The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads to Kansas City, MO for the first time in promotional history on April 15th with UFC on FOX 24: Johnson vs. Reis. The stacked 13-fight card is set to kick off with preliminary card action starting at 4:30 p.m. (ET) on UFC Fight Pass followed by more prelims and the main card on FOX at 6 p.m. If interested in wagering on any bouts for this fight card, all betting lines will be made available at Several Bookmakers. Getting the action started for the UFC on FOX 24 main card will be a featherweight contest between veteran Jeremy Stephens and undefeated Brazilian prospect Renato Moicano. This 145-pound barn burner is expected to get the main card rolling on a high note. Stephens is coming off a unanimous-decision loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 205 back in November and will be looking to bounce back into the win column in impressive fashion by handing the Brazilian his first official loss as a pro. Meanwhile, Moicano is 2-0 inside the Octagon, with a second-round rear-naked choke of Tom Niinimaki and a split-decision win over Zubaira Tukhugov. The next bout takes place in the UFC’s middleweight division, as veteran Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza looks to cement his status as No. 1 contender at 185 pounds with a dominant victory over Robert Whittaker. The TUF: Smashes winner rides a six-fight winning streak and looks for the biggest win of his professional mixed martial arts career when he takes on “Jacare” in this striker versus grappler matchup that could catapult him into the title shot picture. The co-main event of the evening will feature the women’s strawweight division and sees “Thug” Rose Namajunas take on “The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson is what is the likely frontrunner for the evening’s “Fight of the Night” honors. Aside from the champion, Namajunas and Waterson are amongst the most entertaining fighters at 115 pounds, which makes this a “must not miss” scrap. Namajunas is coming off a split-decision loss to Karolina Kowalkiewicz and will be looking to bounce back into the win column in this rare “winner versus loser” matchup in the women’s strawweight division. Meanwhile, Waterson rides a two-fight winning streak in the UFC and is coming off a first-round technical rear-naked choke submission of Paige VanZant. A victory here could put her next in line for a crack at the gold. Headlining UFC on FOX 24 in Kansas City will be a UFC flyweight title fight between defending champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and challenger Wilson Reis. Johnson will be looking to tie Anderson Silva’s UFC title defense record with a victory over Reis in this five-round championship bout. Reis will be hoping to score the biggest victory of his pro MMA career by scoring a massive upset of the champion, who is arguably the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
