welterweight newcomers