The Ultimate Fighting Championship deserves a 4th of July celebration with a star-studded, 13-fight card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 2. At UFC 276, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (22-1-0) will face second-place contender Jarrod Cannonier (15-5) in the main event. Alexander Volkanowski and Max Holloway will meet for the third time in a co-main event to decide the featherweight title, which also features former women’s bantamweight champion Misha Tate and fan favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. UFC 276 kicks off the promotion’s annual International Fight Week extravaganza and will be available via pay-per-view on ESPN+.
Adesanya (22-1) looks to extend his three-year, five-fight regimen in the division. Last time (UFC 271), he defeated challenger Robert Whitaker by unanimous decision. The Last Stylebender has never lost a fight at 185 pounds (his only loss by him is at light heavyweight), which explains why oddsmakers have made him such a heavy favorite. Kaiser Sportsbook lists Adesanya at -360, and he doesn’t hurt to have the confidence of a champion.
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“I no longer care about winning or losing. I don’t care about the belt. I just want to brag. I know that when I show off and have fun, I am the best in the world. ”, Adensanya said in a promotional video for the show.
Cannonier, six years older than Adesanya, began his career as a heavyweight more than a decade ago (he also competed at light heavyweight). But it’s at middleweight where the veteran worker will finally find his glory. The 38-year-old defeated Derek Brunson in a ‘Performance of the Night’ effort at UFC 262, his fifth victory in the last six matches.
“I think I can beat any man on the face of the planet. I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, what you’ve done,” Cannier said.
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Volkanovski and Holloway will square off again in the Octagon for the 15th trilogy fight in UFC history, with the featherweight title on the line. Volkanowski (24-1) closed out the first two matchups. He first claimed the belt in 2019 and then beat Holloway again a year later in a rematch, in a fight many believe Holloway won. A win would put Volkanowski in position to move up to 155 pounds and pursue his goal of a second title. Holloway (23-6) himself was the 2016 champion at 145 pounds.
In the run-up to the main event, Alex Pereira takes on Sean Strickland in another middleweight showdown that could leave the winner with the next title shot. Pereira (5-1) joined the UFC in 2021 and has two wins over Adesanya in professional kickboxing.
Lauren Murphy (15-5) will take on Misha Tait (19-8) on the May undercard. Murphy comes into UFC 266, losing to 125-pound champion Valentina Shevchenko. Tate, who most recently emerged victorious over Celebrity Big Brother, is fighting at flyweight after beating Holly Holm for the bantamweight title in 2016. Cupcakes lost to Ronda Rousey in a bantamweight championship bout at UFC 168.
Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller will also square off on the undercard. Miller was originally supposed to face Bobby Green in a welterweight matchup. But Green’s injury gave the Cowboys a chance to finally return to the Octagon. Twice in the last two months, his scheduled fight with Joe Logon was canceled on the day of the incident. In 2014, Cerrone knocked out Miller with a kick to the head.
UFC 276 begins at 10 p.m. EDT on ESPN+.
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