UFC Event: Is there a UFC card on March 25, 2023?

After a successful pay-per-view event at the O2 Arena in London, England, the UFC returns to the United States for UFC on ESPN 43, which is set to take place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

The event will be headlined by a bantamweight clash between No.3 ranked bantamweight Marlon Vera and No. 5 ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen. The event was originally scheduled to take place at the UFC Apex on February 18, but was later rescheduled for March 25.

The bout being rescheduled is a win-win for the promotion, fighters, and fans as the top bantamweights (who both have an entertaining fighting style) will compete with a full capacity crowd rather than a limited number at the Apex. The move also adds a big fight feel to the main event as both fighters hope to get closer to a title shot at 135lbs.

'Chito' is currently riding a 4-fight winning streak that includes wins over the likes of former UFC champions Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz, while 'Sandman' looks to extend his winning streak to two straight wins. With the division as it currently stands, the winner could set themselves up for a lucrative fight.

In the co-main event, Yana Santos will take on former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm. 'The Preacher's Daughter' recently re-signed a 6-fight extension with the promotion. The contract length came as a bit of a surprise, considering she is 41-years-old, but she seems committed to making another run at the women's bantamweight title.

Other bouts scheduled for the main card include a featherweight bout between Nate Landwehr and Austin Lingo, Andrea Lee vs. Maycee Barber in women's flyweight action, and a middleweight bout between Chidi Njokuani and Albert Duraev to kick-off the main card.

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Marlon Vera comments on Henry Cejudo's UFC return

Ahead of his bout against Cory Sanhagen this Saturday, Marlon Vera weighed in on Henry Cejudo's upcoming return to the octagon at UFC 288.

While speaking to TMZ Sports, 'Chito' was asked how Cejudo will match up with bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and whether he could win the title after a three-year layoff. He mentioned that he believes 'Triple C' is the better striker and it could come into play during his title fight.

He said:

"I will say he's [Henry Cejudo] the better striker and both have high-level wrestling, so if he can stay in the standup, I could see him piecing [Aljamain] Sterling up. But the other side, Sterling is way bigger than he is. If you get a hold of him, who really knows, right." [4:31 - 4:47]

It will be interesting to see whether Cejudo can regain the bantamweight championship that he relinquished three years ago or if the champion can continue his reign at 135lbs.