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After a massive UFC 262 pay-per-view event last week that saw Charles Oliveira getting crowned as the new lightweight champion, the promotion is back home at the APEX arena for this week's Fight Night.
The main event of the May 22, 2021 card will see former bantamweight champion and No.4-ranked Cody Garbrandt take on No.3-ranked Rob Font. The bout will determine which fighter gets a step closer to a shot at the bantamweight title, currently held by Aljamain Sterling.
The night's co-main event will feature former women's strawweight champion and No.4-ranked Carla Esparza facing No.3-ranked Yan Xiaonan. The fight could also decide champion Rose Namajunas' next challenger.
Also Read: UFC line-up for tonight (May 22, 2021): Who are the fighters involved in the event?
Listen to UFC president Dana White talk about the card going into Fight Night below:
Also Read: What time is the UFC Fight Tonight (May 22, 2021)?
UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt
Four years ago, Cody Garbrandt delivered a once-in-a-lifetime performance to pick up a unanimous decision and the UFC bantamweight title by defeating Dominick Cruz. However, he has not looked the same since.
After getting finished twice by T.J. Dillashaw and once by Pedro Munhoz, former champion Cody Garbrandt bounced back in June 2020 with a KO over Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250. He will be looking to find his way back to the top of the division in this encounter against Rob Font, who is on a three-fight winning streak.
Rob Font boasts victories over Ricky Simon, Marlon Moraes and current Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis. The UFC could consider the fighter out of Boston for a title shot if he can put on an impressive display against Garbrandt.
Carla Esparza and Yan Xiaonan will also fight for a spot in the title contention conversation.
Esparza is on a four-fight winning streak after suffering two defeats in 2018. Her latest victory came against Marina Rodriguez in July 2020 in a narrow split decision. Before that, she picked up split, majority, and unanimous decisions against Michelle Waterson, Alexa Grasso, and Virna Jandiroba, respectively.
Xiaonan is on an excellent streak of six wins that started on her debut UFC fight in 2017 against Kailin Curran. She went through Claudia Gadelha in November 2020 in a unanimous decision win.
Also Read: 3 fights to look forward to and 2 fights that will likely disappoint at UFC Vegas 27
