UFC® will debut in Boise, Ida. with a thrilling heavyweight main event between former champion Junior Dos Santos and dangerous newcomer Blagoy Ivanov. In the co-main, lightweight contenders collide, as No. 11 James Vick battles No.14 Paul Felder. UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: DOS SANTOS vs. IVANOV takes place at CenturyLink Arena on Saturday, July 14 and will air live on FS1.
Back in action following a one-year hiatus, Dos Santos (18-5, fighting out of Salvador, Brazil) is gunning to get back in the title mix. The vicious KO artist has beaten some of the biggest names in the heavyweight division. He holds impressive victories over current champ Stipe Miocic, and former titleholders Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum and Frank Mir. He now looks to reassert himself as a heavyweight threat.
A champion outside the UFC, Ivanov (16-1, fighting out of Sofia, Bulgaria) aims to make a statement in his anticipated debut. In 2008, he captured the World Sambo championship, which included a win against Fedor Emelianenko. During his MMA career, Ivanov has netted victories over former UFC champ Ricco Rodriguez, Lavar Johnson and Shawn Jordan. A win over Dos Santos will immediately thrust him into the UFC title picture.
The co-main event will see a pair of exciting lightweight contenders jockey for a crack at the division’s top 10.
Currently riding a four-fight win streak, Vick (13-1, fighting out of Fort Worth, Tex.) hopes to catapult himself further up the 155-pound rankings. During his impressive run, he’s dispatched Francisco Trinaldo, Joseph Duffy, Polo Reyes and Abel Trujillo. With momentum on his side, The Ultimate Fighter veteran now plans to slay “The Irish Dragon.”
No stranger to spectacular runs, Felder (15-3, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn.) has delivered three consecutive knockout victories. The talented striker’s vicious elbows were on full display as he stopped Charles Oliveira, Stevie Ray and Alessandro Ricci. With Vick in his sights, Felder’s focused on delivering yet another show-stealing performance.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- No.15-featherweight contender Myles Jury (17-2, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) welcomes back two-time title challenger Chad Mendes (17-4, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.)
- No.10-ranked featherweight contender Darren Elkins (24-5, fighting out of Portage, Ind.) faces rising prospect Alexander Volkanovski (17-1, fighting out of Windang, Australia)
- No.6-ranked women’s bantamweight contender Cat Zingano (9-3, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) takes on surging No.7 Marion Reneau (9-3-1, fighting out of Visalia, Calif.)
- No.8-ranked women’s flyweight contender Liz Carmouche (10-6, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) looks to spoil the debut of Invicta FC champion Jennifer Maia(15-4-1, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil)
- Entertaining flyweight Justin Scoggins (11-4, fighting out of Spartanburg, S.C.) battles newcomer Said Nurmagomedov (11-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia)