The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced today that pound-for-pound king Jon “Bones” Jones will return to the Octagon on Saturday, April 26 at Baltimore Arena to make an unprecedented seventh UFC light heavyweight title defense against No. 2 contender Glover Teixeira, who is undefeated in the UFC. The event marks the organization’s first ever trip to Baltimore.
Jones, the brother of Baltimore Ravens star defensive lineman Arthur Jones, holds the UFC record for most light heavyweight title defenses with six. The dynamic striker and powerful wrestler will now meet the heavy-handed Teixeira, who has reeled off five straight wins in the UFC.
In addition to the Jones-Teixeira showdown, two more light heavyweights will meet in Baltimore when the division’s fourth-ranked competitor and 2008 national champion wrestler at Penn State Phil Davis (12-1, 1NC, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) meets the explosive Anthony Johnson (16-4, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla. by way of Dublin, Ga.), who returns to the UFC riding a six-fight win streak.
The card also features top middleweights in action as former STRIKEFORCE middleweight champ and sixth-ranked Luke Rockhold (11-2, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) takes on No. 11 Tim Boetsch (17-6, fighting out of Sunbury, Pa.). No. 5 ranked Jake Ellenberger (29-7, fighting out of Lake Forest, Calif.) returns to action against former STRIKEFORCE welterweight champion and ninth-ranked Tarec Saffiedine (15-3, fighting out of Temecula, Calif.). Also, No. 2 ranked flyweight Joseph Benavidez (19-4, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) hopes to rebound when he takes on eighth-ranked Tim Elliott (10-4-1, fighting out of Lee’s Summit, Mo.).
Highly-touted lightweight prospect Joe Ellenberger (14-1, fighting out of Omaha, Neb.) makes his UFC debut against Honolulu’s Yancy Medeiros (10-1), while, battling to break into the featherweight rankings, Max Holloway (8-3, fighting out of Waianae, Hawaii) will meet recent UFC recruit Andre Fili (13-1, fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.), who is coming off an impressive second-round knockout victory in his promotional debut.