The month of March gave us some exciting UFC fights, including the Covington vs. Masvidal main event. With four events on the schedule for April, we are sure to get some more thrilling contests, including a couple of championship fights on the same pay-per-view card. Let’s take a look at five of the biggest matchups.
Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev
UFC 273 – April 9
This will be by far the biggest test to date for one of the fastest-rising young stars the UFC has to offer. The 27-year-old Chimaev is a perfect 10-0 and has never even been taken to a decision, with six knockouts and four submissions. However, he will be facing the second-ranked welterweight contender and a guy who has been on the big stage before in Gilbert Burns. Either we get another win for an exciting young up-and-comer or a victory for one of the best in a very crowded division. Sounds like a win-win.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan
UFC 273 – April 9
The first of two championship fights at UFC 273, Sterling vs. Yan is actually a rematch from a fight we saw early last year. Unfortunately, that fight ended in a disqualification when Yan hit Sterling with an illegal knee. Yan was well on his way to a victory in that contest but took a loss and Sterling took the undisputed championship. Now, with the two squaring off again, we’ll finally find out who is the true champion in the bantamweight division.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung
UFC 273 – April 9
In the main event of this month’s pay-per-view, a dominant champion will face off with a very exciting challenger. Jung has been a fan-favorite for a long time now and he finally finds himself on the biggest stage of them all here. However, he is running into a champion in Volkanovski who hasn’t lost a fight since 2013 and has beaten some of the best the division has to offer. Jung is tough out and he is going to keep coming at the champ until one of them can’t take it anymore.
Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad
UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Muhammad – Arpil 16
After Burns and Chimaev set the tone in the welterweight division a week earlier, these two ranked welterweights are going to look to put on a show and throw their names in the hat for a future title shot. Luque comes in at number four in the division and the slight favorite as far as betting odds, but Muhammad isn’t far behind him as the sixth-ranked fighter in the class. This is a very interesting matchup stylistically as both guys can get the job done anywhere.
Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera
UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Vera – April 30
Getting in just under the wire before the calendar changes to May, this main event sees two top-10 bantamweights try to inch up the rankings. Font is coming off a loss to the legendary Jose Aldo back in December while Vera will be looking for his third straight win. Both guys are dangerous strikers and a highlight reel knockout would be a big statement so you can bet there will be some head hunting in this one.
You can see all of these fights on ESPN+ throughout the month of April.