UFC Releases ‘Brunson vs. Shahbazyan’ Bout Lineup for Aug. 1 Fight Night

BREAKING!

@DerekBrunson & @EdmenShahbazyan move to the main event of the August 1st event. pic.twitter.com/zCEmc3aQZH

— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2020

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship has reorganized its upcoming event at the UFC Apex.

On Thursday, the promotion sent out a press release to announce the current lineup for UFC Fight Night 173 on Aug. 1. The card, originally set to be headlined by a women’s bantamweight potential title eliminator between Holly Holm and Irene Aldana, now finds itself with a new main event. Aldana tested positive for COVID-19, and their pairing may be rescheduled for October. Due to this change, Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan has been elevated to the top billing, but it will be a three-round bout due to the short-notice change.

Moving up to the co-main event spot is a pivotal women’s flyweight tilt as Jennifer Maia tries to crush the championship aspirations of Joanne Calderwood. Calderwood earned a crack at the belt in June, but champ Valentina Shevchenko was forced to pull out due to injury. Meanwhile, in the featured fight of the night, welterweights Vicente Luque and Randy Brown will square off.

A few matchups originally booked on the card have fallen of or been retooled thanks to withdrawals. Additionally, there are new fights on the card, like the rematch between Lando Vannata and Bobby Green – their thrilling first meeting in 2017 ended with a split draw. Elsewhere on the card, stepping in on short notice against Ed Herman at light heavyweight will be Gerald Meerschaert. Trevin Giles will now be facing Kevin Holland instead of Jun Yong Park after Park was forced to withdraw. Finally, the status of the Chris Gutierrez vs. Luke Sanders bantamweight tilt is currently unknown.

The event will air in its entirety on ESPN+ on Aug. 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card kicks off at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while the prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

UFC Fight Night 173 Official Lineup

Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan – middleweight
Jennifer Maia vs. Joanne Calderwood – women’s flyweight
Vicente Luque vs. Randy Brown – welterweight
Lando Vannata vs. Bobby Green – lightweight
Ed Herman vs. Gerald Meerschaert – light heavyweight
Trevin Giles vs. Kevin Holland – middleweight
Frankie Saenz vs. Jonathan Martinez – bantamweight
Ray Borg vs. Joseph Nathan Maness – bantamweight
Markus Perez vs. Eric Spicely – middleweight
Jamall Emmers vs. Timur Valiev – featherweight