EXCITING lightweight mixed martial action is expected when American fighters Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier faces off with Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje in the main event for “UFC on Fox 29” in Arizona on Sunday (Manila time).
Happening at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Messrs. Poirier and Gaethje, the number five and six contender, respectively, in the stacked division look to solidify their footing and position themselves with a win for a title shot down the line.
Serving as co-main event for UFC on Fox 29 is the battle between welterweight Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit (#12) and Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira.
Louisiana native Poirier (22-5, one no contest) was a winner in his last match, beating Anthony Pettis by technical knockout in the third round of their fight last November.
Prior to that he had his fight with former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Eddie Alvarez ruled a no-contest (illegal knees) and further back defeated Jim Miller by majority decision.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gaethje (18-1) is coming off his first career loss and is angling to bounce back.
He was knocked out by Mr. Alvarez in the third round of their December 2017 clash but was unstoppable previous to that.
A native of Arizona, he looks to come out and give the hometown fans something to cheer about.
Other fights slated for UFC on Fox 29 are middleweight Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adensaya versus Marvin “The Italian Dream” Vettori and women’s strawweight Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (#7) against Cortney “Cast Iron” Casey (#10).
UFC on Fox 29: Poirier vs Gaethje will be shown live on Sunday, April 15, beginning at 8 a.m. over Hyper Ch. 91 in SD or 261 in HD on Cignal TV. Encore telecast is at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on the same day.
In the Philippines, Cignal TV, the country’s foremost direct-to-home (DTH) company, is the home of the UFC after the two groups agreed to an extensive deal that will see the UFC beamed on various platforms. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo