UFC 2023 schedule: all the fights this year

Another year of UFC action is coming up as fans anticipate Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return to the Octagon, as well as some major title fights.

McGregor, who remains the face of the sport, has not competed since breaking his leg in July 2021, but is due to fight Michael Chandler this fall, though new stars have emerged elsewhere to help keep audiences engaged.

In one of the biggest fights of 2023, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev retained his title against featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski, winning a narrow decision in Australia in February. Then in March, light heavyweight ‘GOAT’ Jon Jones moved up to heavyweight after three years away, submitting Cyryl Gane in the first round to win the title vacated by Francis Ngannou in January when the latter left the UFC.

Later in March, Britain’s Leon Edwards retained the welterweight belt with a decision victory over Kamaru Usman in London, seven months after wresting the title from the “Nigerian Nightmare” with a stunning head kick. Then April began with Israel Adesanya finally beating his rival Alex Pereira, 33, knocking out the Brazilian to regain the middleweight belt he lost to Pereira in November.

There are plenty more title fights as well, beginning with the return of Henry Cejudo after a long absence to challenge Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight belt in May. Here are all the fights and events announced by the mixed martial arts promotion for the coming weeks and months. (cards subject to change):

Saturday May 6 – UFC 288 – Prudential Center, Newark, USA.

Principal card

Aljamain Sterling (C) vs. Henry Cejudo (bantamweight title)

Gilbert Burns vs. Belal Muhammad (welterweight)

Jessica Andrade vs Yan Xiaonan (women’s strawweight)

Movsar Evloev vs Diego Lopes (featherweight)

Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain (featherweight)

preliminaries

Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola (lightweight)

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark (light heavyweight)

Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya (welterweight)

Marina Rodríguez vs Virna Jandiroba (women’s strawweight)

first preliminaries

Braxton Smith vs. Parker Porter (heavyweight)

Phil Hawes vs. Ikram Aliskerov (middleweight)

Rafael Estevam vs Zhalgas Zhumagulov (flyweight)

Joseph Holmes vs. Claudio Ribeiro (middleweight)

Daniel Santos vs. Johnny Munoz (bantamweight)

Saturday May 13 – UFC Fight Night – Spectrum Center, Charlotte, USA.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Jailton Almeida (heavyweight)

Anthony Smith vs. Johnny Walker (light heavyweight)

Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill (Women’s Strawweight)

Ian Machado Garry vs. Daniel Rodriguez (welterweight)

Karl Williams vs. Chase Sherman (heavyweight)

Cody Stamann vs. Douglas Silva De Andrade (bantamweight)

Tim Means vs. Alex Morono (welterweight)

Bryan Battle vs. Gabe Green (welterweight)

Matt Brown vs. Court McGee (welterweight)

Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Tainara Lisboa (Women’s Bantamweight)

Ji Yeon Kim vs Mandy Bohm (Flyweight Women)

Carlos Ulberg vs. Ihor Potieria (light heavyweight)

Saturday June 3 – UFC Fight Night – UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA.

Jack Hermansson vs. Brendan Allen (middleweight)

Saturday June 10 – UFC 289 – Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada

Amanda Nunes (C) vs. Irene Aldana (women’s bantamweight title)

Charles Oliveira vs Beneil Dariush (lightweight)

Nassourdine Imavov vs. Chris Curtis (middleweight)

Saturday June 17 – UFC Fight Night – UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA.

Marvin Vettori vs. Jared Cannonier (middleweight)

Saturday June 24 – UFC Fight Night – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, USA.

Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria (featherweight)

Saturday, July 1 – UFC Fight Night – UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA.

Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov (middleweight)

Saturday, July 8 – UFC 290 – T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, USA.

Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs Yair Rodriguez (IC) (featherweight title) [TBC]

Brandon Moreno (C) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (flyweight title)

Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis (middleweight)

Jalin Turner vs Dan Hooker (lightweight)

Robbie Lawler vs. Niko Price (welterweight)

Saturday July 22 – UFC Fight Night – O2 Arena, London, UK

TBA vs. TBA

Saturday, October 21 – UFC 294 – Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

TBA vs. TBA