Edgar, Faber to headline UFC Manila card

MANILA, Philippines – Former lightweight champion and current No. 1 ranked featherweight mixed martial artist Frankie “The Answer” Edgar and fellow American Urijah “The California Kid” Faber will headline the first ever Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight Night in Manila.

The UFC announced on Thursday the initial lineup for their much anticipated debut in Manila at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Aside from the five-round featherweight battle between Edgar and Faber, a Filipino flavor will spice up the historic Fight Night in Manila with homegrown Roldan Sangcha-an taking on Guam’s Jon delos Reyes in the undercard.

Sangcha-an, who hails from Baguio City, is raring to bounce back after absorbing his first loss in five fights at the hands of Richie Vaculik at the UFC Fight Night in New Zealand last year.

The Filipino striker nicknamed “The Executioner” holds a 4-1 win-loss record and hopes for a sweet victory at home against the Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner in the flyweight bout.

He currently touts a 17-4-1 record and is riding on a three-fight win streak. 

Faber, meanwhile, will mark his debut in the featherweight ranks. He is currently the no.3 contender in the bantamweight division with a 17-7-0 record. He has won six of his last seven fights and has never lost a non-title fight.

“I feel like it’s rare in this sport to have the ability, the opportunity and the fortune of having super fights at multiple weights. I started in this sport because I love it. I love the challenge and I love to perform,” Faber said.

He has a work cut out for him against Edgar (17-4-1), who is the top contender in the featherweight division and is riding high on a three-fight win streak. 

“Fighting a guy like Frankie Edgar is exactly the reason I got into this sport. I’m a fan of the heart Frankie has as a fighter, something I’m known for as well. I was a 145 lb. champion and he was a 155 lb. champion so it’s cool for me to be able to make this fight, one for the history books. I plan on winning and putting on a show in the process,” Faber said.

Asian fighters will also see action in the undercard of the UFC Fight Night Manila: Edgar vs Faber.

The Ultimate Fighter China winner Zhang “The Warrior” Lipeng (9-8-1, fighting out Beijing, China) will take on “Rajan” Kajan Johnson (19-12-1, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) in a lightweight clash.

Korea’s “Supernatural” Tae Hyun Bang (17-8, fighting out of Seoul, Korea) will test rising prospect Jon “The Super Saiyan” Tuck (8-2, fighting out of Hagatna, Guam) in a lightweight fight that highlights two emerging MMA markets in Asia.

In a welterweight bout, Li “The Leech” Jingliang (9-3, fighting out of Beijing, China) will face The Ultimate Fighter: Edgar vs. Penn veteran Roger “Viva” Zapata (4-1, fighting out of New York, New York).

Another Ultimate Fighter China steps back in the Octagon when Yao Zhikui (1-2, fighting out of Beijing, China) meets dynamic Nolan Ticman (4-2, fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.) in the debut of both fighters at 125 pounds.

Other bouts will be confirmed as they become available according to the press release sent by UFC with Filipino MMA fans anticipating a Mark Munoz and Mark Eddiva fight in Manila.

Munoz will face Roan Carneiro in UFC 168 at the end of this month. The Filipino Wrecking Machine hopes to get unscathed for the chance to fight in front of his family and countrymen on May 16 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Tickets to the UFC Fight Night Manila: Edgar vs Faber will go on sale starting March 13 at SM Tickets and www.smtickets.com.