UFC 187 Features Championship Doubleheader on May 23

The UFC’s Memorial Day weekend event on Saturday, May 23 is shaping up to be one for the ages, with the Wednesday announcement of several exciting matchups, including two championship bouts that will headline the card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound king Jon Jones defends his 205-pound crown for the ninth time against number one contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. In the co-featured bout of the evening, UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort finally throw hands in a highly-anticipated title bout.

Tickets for UFC 187 go on sale on March 4. Stay tuned to UFC.com for more information and fight card announcements.

In addition to the two title fights headlining UFC 187, three more intriguing bouts were made official Wednesday.

In the lightweight division, a shot at the 155-pound crown may be on the line when number two-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov risks his unbeaten record against the man sitting at number three in the rankings, Colorado action hero Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

At heavyweight, two of the division’s power hitters will square off as number three-ranked Travis “Hapa” Browne battles former UFC champion Andrei “Pitbull” Arlovski, and in the flyweight division, former title challenger Joseph Benavidez faces fellow top five contender John Moraga.

Also announced for the event is a lightweight bout between Leo Kuntz and Islam Makhachev.