The main event of the UFC’s first pay-per-view card in Southeast Asia is official.
Glover Texera and Jiri Prochazka both weighed in successfully in their light heavyweight championship fights on Friday, each weighing 205 pounds. Texera will defend her belt against Prochaska in the UFC 275 headliner on Saturday in Singapore.
ESPN ranks Teixeira as the world’s 8-pound-for-pound MMA fighter. In the light heavyweight, Texera is No. 1 and Prochazka is No. 4.
Texera (33-7) defeated John Blachovich to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 267 last October. With this victory, the Brazilian native became the oldest champion in UFC history for the first time. Texara, 42, lost to John Jones in 2014 to win six consecutive titles for the title.
Prochazka (28-3-1) has won 10 in a row by KO / TKO and 12 in a row. The native of the Czech Republic is descending from the spinning back elbow knockout in the second round of Dominic Reyes in May 2021. Prochazaka, 29, is a former light heavyweight champion for the promotion of the Resin Fighting Federation of Japan.
Both UFC 275 co-head event fighters also successfully lost weight on Friday. Valentina Shevchenko (124.5 lbs) will defend her UFC women’s flyweight title against Tela Santos (125 lbs) on Saturday.
Shevchenko (22-3) is ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound female MMA fighter. The 34-year-old Kyrgyz national has won eight in a row and is looking to defend his seventh title. The 28-year-old Brazilian Santos (19-1) has won four matches in a row.
In another crucial fight on the cards, former women’s strovet champion Zhang Weli and Joanna Jederzejic successfully lost 116 pounds.
Pay-Per-View also lost a fight on Friday as Rosario Bontorin was pulled out for medical reasons. His fight against Manel Cape was canceled.
