Izod Center, East Rutherford, N.J.
UFC Fight Club members can purchase tickets at 10 a.m. Eastern
Tickets go on sale Wednesday morning for the UFC’s next event on the Fox network.
UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller will take place May 5 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., with a four-fight main card televised nationally on Fox. Tickets for the event are available to members of the UFC’s Fight Club starting at 10 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. Additionally, UFC newsletter subscribers can get tickets with a password starting at 10 a.m. Thursday. Tickets for the general public go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
UFC on Fox 3 features a main event lightweight contenders fight between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller. At a press conference for the event Tuesday in New York, UFC president Dana White said the promotion had said the winner of that fight would get a lightweight title shot. And while that may still prove to be the case, later Tuesday White met with former champion Frankie Edgar and granted him a rematch with new champ Ben Henderson, who won the title at UFC 144 less than two weeks ago in Japan. That title fight rematch is expected to take place this summer.
Also on the card, welterweight contenders Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks meet in a fight that has already had a few fireworks. At Tuesday’s news conference at Radio City Music Hall, Hendricks said Koscheck is “just another stepping stone” on his way to a title shot. Koscheck said: “For the record, kid, I’m not a stepping stone,” and said Hendricks’ December 12-second knockout over Koscheck friend and former American Kickboxing Academy teammate Jon Fitch was “a lucky punch with his eyes closed, and it landed.”
In a heavyweight bout that already has both fighters promising won’t leave the first round, former Strikeforce fighter Lavar Johnson meets Pat Barry in a battle of heavy-handed and heavy-footed strikers. Barry has gone to one decision in his career, a win over Joey Beltran. Johnson has never gone to a decision in 21 career fights, including a first-round Knockout of the Night win over Beltran in January that impressed Barry. “Lavar Johnson has beyond heavy hands,” Barry said Tuesday. “He was able to knock out Joey Beltran, who has never been knocked out and never been knocked down in his career. I kicked Joey Beltran in the head five times (in our fight) and I couldn’t finish him. I never doubted myself until that fight. Does (Johnson) hit hard? I guarantee he does – he’s huge.”
And fighting for the second time since returning from a severe eye injury, Alan Belcher gets a stiff challenge in Brazilian heel hook submission specialist Rousimar Palhares.
The UFC last visited New Jersey in March 2011 for UFC 128 in Newark, headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua that saw Jones walk away with the title. In June, the promotion is reported to be right back in the Garden State for a card in Atlantic City on June 22 on FX, which would mark its first visit to “America’s Playground” since UFC 53.