The UFC is returning to Florida with a loaded card.
Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski headlines UFC 273 opposite “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung on April 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling fights interim champion Petr Yan in a rematch of their controversial UFC 259 encounter.
The updated UFC 273 lineup and location were officially announced on Saturday’s UFC Vegas 47 broadcast.
Volkanovski — No. 1 at 145 pounds in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings — goes for the third defense of his UFC title. He was originally scheduled to fight Max Holloway in a trilogy bout at UFC 272, but Holloway withdrew due to an injury and the bout was moved to UFC 273 with Jung (7) as Holloway’s replacement. Holloway has reportedly recovered from his injury and is offering to weigh in as a backup for the April 9 main event.
This will be Jung’s second shot at the featherweight championship. He also stepped in on short-notice for his first title opportunity, replacing Anthony Pettis against Jose Aldo at UFC 163 in August 2013. Aldo defeated Jung by fourth-round TKO.
Sterling (2) and Yan (1) first fought in March 2021. Their bout ended in controversy when Yan landed an illegal knee on a grounded Sterling in the fourth round, resulting in a disqualification win for Sterling and Yan losing his bantamweight championship. Yan has since defeated Cory Sandhagen for an interim championship, while UFC 273 marks Sterling’s first fight since UFC 259 as he returns from neck surgery.
See the updated lineup for UFC 273 below (numbers in parentheses indicate MMA Fighting Global Ranking):
Alexander Volkanovski (1) vs. Chan Sung Jung (7)
Aljamain Sterling (2) vs. Petr Yan (1)
Mackenzie Dern (5) vs. Tecia Torres (7)
Kelvin Gastelum (14) vs. Nassourdine Imavov
Irene Aldana (5) vs. Aspen Ladd
Jairzinho Rozenstruik (7) vs. Marcin Tybura (11)