Las Vegas, Nevada – The UFC® will bring a stacked card to Broomfield on Saturday, February 14 as two top 10 welterweights jockey for position in the talent-rich division. Fifth-ranked Matt Brown clashes with No. 9 Tarec Saffiedine in a Valentine’s Day special that is sure to bring the action.
Brown (21-12, fighting out of Columbus, Ohio) has finished all but two of his 21 victories, securing 13 by way of knockout. The heavy-hitting 33-year-old has long been on the brink of title contention with wins over UFC standouts such as Mike Swick and Mike Pyle, and he hopes that an impressive performance over Saffiedine (15-4, fighting out of Temecula, Calif.) will get him one step closer to that elusive shot at UFC gold.
Former STRIKEFORCE® champion and Belgium native Saffiedine has won five of his last six bouts. A black belt in Shihaishinkai, a form of karate that includes knockdowns and throws, he’s been honing his grappling techniques under the tutelage of former PRIDE® and STRIKEFORCE champion and U.S. Olympic Team wrestler, Dan Henderson in Southern California and he will prove to be a threat regardless of where the fight goes.
In addition, two of the best strikers in the welterweight division will collide in an early Fight of the Night candidate as Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (10-1, fighting out of Simpsonville, S.C.) meets Denver’s own Brandon Thatch (11-1, fighting out of Denver, Colo.). Thompson made the transition to MMA after posting a perfect kickboxing record of 57-0 that included more than 40 knockouts, a trait that he’s carried with him, as half of his MMA fights have also ended with a KO. Thatch will make his return to the Octagon® just 20 minutes from his hometown and will look to keep his 10-fight win streak dating back to 2009 intact in front of his hometown fans.
Also scheduled for the card:
- Riding a four-fight win streak with all finishes, No. 14 Max Holloway (11-3, fighting out of Waianae, Hawaii) will meet submission specialist Cole Miller (21-8, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) in a featherweight showdown.
- In a battle of top-10 flyweights, ninth-ranked Timothy Elliott (10-5-1, fighting out of Lee’s Summit, Mo.) clashes with No. 10 Zach Makovsky (18-5, fighting out of Philadelphia, Pa.).
- Ninth-ranked Nik Lentz (27-6-2, 1NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) will look to use his superior wrestling when he takes on Brazilian grappler Thiago Tavares (23-5-1, fighting out of Florianopolis, Brazil) at featherweight.
- Flyweight submission ace Ray Borg (7-1, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) meets dynamic finisher Chris Kelades (8-1, fighting out of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia Canada).
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: BROWN vs. SAFFIEDINE go on sale Friday, December 5 at 10 a.m. MT and are priced at $175, $125, $75 and $50. Tickets are available for purchase at www.altitudetickets.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call (866) 461-6556. Tickets are also available at the 1STBANK Center box office. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.
A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, December 4 starting at 10 a.m. MT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: BROWN vs. SAFFIEDINE will air live on FOX Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Saturday, February 14, with the prelims kicking off the evening on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and on UFC FIGHT PASS™ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
