The main event will see UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski defend against No. 4 ranked contender Chan Sung Jung, while UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will bring him back with the title holder by interim Petr Yan in the co-main event.
The Mayor of the City of Jacksonville was thrilled with the return of the Octagon to the city after a year since breaking the record for the most indoor viewership at UFC 261 in 2021.
“It is an honor to once again welcome the UFC and its President, Dana White, to the city of Jacksonville,” said Mayor Lenny Curry.
“I reached out to Dana in December to let him know we were ready to host another game as soon as possible, and as he always does, Dana delivered! Our city has always demonstrated that we are ready to host sporting events. world-class events of this caliber and we can’t wait to see the UFC and its thousands of fans in early April.”
The No. 2 male pound-for-pound fighter, Volkanovski (23-1, fighting out of Windang, NSW, Australia) is coming off a thrilling title defense against Brian Ortega in a Fight of the Year.
Undefeated for nearly nine years, he also holds notable victories over Max Holloway (twice), Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes. Volkanovski intends to steal the show once again by winning his third successful title defense against one of the most talented finishers in the division.
Perennial fan favorite Jung (17-6, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) tries to make the most of his second UFC featherweight title opportunity.
A heavy-handed creative grappler, “The Korean Zombie” thrilled fans with thrilling finishes against Frankie Edgar, Dennis Bermudez and Dustin Poirier. Jung now has his sights set on handing Volkanovski his first UFC loss and fulfilling his dream of becoming a UFC champion.
Sterling (20-3, fighter out of Uniondale, NY) is looking to cement his status as the UFC bantamweight champion after a disqualification victory over Yan to claim the belt last March.
A talented wrestler and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, he holds impressive submission victories over Cory Sandhagen, Cody Stamann and Takeya Mizugaki. Sterling is now aiming to have the last laugh by finishing off Yan to secure his first successful title defense.
The No. 11 male pound-for-pound fighter, Yan (16-2, fighting out of Yekaterinburg, Russia) is determined to stop Sterling and reclaim the UFC bantamweight championship.
A dangerous striker and grappler, Yan delivered memorable knockouts against Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo and Douglas Silva de Andrade. Yan now hopes to earn some revenge by dethroning Sterling outright.
Additional fights on the map include:
• Mackenzie Dern (11-2, fighting in Huntington Beach, Calif.), number 5 strawweight, takes on Tecia Torres, number 7 (13.5, fighting in Colorado Springs, Colorado).
• #10 Kelvin Gastelum (17-8 1NC, fighter from Yuma, Arizona via Huntington Beach, CA) takes on #12 Nassourdine Imavov (11-3, fighter from Paris, France) in an intriguing bout. middleweight contenders clash.
• In a pivotal fight for the women’s bantamweight, Irene Aldana (13-6, fighting in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico) takes on No. 4 Aspen Ladd (9-2, fighting in El Dorado Hills, Calif.).
• Ian Garry (8-0, fighting in Dublin, Ireland) looks to build on his momentum when he takes on Darian Weeks (5-1, fighting in Sedalia, Missouri) at welterweight.
• Dricus du Plessis (16-2, fighter from Pretoria, South Africa) takes on Chris Curtis (28-8, fighter from Las Vegas, Nevada via Cincinnati, Ohio) in a clash of middleweight forwards.
• The top 10 heavyweights clash when No. 6 Jairzinho Rozenstruik (12-3, fighter from Paramaribo, Suriname) meets No. 9 Marcin Tybura (22-7, fighter from Uniejow, Poland).
• Albert Duraev (15-3, fighter from Las Vegas, Nevada via Grozny, Russia) takes on Anthony Hernandez (8-2 1NC, fighter from Dunnigan, Calif.).
• Mickey Gall (7-4, fighting out of Green Brook, NJ) takes on Dana White’s Contender Series signee Mike Malott (7-1-1, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif. via Waterdown, Ontario, Canada) in a heavyweight bout welterweight.
• Gavin Tucker (13-2, fighter in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) takes on Pat Sabatini (16-3, fighter in Philadelphia, Penn.) in an exciting featherweight bout.
• Julio Arce (17-5, fighter in Bayside, NY) takes on UFC newcomer Daniel Santos (10-1, fighter in Sao Paulo, Brazil) at bantamweight.
• Vinc Pichel (14-2, fighter from Englewood, Colorado via Simi Valley, CA) takes on undefeated Mark O. Madsen (11-0, fighter from Maribo, Denmark via Nykøbing Falster, Denmark) at lightweight.
• Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner Piera Rodriguez (7-0, fighter from Maracaibo, Venezuela) makes her strawweight debut against Kay Hansen (7-5, fighter from Fullerton, Calif.).
UFC 273 Schedule, Stream and Ticket Information
UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie takes place Saturday, April 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
All fights will be simulcast on ESPN+ in English and Spanish starting at 6:15 p.m. ET / 3:15 p.m. PT with ESPN+ prelims and UFC Fight Pass.
The prelims will continue exclusively on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, followed by the ESPN+ Pay-Per-View main card which begins at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
Tickets for UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie go on sale Friday, February 11 at 10 a.m. ET and are available for purchase at ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.
UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 10 a.m. ET through the www.ufcfightclub.com website.
A special online ticket presale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Thursday, Feb. 10 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must sign up for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
Source: press release
