A comprehensive calendar of combat sports events for the first three weeks of May has been announced. On May 2, UFC Perth headlines with Maddalena vs Prates, Dariush vs Salkilld, and other bouts, alongside PFL Sioux Falls featuring Storley vs Zendeli and Rabadonov vs Chizhov. Boxing events include Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani in Tokyo and David Benavidez vs Gilberto Ramirez in Las Vegas. May 8 features ACA 203 with Gaforov vs Akopyan. May 9 includes boxing in Manchester with Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois, plus UFC 328 headlined by Chimaev vs Strickland with supporting bouts including Volkov vs Acosta and Brady vs Buckley. The month rounds out with UFC Vegas 117 on May 16 featuring Allen vs Costa, and MVP MMA showcasing Rousey vs Carano and Ngannou vs Lins.
The first three weeks of May are stacked with major combat sports action across MMA and boxing, with UFC events, PFL, ACA, MVP MMA, and world-class boxing all scheduled to run in quick succession.
The month opens on May 2 with UFC Perth, headlined by Magomed Maddalena versus Prates and a lightweight contest between Dariush and Salkilld. The same night, PFL Sioux Falls runs a card featuring Storley versus Zendeli and Rabadonov versus Chizhov. Boxing also commands attention on May 2, with Naoya Inoue defending in Tokyo against Junto Nakatani and David Benavidez meeting Gilberto Ramirez in Las Vegas.
ACA 203 follows on May 8 with Gaforov versus Akopyan at the top of the bill. May 9 brings arguably the biggest single night of the stretch, with Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois squaring off in Manchester and UFC 328 running simultaneously. The UFC 328 main event pits middleweight champion Sean Strickland against Khamzat Chimaev. Strickland, 35, carries a 31-7-0 record and holds the middleweight title fighting out of Xtreme Couture. The American stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and produces a remarkable 6.04 significant strikes per minute. Also on UFC 328, heavyweight Alexander Volkov, ranked number one in his division, takes on Acosta. The 37-year-old Russian stands six-foot-seven with an 80-inch reach and posts a striking accuracy of 57 percent across his 40-win career. Michael Chiesa versus Buckley and Brady also feature on the card.
May 16 brings UFC Vegas 117, headlined by a middleweight clash between Allen and Paulo Costa. Costa, ranked 13th in the division at 35 years old, carries a 16-4-0 record and lands 6.26 significant strikes per minute with 58 percent accuracy, making him one of the more dangerous strikers in the weight class.
Why it matters
- UFC 328 positions the middleweight title picture with Strickland versus Chimaev as a high-stakes title defense
- Volkov versus Acosta carries divisional weight at heavyweight with the top-ranked contender in action
- Costa versus Allen at UFC Vegas 117 has direct implications for the middleweight rankings
- The May 2 boxing card features two world-level fights running concurrently with UFC Perth and PFL
