The main event will feature a middleweight encounter between Ronaldo Souza and Jack Hermansson. Souza (26-6, 1 NC) was originally set to battle Yoel Romero in a rematch, having lost to “The Soldier of God” in a razor-thin split-decision back in 2015. However, Romero had to pull out and Hermansson (19-4) stepped in just a few weeks after a quick finish of David Branch last month.
A win for Souza should guarantee him the next title shot. The Brazilian has won four of his last six fights and is rated as Sherdog’s fifth-best middleweight in the world. ESPN, meanwhile, have him third while Souza is the No. 4 contender in the UFC rankings.
It is Hermansson, though, who has a lot more to gain from this fight. “The Joker” is ranked No. 10 in the UFC rankings and recently broke into ESPN’s list as the 10th-best middleweight in the world. A shock win over the Brazilian would likely catapult him into title contention.
Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Glover Teixeira is also in action as he looks to win two in a row for the first time since 2013 when he takes on Ion Cutelaba. Teixeira (28-7) is still one of the best in the division but going 3-3 in his last six fights has seen him drop in the rankings.
Teixeira is no longer in Sherdog or ESPN’s top 10 but keeps his place in the top 15 of the UFC rankings where he currently sits as the No. 11 contender. Meanwhile, Cutelaba (14-3, 1 NC) is unranked, but a fourth win in five bouts should see him crack the top 15 for the first time.
The main card will see the return of the John Lineker as well, having last competed in May 2018. The hard-hitting Lineker (31-8) has won eight of his last nine, with his only defeat coming to former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw. It is no surprise then that he is one of the big contenders at 135.
Sherdog rates “Hands of Stone” as the sixth-best bantamweight in the world while ESPN have him seventh. Lineker is also the No. 8 contender in the UFC rankings, and a win against Cory Sandhagen should get him a title-eliminator bout next at the least.
Sandhagen (10-1), though, will be looking to prevent that. The 27-year-old has finishes in all three of his UFC fights so far and a win over Lineker would not only be by far the biggest of his career, but also see him crack the rankings.
On the prelims, former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (27-17, 2 NC), ranked No. 15 in the UFC rankings, collides with Augusto Sakai (12-1-1). Arlovski is winless in his last three and will be looking to end that skid against the promising prospect, who last defeated Chase Sherman last year.
Lastly, former women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza, ranked as the eighth-best 115-pounder in the world by Sherdog as well as the No. 9 contender in the UFC rankings, meets submission expert Virna Jandiroba (14-0). The winner will have a comfortable spot within the top 10.