Dana White confirms UFC headed back to Vancouver in September

The Octagon is headed back to the Great White North later this year.

Speaking with reporters at the UFC 238 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White confirmed the promotion is headed back to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in September for an event.

“We’ll be in Vancouver in September,” White said. “It’s official.”

The date and location of the event is not completely official yet, but it’s rumored to be taking place September 14 at Rogers Place. According to Combate, a heavyweight bout between Marcin Tybura and Augusto Sakai is the first bout revealed for the event.

Considering that UFC 242 takes place on September 7 in Abu Dhabi, it’s likely this new Vancouver event is going to be a Fight Night card and not a pay-per-view. According to the Combate report, the event will likely be titled UFC Fight Night 158.

This card in Vancouver will be the third Canadian date on the UFC calendar so far in 2019, with the Octagon previously having touched down in Ottawa this past May. The UFC is also planning on heading to Edmonton, Alberta this July for UFC 240. A featherweight title fight between Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar headlines that event.

This upcoming event will mark the fifth time the UFC has come to Vancouver. Previously, the promotion came in 2016 for UFC on FOX: Maia vs. Condit, in 2014 for UFC 174: Johnson vs. Bagautinov, in 2011 for UFC 131: JDS vs. Carwin, and in 2010 for UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin.

Aside from the reported bout between Tybura and Sakai there are no other rumored fights yet for this event. It’s very likely the UFC will fill up the card with Canadian talent, but it’s hard to say if a Canuck will main event the card considering the lack of ranked fighters currently coming from Canada. We should find out some more fights soon.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/9/2019.