#UFCMacau It’s starting to take shape đź‘€
Which match are you most looking forward to? pic.twitter.com/0qEawTiuEg
— UFC (@ufc)
September 26, 2024
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to the “Las Vegas of the East” looks solid on paper. On Wednesday night, the organization announced a series of new matchups for UFC Macau, also known as UFC Fight Night 248. Earlier in the day, the promotion removed the Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo headliner. A whopping seven pairings have been officially or announced for the first time to fill the majority of the November 23rd schedule.
The lineup for fight night has not been determined at this time, but will feature light heavyweights Volkan Oezdemir (20 wins, 7 losses) vs. Carlos Ulberg (10 wins, 1 loss), and light heavyweight Xiaonan Yan (18 wins, 4 losses). Two main card matchups are scheduled: 1 North Carolina State) vs. Carlos Ulberg (10-1). Strawweight Tabitha Ricci (11-2) has been confirmed. In the latter fight, Oezdemir will be looking to make it his third straight win, a performance he hasn’t put together since starting 3-0 in the UFC. Opponent Wolberg had a rocky debut in 2021, being made into a poster by Kennedy Nzechukwu, but he hasn’t looked back. Since then, the ‘Black Jug’ has won six straight, including five at distance, and set up a high-stakes showdown with a 12-second drubbing of Alonzo Menifield in May.
In April, Yang attempted to climb the 115-pound mountain, but was kicked in the back several steps by champion Weili Zhang. A five-round decision reversal ended the Chinese woman’s winning streak at two, but she notably defeated Jessica Andrade to earn her first suspension of the promotion and earn her ticket to gold. Opponent Ricci won two matches in a row, earning two decisions over Tecia Pennington and Angela Hill in 2024. Her only blemish in the division was a match against Lupita Godinez in November 2023.
The show, to be held at the Galaxy Arena in Macau, China, will feature welterweight matches between Muslim Salikhov (20 wins, 5 losses) and Kenan Song (22 wins, 8 losses), and a flyweight tilt against Kong Wang (6 wins). An additional match is scheduled. Light heavyweight showdown between Gabriela Fernandez (9-3), Osman Diaz (9-2) and Mingyang Zhang (17-6), 125-pound showdown between two undefeated young players, Loaner Kavanagh (7-0) and Jose Ochoa (7-0, 1 NC State), and there was a scrap at 125 pounds between Carlos Hernandez (9-4) and Nyamjargal Tumendenberel (8-0).
