UFC lays groundwork for Austin, Texas return in December
It appears the UFC is headed back to “The Lone Star State” for its final domestic Fight Night event of 2023.
The promotion has requested an event permit to hold a card Dec. 2 in Austin, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), which oversees the state’s combative sports events.
Three people with knowledge of the situation recently informed MMA Junkie of the targeted location but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an announcement. Additionally, two fighters set for the card, Drakkar Klose and Kelvin Gastelum, also publicly indicated on social media Austin would be the location for their fight.
It’s the first time the promotion has been back to Texas since a San Antonio event in March at Moody Center. The promotion most recently visited Austin in March 2022 for UFC on ESPN 37. At the time, the event was the largest-grossing non-pay-per-view event in promotion history. The card topped by Josh Emmett vs. Calvin Kattar was action-packed with nine finishes on the card. UFC CEO Dana White was so impressed, all nine finishers received $50,000 performance bonuses.
The card does not currently have an announced headliner, though multiple contender bouts are slated for the card including Gastelum vs. Sean Brady, Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Rob Font, and Jared Cannonier vs. Roman Dolidze.
The current UFC Fight Night lineup for Dec. 2 includes:
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Rob Font
- Sean Brady vs. Kelvin Gastelum
- Jared Cannonier vs. Roman Dolidze
- Julia Avila vs. Miesha Tate
- Azamat Murzakanov vs. Khalil Rountree
- Clay Guida vs. Joaquim Silva
- Veronica Hardy vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth
- Puna Soriano vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
- Drakkar Klose vs. Joe Solecki
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night on Dec. 2.
