A comprehensive calendar of upcoming MMA events has been released, covering fights from April 18 through May 9. UFC Winnipeg on April 18 features Burns vs Malott, Phillips vs Jourden, Vologdin vs Castaneda, and Zheleznyakova vs Croden. RAF 08 on the same date will showcase Dvalishvili vs Cejudo and Tsarukyan vs Faber. UFC Vegas 116 on April 25 headlines Sterling vs Zalal and Jackson vs Barcelos. Additional events include UFC Perth on May 2 with Maddalena vs Prates, PFL Sioux Falls, and boxing cards featuring Naoya Inoue and David Benavidez. UFC 328 on May 9 will feature Chimaev vs Strickland as the main event, along with several other notable matchups including Volkov vs Acosta and Guskov vs Blachowicz.
A packed stretch of MMA action is set to run from April 18 through May 9, with multiple promotions filling out a calendar that spans UFC events, the Road to Abu Dhabi Fighting series, PFL, and major boxing cards.
The run opens on April 18 with UFC Winnipeg, headlined by Burns vs Malott and also featuring Phillips vs Jourden, Vologdin vs Castaneda, and Zheleznyakova vs Croden. That same evening, RAF 08 will host Merab Dvalishvili against Henry Cejudo and Arman Tsarukyan against Urijah Faber. Cejudo, 39, holds a 16-6 record and currently sits ninth in the bantamweight rankings. The former two-division champion fights out of Fight Ready and brings a wrestling-heavy game, averaging 1.84 takedowns per 15 minutes with a 47 percent striking accuracy mark.
UFC Vegas 116 follows on April 25, with Aljamain Sterling vs Beneil Dariush topping the card alongside Jackson vs Barcelos. UFC Perth arrives May 2, headlining with Maddalena vs Prates, and PFL holds its Sioux Falls card around the same window alongside boxing events featuring Naoya Inoue and David Benavidez.
The stretch closes May 9 with UFC 328, where Khamzat Chimaev meets Sean Strickland in the main event. The card also includes Volkov vs Acosta and a middleweight bout between Guskov and Shara Magomedov. Magomedov, 32, carries a 17-1 record and has drawn attention for his exceptional striking output, landing 5.93 significant strikes per minute at a 62 percent accuracy rate. The Russian fighting out of Gorets Fight Club stands six-foot-two with a 73-inch reach.
Why it matters
- The RAF 08 bantamweight bouts carry direct divisional implications, with a ranked Cejudo looking to re-establish himself in a crowded 135-pound picture
- UFC 328's Chimaev vs Strickland shapes the middleweight title picture and could clarify the division's contender hierarchy
- Magomedov's appearance on a pay-per-view main card raises his profile considerably after a rapid rise through the 185-pound ranks
