UFC on Fox 28 - Emmett vs. Stephens --- UFC Fight Night 127 - Werdum vs. Volkov
UFC 222: Cyborg vs. Kunitskaya is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will be held on March 3, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States.
Fight card
Main Card
Women's Featherweight Cris Cyborg (c) vs. Yana Kunitskaya For the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship.
Featherweight Frankie Edgar vs. Brian Ortega
Bantamweight Sean O’Malley vs. Andre Soukhamthath
Heavyweight Stefan Struve vs. Andrei Arlovski
Women's Bantamweight Cat Zingano vs. Ketlen Vieira
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)
Women's Strawweight Ashley Yoder vs. Mackenzie Dern
Lightweight Beneil Dariush vs. Alexander Hernandez
Bantamweight John Dodson vs. Pedro Munhoz
Middleweight C. B. Dollaway vs. Hector Lombard
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Welterweight Mike Pyle vs. Zak Ottow
Bantamweight Bryan Caraway vs. Cody Stamann
Light Heavyweight Jordan Johnson vs. Adam Milstead
Background
A UFC Featherweight Championship bout between current champion Max Holloway and former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar was expected to serve as the event headliner. The pairing was initially expected to take place three months earlier at UFC 218. However, Edgar pulled out of the fight citing an eye injury. In turn, Holloway pulled out of this bout on February 3, due to a leg injury and the matchup was scrapped.
On the same day of Holloway's withdrawal, the UFC reportedly pursued a UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between current champion T.J. Dillashaw and former champion Cody Garbrandt to headline this event, in what would be a rematch of their UFC 217 encounter, in which Dillashaw recaptured the title with a TKO win. However, Dillashaw declined the offer citing a few reasons: the recent birth of his first child, not being in a training camp, disbelief that Garbrandt deserves the title shot, as well as a targeted UFC Flyweight Championship challenge against the champion Demetrious Johnson (who is currently recovering from a surgery).
On February 7, it was reported that a UFC Women's Featherweight Championship bout between current champion Cris Cyborg (who is also a former Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Champion and Invicta FC Featherweight Champion) and former Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion Yana Kunitskaya was now scheduled to headline the event. It was also announced that Edgar will remain on the card, facing Brian Ortega in the co-main event.
A bantamweight bout between former UFC Flyweight Championship challenger and The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller bantamweight winner John Dodson and Pedro Munhoz is expected to take place at the event. The paring was originally scheduled to take place one month earlier at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders but was scrapped from the event after Munhoz missed weight and Dodson did not agree to fight at a catchweight.
Bobby Green was expected to face Beneil Dariush at the event, but pulled out on February 14 due to injury. He was replaced by promotional newcomer Alexander Hernandez.