TOP 10 HEAVYWEIGHTS (#3) JAIRZINHO ROZENSTRUIK AND (#7) CIRYL GANE AIM TO MAKE A STATEMENT AT UFC® APEX IN LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas – The UFC® heavyweight division continues to be on display at UFC APEX as No. 3 ranked Jairzinho Rozenstruik and No. 7 Ciryl Gane aim to make a statement in the main event. In the co-main event, No. 8 ranked UFC light heavyweight Nikita Krylov intends to defend his spot in the rankings against No. 11 Magomed Ankalaev.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROZENSTRUIK vs. GANE will take place Saturday, February 27 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The entire card will be available on ESPN+ in English and Spanish, with the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT and the prelims at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT.

Knockout artist Rozenstruik (11-1, fighting out of Paramaribo, Suriname) intends to make the most of his second UFC main event by securing another spectacular victory. Among the most credentialed strikers in the heavyweight division, Rozenstruik has finished all but one of his wins by knockout, including former UFC champions Andrei Arlovski and Junior Dos Santos. He also holds the record for the second-fastest KO in UFC heavyweight history when he defeated Allen Crowder in just nine seconds. He now looks to secure an impressive finish and become the first person to defeat Gane.

Gane (7-0, fighting out of Paris, France) has quickly become the top prospect in the heavyweight division after debuting only a year and a half ago. An undefeated kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter, Gane showed off his well-rounded skillset when he submitted his first two UFC opponents. Most recently, he delivered a high-level performance against former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos, winning by knockout in the second round. Gane now plans on remaining undefeated in MMA and declaring himself as the next contender for the belt. 

Krylov (27-7, fighting out of Donetsk, Ukraine) looks to build another long win streak and work his way into the championship conversation. Since joining the UFC roster in 2013 when he was only 21 years old, he has established himself as an elite contender in the division by finishing all but one of his 27 victories, including wins over Ovince Saint Preux, Walt Harris and Ed Herman. Krylov now seeks to start 2021 off with a bang by becoming the first person to knock out Ankalaev.

Highly touted prospect Ankalaev (14-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia) intends to keep his momentum going and break into the division’s top 10. Among the most well rounded athletes at light heavyweight, Ankalaev bounced back from a shocking, last-second loss in his UFC debut to win his next five bouts in a row. This recent streak includes knockouts over Ion Cutelaba (twice), Dalcha Lungiambula and Marcin Prachnio. He now aims to prove that he can compete with the best in the world by adding an emphatic finish of Krylov to his resume. 

Additional bouts on the card include:

  • In an exciting women’s flyweight bout, Montana De La Rosa (11-6, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) tests her submission skills against Mayra Bueno Silva (7-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
  • Randy Brown (12-4, fighting out of Queens, N.Y.) and Alex Oliveira (22-9-1, 2 NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) seek to steal the show in a welterweight bout guaranteed to deliver action
  • An exciting bantamweight rematch sees No. 8 ranked Pedro Munhoz (18-5, 1 NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Sao Paulo, Brazil) looks to revenge his 2015 split decision loss to No. 9 Jimmie Rivera (23-4, fighting out of Ramsey, N.J.)
  • Fan favorite Alex Caceres ( 17-12, 1 NC, fighting out of Miami, Fla.) looks to extend the longest UFC win streak of his career when he faces Kevin Croom (21-12, 1 NC, fighting out of Kansas City, Mo.) in a featherweight bout
  • Top women’s bantamweight’s No. 9 Marion Reneau (9-6-1, fighting out of Visalia, Calif.) and No. 10 Macy Chiasson (7-1, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) vie to climb the rankings
  • Alexander Hernandez (12-3, fighting out of San Antonio, Texas) meets Thiago Moises (14-4, fighting out of Indaiatuba, Brazil) in a clash of lightweight prospects
  • Women’s MMA veteran Alexis Davis (19-10, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) intends to spoil the bantamweight debut of Sabina Mazo (9-1, fighting out of Hermosa Beach, Calif. by way of Medellin, Colombia)
  • In a battle of light heavyweight Dana White’s Contender Series veterans, William Knight (9-1, fighting out of Vernon, Conn.) faces off with Alonzo Menifield (9-2, fighting out of Dallas, Texas)
  • Vince Cachero (7-3, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) plans to secure his first UFC victory against Dana White’s Contender Series signee Ronnie Lawrence (6-1, fighting out of Deerfield Beach, Fla.) at bantamweight
  • Dustin Jacoby (13-5, fighting out of Springfield, Ill.) aims to keep making the most of his second run in the UFC when he takes on Maxim Grishin (31-8-2, fighting out of Grozny, Chechen Republic, Russia) in a light heavyweight match

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