The Ultimate Fighting Championship heads to Brazil for UFC Fight Night 170 Brasilia: Lee vs. Oliveira on March 14, 2020 at the Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil.
Saturday’s UFC event will be televised and live streamed online in a special simulcast on ESPN and ESPN+.
With a lot of sporting events being canceled due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC has opted to go one with the show and do a closed door event with just the fighters and their staff, no live audience to prevent the spread of the virus in large groups.
The fighters of tonight’s fight card haven’t been tested for COVID-19, but will likely be monitored to see if they show any signs of the illness.
The main event features two lightweight contenders, American Kevin Lee and Brazilian Charles Oliveira.
At Friday’s weigh-in, Lee failed to make the 156 lbs lightweight non-title fight limit and came in heavy at 158.5 lbs.
As a penalty for missing weight, Lee was fined 20% of his purse and the fight will continue on as a catchweight bout.
Lee who trains under Canada’s premier MMA coach Firas Zahabi, is widely considered one of the best athletes in the division, he has a wrestling background but also has outstanding striking ability with power.
His opponent tonight is Charles Oliveira who is coming into cage with a 6 fight win streak all wins coming either by way of knockout or submission.
Former middleweight and welterweight title challenger Demian Maia will take on Gilbert Burns in the co-main event.
The 42-year-old Maia is one of the greatest grapplers in the UFC is a veteran of the sport. He turned pro in 2001 and made his UFC debut in 2007 and has fought with the organization every since.
Maia fought for the UFC title twice and fell short of the championship glory. His first shot at the title came in the middleweight division when he challenged the champion Anderson Silva and the fight went to a lackluster decision. His second opportunity came in the welterweight division when he challenged Tyron Woodley and lost another decision.
Tonight Maia takes on fellow Brazilian Gilbert Burns, who is ranked number 12 in the division, and is eager to beat the cage legend to get himself closer to a title shot.
Main Card
Catchweight (158.5 lbs) – Kevin Lee vs. Charles Oliveira
Welterweight – Demian Maia vs. Gilbert Burns
Lightweight – Renato Moicano vs. Damir Hadzovic
Light Heavyweight – Johnny Walker vs. Nikita Krylov
Lightweight – Francisco Trinaldo vs. John Makdessi
Preliminary Undercard
Flyweight – Jussier Formiga vs. Brandon Moreno
Women’s Strawweight – Randa Markos vs. Amanda Ribas
Welterweight – Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Alexey Kunchenko
Bantamweight – Rani Yahya vs. Enrique Barzola
Women’s Flyweight – Maryna Moroz vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
Flyweight – Gustavo da Silva vs. David Dvorak
Women’s Bantamweight – Veronica Macedo vs. Bea Malecki
The event starts at 3:00 PM ET/PT on Saturday, March 14, 2020 and will be simulcast on TV on ESPN and online via live streaming feed on ESPN+.
