Ultimate Fighting Championship

Josh Culibao looks to shake off rough UFC start vs debutant Sha Yilan

Leigh Nald Cabildo

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Josh Culibao looks to shake off rough UFC start vs debutant Sha Yilan

REBOUND. Josh Culibao aims for a breakthrough win a year after his UFC debut.

Photo from UFC

Fil-Aussie Josh Culibao targets his first UFC victory against Chinese foe Sha Yilan this May

Fil-Aussie fighter Josh “Kuya” Culibao is set to return inside the octagon and hunt for his first UFC victory on May 22 (May 23, Sunday, Philippine time) as he squares off against the debuting Chinese brawler Sha Yilan.

“Kuya” (8-1-1) will fight in the preliminary card of the UFC Fight Night: Font vs Garbrandt that will be held at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be his third fight under the UFC brand.

Culibao had a rough start to his UFC career, which kicked off with a second-round knockout loss to Jalin Turner in February 2020, followed by his action-packed clash against Charles Jourdain last October that ended in a split draw.

Yilan, on the other hand, will make his first UFC appearance with a 19-6 record. The “Wolverine” was a UFC Academy participant at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai and has won 7 of his last 8 fights.

Meanwhile, top bantamweight prospects Rob Font and Cody Garbrandt will headline the Fight Night.

Font (18-4) is currently sitting on a three-fight win streak and recently came from a knockout victory against former title contender Marlon Moraes, while Garbrandt (12-3), the former bantamweight champion, ended his losing skid with a KO finish against Raphael Assuncao.

In the co-main event, No. 3 ranked women’s strawweight contender Yan Xiaonan and No.4 ranked Carla Esparza will put their respective winning streak on the line as they clash for a potential shot for the world title.

Last April, the strawweight division was shaken up after Rose Namajunas knocked out Zhang Weili to regain the UFC gold. – Rappler.com

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