Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Two
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweights looking for their
first win inside the Octagon will clash in June. The news first came from
MMA DNA, Josh
Parisian (13-4) will try once more to win one in the UFC
against fellow struggling heavyweight Roque
Martinez (15-7-2) on June
19. This UFC Fight Night event does not yet have a location
set, although it likely will take place either in the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas or on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Parisian confirmed the news of this pairing on his Instagram.
Parisian, the first heavyweight to ever record a spinning back fist
knockout in combined Zuffa history, did so on his first trip to
Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018. The
stellar finish did not earn him a place on the roster, and instead
a slot on Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Unsuccessful in this
run on TUF, Parisian had to rattle off five knockout wins in
smaller leagues to get another crack at the Contender Series in
2020. There, he pounded out Chad
Johnson to finally add his name to the ranks of those to enter
the Octagon. His debut was ultimately unsuccessful, as Parker
Porter won a decision over him in November.
Roque made his way to the UFC in a drastically different way than
his opponent, working his way through Deep and Rizin Fighting Federation in Japan, recording
finishes in each of his wins for those promotions. A pair of
knockouts over Seigo
Mizuguchi and Hideki
Sekine prompted his signing with the Las Vegas-based league,
where he went on to face “King Kong” Alexander
Romanov in his first test. Ragdolled until he tapped out from
an arm-triangle choke from the Moldovan, Martinez then looked to
rebound against Don’Tale
Mayes two months later, only to drop a decision after a
slugfest.
There is no headliner yet booked for the UFC Fight Night card on
June 19, which currently does not have an official location. The
only other matchup currently slated for the card is a welterweight
banger between Dhiego Lima
and Matt
Brown.
