The championship fights in the UFC have been exciting this year, and the main event of UFC 228 should be no exception. On Sept. 8 in Dallas, Tyron Woodley will be returning to the Octagon to put his welterweight championship on the line against one of the more popular up-and-comers in the sport today, Darren Till. It's been a long road back for the champ, but he's ready to defend his gold once again.
Woodley has been out of action for over a year while recovering from shoulder surgery, but is riding a four-fight win streak. Till is undefeated in his pro career and coming off the biggest win of his career when he scored a shocking unanimous decision victory over Stephen Thompson.
Can't get enough UFC? Subscribe to my podcast In This Corner with Brian Campbell where I break down everything you need to know in the Octagon.
While it won't serve as the main event, the co-main event in Dallas will see women's flyweight champion Nicco Montano defend her championship against divisional newcomer Valentina Shevchenko. Montano earned the right to be called the first-ever women's flyweight champion last December, but she has yet to defend her title as she has dealt with a nagging foot injury. Shevchenko, meanwhile, recently made her flyweight debut in dominating fashion as she decimated Priscila Cachoeira. Shevchenko couldn't conquer the bantamweight division, but she seems much more comfortable and poised to take over at flyweight.
Montano and Shevchenko aren't the only two women who will have the spotlight in Dallas, though. The women's strawweight division will also be featured, as Jessica Andrade faces off with Karolina Kowalkiewicz. There's a possibility that the winner of this bout could secure a date with strawweight champion Rose Namajunas in the near future.
There are plenty more intriguing bouts on the 12 fight card this weekend. Let's take a look at the complete bout sheet and order of the fights.
UFC 228 fight card
| Fight | Weight Class |
|---|---|
| Tyron Woodley (c) vs. Darren Till | Welterweight title |
Women's flyweight title | |
Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Brandon Davis | Featherweight |
Jessica Andrade vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz | Women's strawweight |
| Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Niko Price | Welterweight |
| Carla Esparza vs. Tatiana Suarez | Women's strawweight |
Aljamain Sterling vs. Cody Stamann | Bantamweight |
Jimmie Rivera vs. John Dodson | Bantamweight |
| Charles Byrd vs. Darren Stewart | Middleweight |
Diego Sanchez vs. Craig White | Welterweight |
Jim Miller vs. Alex White | Lightweight |
| Irene Aldana vs. Lucie Pudilova | Women's bantamweight |
| Ryan Benoit vs. Roberto Sanchez | Flyweight |
| Geoff Neal vs. Frank Camacho | Welterweight |
