UFC celebrates its 30-year anniversary at Madison Square Garden in New York City this weekend. A pair of title fights — Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira and Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall — top the marquee, but they aren’t the only fights worth watching.
There is no denying that UFC 295 took a hit losing Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. It’s a fight that came a few years late but still paired the UFC’s greatest light heavyweight and heavyweight champions in a dream matchup. Prochazka and Pereira instead fight for the vacant light heavyweight title in the main event with Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall’s interim heavyweight title fight sliding in on short notice.
The undercard features a showcase opportunity for some rising contenders. Women’s strawweights Mackenzie Dern and Jessica Andrade are set to square off. Dern is looking to move closer to a title shot while Andrade, a former titleholder in the division, moves into gatekeeper status. Dern has alternated wins and losses since 2021 with a 3-2 mark but is coming off a victory over Angela Hill last time out. Andrade, meanwhile, will make her fifth appearance in 2023 but has suffered three straight stoppage losses early in fights.
A card celebrating three…
