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The UFC is back in New York, New York.
The fight promotion company is hosting UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Nov. 12. Some are calling it the “UFC card of the year.”
The main event is headlined by Israel Adesanya who looks to defend his Middleweight title against old kickboxing rival Alex Pereira.
If you were wondering if there are any New York/New Jersey fighters on this card? The answer is yes.
Here they are:
New Yorkers
Matt Frevola (9-3-1), a Huntington, Long Island native, looks to keep the momentum going after earning an impressive first-round TKO finish in his last fight. He takes on Ottman Azaitar (13-0) in a lightweight match as the featured early prelim bout. Read more about the fight here.
Julio Arce (18-5) was born in Miami, Florida, has lived in Colombia but has spent most of his life in New York City. The 33-year-old Flushing resident currently owns a gym in Queens where he teaches MMA. He’ll be taking on Montel Jackson (11-2) in a bantamweight bout on the early prelims.
Dominick Reyes (12-3) is from Hesperia, Calif., but he spent a good chunk of his time in New York. The current No. 7 ranked UFC light heavyweight played college football on Long Island at Stony Brook University. He was the team’s starting safety from 2009 to 2012, where he became the school’s all-time leader in solo tackles. The Devastator returns to the octagon after enduring a three-fight losing streak, which includes title fight loses against Jon Jones and Jan Blachowicz. Reyes will fight the No. 12 ranked fighter in his divison, Ryan Spann, on the prelims.
New Jerseyans
Frankie Edgar (24-10) is the best UFC fighter to ever come out of New Jersey. The former UFC lightweight champ from Toms River is calling it a career with one final fight at UFC 281. He’s taking on Chris Gutierrez (18-3-2) for a main card fight. Edgar has had a Hall-of-Fame career in the UFC, defending his title three times. He’s also tied for the UFC record of most Fight of the Night bonuses (8) with Nate Diaz.
Erin Blanchfield (9-1) of Elmwood Park, N.J. is riding a six-fight win streak. She’s coming off a second-round guillotine submission finish. She’s a big betting favorite (-400) against Molly McCann. Their women’s flyweight match is set for the prelims.
Michael Trizano (9-3) looks to end a two fight losing streak in front of a home crowd. The Ramsey, N.J. and Italian-American fighter will take on South Korea’s Choi Seung-Woo for a featherweight match in the early prelims. The “Lone Wolf” has been in the UFC since 2018, earning a contract after winning “The Ultimate Fighter: Season 27.”
See the full UFC 281 lineup below.
UFC 281 fight card, betting odds
Odds from Caesars Sportsbook
main card
- Israel Adesanya (c) -220 vs. Alex Pereira +180, middleweight championship
- Weili Zhang -360 vs. Carla Esparza (c) +280, women’s strawweight championship
- Dustin Poirier -230 vs. Michael Chandler +190, lightweight
- Chris Gutierrez -230 vs. Frankie Edgar +190, bantamweight
- Dan Hooker -150 vs. Claudio Puelles +125, lightweight
prelims
- Renato Moicano -125 vs. Brad Riddell +105, lightweight
- Dominick Reyes -220 vs. Ryan Spann +180, light heavyweight
- Erin Blanchfield -400 vs. Molly McCann +310, women’s flyweight
- Andre Petroski -200 vs. Wellington Turman +170, middleweight
early prelims
- Ottman Azaitar -155 vs. Matt Frevola +130, lightweight
- Silvana Gomez Juarez -120 vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz +100, women’s strawweight
- Choi Seung-Woo -180 vs. Michael Trizano +155, featherweight
- Montel Jackson -210 vs. Julio Arce +175, bantamweight
- Carlos Ulberg -130 vs. Nicolae Negumereanu +110, light heavyweight
Top: Frankie Edgar before fighting Marlon Vera in a bantamweight mixed martial arts bout at UFC 268, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
