UFC Fight Night: Felder vs Hooker

This coming weekend, UFC is back in the Asia-Pacific time zone with UFC Fight Night: Felder vs Hooker in Auckland, New Zealand. Here are the talking points for the event:

UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: FELDER vs. HOOKER takes place Sunday, Feb. 23 at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand
Event broadcasts live in North America on Saturday, Feb. 22
This marks the UFC’s third trip to Auckland
- Previous events:
  - UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt in 2017
  - UFC Fight Night: Te Huna vs. Marquardt in 2014
The event will be headlined by a pivotal lightweight contenders’ bout
LIGHTWEIGHT THRILLER: PAUL FELDER GOES BEHIND ENEMY LINES TO TAKE OUT SURGING DAN HOOKER

Paul Felder (17-4, fighting out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) goes for his sixth consecutive win at lightweight and spoil his opponent’s homecoming
- No. 6 ranked UFC lightweight contender
- 10 wins via knockout, one by submission
- Four first-round finishes
- Holds wins over Edson Barboza, Charles Oliveira and James Vick
Dan Hooker (20-8, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) looks to continue his ascent up the lightweight rankings by earning the biggest win of his career in his hometown
- No. 7 ranked UFC lightweight contender
- 10 wins via knockout, seven by submission
- 12 first-round finishes
- Holds wins over Al Iaquinta, Gilbert Burns and Jim Miller

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CLASH: TALENTED FINISHERS JIM CRUTE AND MICHAL OLEKSIEJCZUK FACE IN THE CO-MAIN EVENT

Jimmy Crute (10-1, fighting out of Bendigo, Victoria, Australia) hopes to rebound with another dynamic finish
- Four wins by knockout, three by submission
- Six first-round finishes
- Holds stoppage wins over Sam Alvey and Paul Craig
Michal Oleksiejczuk (14-3 1NC, fighting out of Leczna, Poland) aims to get back on track with a devastating knockout win
- 10 wins via KO, one by submission
- Seven first-round finishes
- Holds knockout wins over Gadzhimurad Antigulov and Gian Villante

OTHER FIGHTS ON THE CARD INCLUDE

Ben Sosoli (7-2 2NC, fighting out of Melbourne, Australia) squares off with Marcos Rogerio De Lima (16-7-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) in an entertaining heavyweight bout
Former strawweight title challenger and No. 14 ranked contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz (13-5, fighting out of Lodz, Poland) meets surging prospect Yan Xiaonan (11-1 1NC, fighting out of Beijing, China)
Brad Riddell (7-1, fighting out of Christchurch, New Zealand) aims to build off the momentum of his Fight of the Night debut when he takes on tough Magomed Mustafaev (14-2, fighting out of Grozny, Chechen Republic, Russia)
Exciting featherweights collide when Kevin Aguilar (17-2, fighting out of Longview, Texas, USA) faces returning Zubaira Tukhugov (18-4-1, fighting out of Grozny, Chechen Republic, Russia)
Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Jalin Turner (8-5, fighting out of Fontana, California, USA) squares off with undefeated newcomer Joshua Culibao (8-0, fighting out of Sydney, Australia)
In a welterweight thriller, Jake Matthews (15-4, fighting out of Epping, Victoria, Australia) meets Emil Meek (9-4-1 1NC, fighting out of Trondheim, Norway)
Callan Potter (18-8, fighting out of Sunbury, Victoria, Australia) faces Song Kenan (15-5, fighting out of Tangshan, Hebei Province, China) in a welterweight bout
No. 8 ranked flyweight contender Kai Kara-France (20-8 1NC, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) looks to steal the show in his hometown against Tyson Nam (18-10-1, fighting out of Waipahu, Hawaii, USA)
Loma Lookboonmee (4-1, fighting out of Phuket, Thailand) aims to continue her momentum against Angela Hill (11-7, fighting out of San Diego, California, USA by way of Clinton, Maryland, USA)
Dana White’s Contender Series signee Maki Pitolo (12-5, fighting out of Makaha, Hawaii, USA) hopes to rebound against Takashi Sato (15-3, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan)
Priscila Cachoeira (8-3, fighting out of Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) squares off with Shana Dobson (3-3, fighting out of Denver, Colorado, USA by way of Washington, D.C., USA)