Na Liang will go in search of her first ever UFC win in Singapore on August 26th. The Chinese fighter returns after a year long absence to face JJ Aldrich in her flyweight debut.
Liang (19-6) has been away from the octagon so long that her last fight was also in the Singapore Indoor Stadium. She will be competing in the same venue again at UFC on ESPN 50.
Both her fights for the promotion have ended in stoppage losses. At UFC Singapore last year Liang lasted less than 90 seconds against Silvana Gómez Juárez.
Aldrich (11-6) only had three pro fights to her name when she signed up for The Ultimate Fighter. She is coming off back to back defeats but is already a veteran of 14 UFC fights.
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Featherweight veterans
The event looks set to be headlined by a featherweight fight between two veterans with former champion Max Holloway taking on The Korean Zombie.
Chan Sung Jung was scheduled to fight at UFC Seoul earlier this year but was forced to withdraw after suffering a shoulder injury. The entire event was subsequently moved to Las Vegas.
He is coming off a damaging defeat at the hands of Alex Volkanovski at 273. Afterwards he openly discussed the possibility of retirement but the 36 year old appears to have had second thoughts.
Holloway has won three out of his last four and is currently ranked at #12. His last three losses have all come at the hands of Volkanovski, who is regarded by many as being the best pound for pound fighter in the world.
Earlier this year Holloway called out the Korean Zombie. Both men are veterans but Holloway is five years younger and is a former UFC featherweight champion.
Never in doubt 😤
[ @AlexVolkanovski | #UFC273 ] pic.twitter.com/UdogFib4Rz
— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2022
Superb start
Rinya Nakamura will be looking to build on his superb start to life in the octagon when he faces Fernie Garcia at a UFC event on August 26th. The two bantamweights will face off at an event which doesn’t currently have a venue or a name.
Nakamura (7-0) earned a $50,000 USD bonus for his victory over Toshiomi Kazama at UFC Vegas 68. The former wrestling champion won the Road to UFC bantamweight tournament, beating his compatriot in the final.
He faces a Mexican opponent who has not made such a promising start to his UFC career. Garcia (10-3) earned his opportunity after impressing on Dana White’s Contender Series.
OUT. COLD.
Rinya Nakamura is your #RoadToUFC bantamweight winner! #UFCVegas68 pic.twitter.com/6ULxnIOaxi
— UFC (@ufc) February 5, 2023
Heavyweights collide
Last week a heavyweight bout pitting Waldo Cortes-Acosta against Łukasz Brzeski was added to the card. The latter will be looking to get back to winning ways after suffering the first defeat of his entire career at UFC Vegas 72.
Brzeski has got his UFC career off to an ignominious start. Having earned a contract with a victory at Dana White’s Contender Series he subsequently failed a drug test and had the win overturned.
The UFC still went ahead and signed the Polish fighter despite him serving a six month suspension. But this has all the makings of a must win bout for Brzeski who could potentially be fighting for his spot on the roster.
UFC on ESPN 52, Singapore, August 26th
Chan Sung Jung vs. Max Holloway (Featherweight)
Erin Blanchfield vs. Taila Santos (Flyweight)
Rinya Nakamura vs. Fernie Garcia (Bantamweight)
Na Liang vs. JJ Aldrich (Flyweight)
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Łukasz Brzeski (Heavyweight)
