Browne and Werdum to Collide in April

LAS VEGAS – The UFC® is bringing heavyweight action to Orlando! Second-ranked Fabricio Werdum returns to the Octagon® to battle third-ranked Travis Browne in a bout that will likely determine the next challenger to champion Cain Velasquez’s crown. 

Currently on a three-fight win streak that includes victories over fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace and former heavyweight champion Minotauro Nogueira, Fedor Emelianenko, and Roy Nelson, Fabricio Werdum (17-5-1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) looks to cap off his streak with a decisive win over a surging Browne. After soundly defeating Gabriel Gonzaga, Alistair Overeem, and Josh Barnett, all via first-round knockout, Travis Browne (16-1-1, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) brings his 6-foot-7 frame and unorthodox style into a high stakes bout where a win could mean a shot at the UFC title.

In addition, former STRIKEFORCE® women’s bantamweight champion and second-ranked Miesha Tate (13-5, fighting out of Yakima, Wash.) faces the heavy-handed U.S Marine and seventh-ranked Liz Carmouche (8-4, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) in a critical bout in the division.

Also on the main card, fan-favorite No. 8 Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (22-6, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) battles explosive lightweight No.11 Edson Barboza (13-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in an early favorite for “Fight of the Night” honors, while No. 13 ranked Brad Tavares (12-2, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.), winner of five straight, takes on 2000 Olympic freestyle wrestling silver medalist and 14th-ranked Yoel Romero (7-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Pinar del Rio, Cuba) in a middleweight bout. 

The card also features two additional exciting lightweight bouts when the streaking No. 6 Rafael dos Anjos (20-6, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) meets the undefeated seventh-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov (21-0, fighting out of Dagestan, Russia) and South Florida’s Jorge Masvidal (25-8, fighting out of Miami, Fla.) squares off against the always dangerous veteran Pat Healy (31-17, 1NC, fighting out of Portland, Ore.). Two welterweight bouts join the card, as former title challenger Thiago “Pitbull” Alves (24-8, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) returns to action following a lengthy layoff to take on Seth Baczynski (fighting out of Apache Junction, Ariz.), while Argentinian striker Santiago Ponzinibbio (19-2, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) faces knockout artist Jordan Mein (27-9, fighting out of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada). Additionally, Orlando’s Josh Samman (10-3, fighting out of Tallahassee, Fla.) takes on Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Caio Magalhaes (7-2, fighting out of Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil) at middleweight.

Tickets for FOX UFC SATURDAY®: WERDUM vs. BROWNE, go on sale Friday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $225, $150, $125, $100, $75 and $45. Tickets are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges. Tickets are also available www.amwaycenter.com and Chase Box Office at Amway Center. 

 

UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Feb. 13 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

FOX UFC SATURDAY®: WERDUM vs. BROWNE will be available live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 19. FOX Sports 1 airs the Preliminary Card action live beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.