Dana White has announced two upcoming PPV co-main events and several UFC Fight Night headliners.
Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush were scheduled to fight on May 6 at UFC 288. Unfortunately, Oliveira pulled out with an undisclosed injury, postponing the matchup that could determine the next UFC lightweight title challenger. After rumors began circulating about the bout being pushed to UFC 289, White confirmed the speculation by saying:
“We just finished making the co-main event [for UFC 289] and it will be Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush. I love this fight and it has huge title implications in the lightweight division.”
Now that Oliveira vs. Dariush has found a new date, there was still a need for a co-main event to improve the UFC 288 fight card. Despite fighting two weeks ago, Gilbert Burns has been vocal about wanting to fight on May 6. Dana White revealed that Burns has been granted the opportunity in a five-round clash against Belal Muhammad:
“The co-main event [for UFC 288] will be a five-round welterweight matchup between number four-ranked Belal Muhammad and number five Gilbert Burns, who just beat Jorge Masvidal two weeks ago in Miami. What I love about this fight is that they both wanted it to be five rounds.”
Dana White provides updates for the next few months
Dana White’s recent announcement was filled with updates and breaking news for upcoming fights. After revealing the UFC 288 and UFC 289 co-main events, White began rattling off new matchups. On June 3, Jack Hermansson and Brendan Allen will headline an APEX event. White had this to say:
“That is a great fight between number ten vs. number thirteen in the middleweight division with both guys looking at getting themselves in title contention.”
Two weeks later, there will be a high-stakes matchup in the middleweight division. Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier look to secure their second win in a row. Dana White described the fight by saying:
“Marvin Vettori vs. Jared Cannonier is a matchup of top-five middleweights. Both guys are absolute beasts and the winner will be on a very short list for the next title shot at 185 pounds.”
Twelve days ago, the UFC was in Florida for UFC 287. It turns out they will be returning to the sunshine state with a trip to Jacksonville, Florida. The UFC president revealed the details:
“On June 24th, we’re back in Jacksonville, Florida, with a UFC Fight Night card that will be live and free on ABC the network. The main event, number five-ranked Josh Emmett vs. number nine Ilia Topuria. Two savages with knockout power and that is a very fun fight in the 145-pound division.”
The July 1 event was previously confirmed for the APEX, but there wasn’t an official main event. Dana White has announced that Sean Strickland will be fighting for the second time in 2023. He will be taking on Abus Magomedov, who made a statement with a 19-second knockout in his promotional debut. Dana White had this to say:
“To kick off July, we have a killer main event that will be on ESPN the network. Sean Strickland fights for the third time in less than seven months. This guy is always ready to fight. He’s taking on a guy that literally nobody wants to fight, Abus Magomedov. He is a middleweight, twenty finishes in twenty pro wins. This fight will be in Vegas at the UFC APEX.”
Dana White’s final announcement was for an event that doesn’t have any confirmed fights. In late July, the UFC will be returning to London, England. White concluded his video by saying:
“We’re going back to London, England. One of the best places in the world to see a live UFC event. We will be there for UFC Fight Night on July 22nd.”
