When is the next UFC fight?
By Jaren Kawada
With the final major MMA event of 2023 wrapping up on Dec. 16, the UFC will enter its dreaded brief offseason during the holiday season.
The 2023 calendar year has been a monumental one for the UFC with the company celebrating its 30th anniversary. Entering December, the promotion has crowned nine new undisputed champions and two interim champions since January while also naming a new BMF belt holder.
Following UFC 296, however, fans will not be able to see the octagon for four weeks. The UFC will not return until after the New Year, opening in their home of Las Vegas, Nevada. With UFC 300 just around the corner and three highly anticipated pay-per-view events preceding it, there is a lot to like in the first half of 2024.
When is the next UFC event?
The UFC will return on Jan. 13 in the UFC APEX headlined by the rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker.
The two light heavyweights originally fought at UFC 294, though an illegal knee from Ankalaev caused a break in the action followed by a surprising decision from the ringside doctor to stop the fight. The fight was announced as a no-contest after Walker nearly started an in-cage brawl in protest and the rematch was booked shortly after.
With no clear no. 1 contender in the division, the fight could determine a future title shot for the winner. Ankalaev is heavily favored to get his hand raised, as he was in the first fight.
The co-main event of the first event of the year features another rematch, as Manel Kape returns after a Fight of the Night victory at UFC 293 to face Matheus Nicolau. Nicolau originally beat Kape with a controversial split decision in his first fight back in the octagon after two fights on the regional scene. The Brazilian is coming off of a knockout loss to Brandon Royval who earned his UFC 296 title shot off of the win.
Ketlen Vieira, Jim Miller, Ricky Simon, Andrei Arlovski, Farid Basharat and Phil Hawes will all also be on the Jan. 13 Fight Night card, filling the first event of 2024 with numerous intriguing matchups.
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