#7 Alistair Overeem vs #9 Aleksei Oleinik
The UFC returns to Russia for the first time since its debut in Moscow last September, with the Octagon touching down in Saint Petersburg this weekend.
The event features a headline between two extremely experienced heavyweights, with #7 Alistair Overeem takes on #9 Aleksei Oleinik.
The Reem was originally set to face #6 Alexander Volkov, but the 6ft 7in Russian was subsequently pulled from the fight two weeks ago, with Oleinik being selected as the replacement.
Overeem, who turns 39 next month, has a record of 44-17 with one no contest, while his adversary Oleinik, 42 in June, currently stands at a mammoth 57-11-1.
The chances of this five-round main event going to a decision is seemingly unlikely, with Overeem seeing the judges just eight times in 62 bouts, while Oleinik has been to decision on nine occasions during his 69-fight career.
Dutchman Overeem has typically spread his finishes out, with 22 coming via (T)KO and 17 via submission.
The Russian, on the other hand, is at his most dangerous on the ground, winning an incredible 45 of his 57 wins by way of submission.
The 41-year-old has finished all six of his UFC wins with five coming via submission, including two of his patented, unorthodox Ezekiel choke.
Islam Makhachev vs Armen Tsarukyan
A cancelled bout with fellow fringe top 15 lightweight Francisco Trinaldo back in January looked set to be a thing of the past for Islam Makhachev when rumours of a bout with #6 Kevin Lee started circulating.
However, that fight did not come to fruition with Lee since having moved up to welterweight to face #3 Rafael dos Anjos.
Instead, Makhachev has been handed 22-year-old Arman Tsarukyan, who is currently on a 12-fight winning streak.
The Armenian will also be making his UFC debut, with his last fight coming back in August where he won via a head kick in the third round to improve his record to 13-1.
Makhachev, who trains with champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, has been tipped to be a future title contender and had recently been ranked.
However, things move fast at lightweight and he has not fought since last July, where he submitted Kajan Johnson in the first round.
Tsarukyan will come into the fight looking to make a name for himself, while Makhachev will have his eyes firmly set on a win and a top 15 opponent next time out.
Sergey Pavlovich vs Marcelo Golm
Two heavyweight prospects face off, with Sergey Pavlovich taking on Brazilian Marcelo Golm.
Pavlovich made his UFC debut at the end of November when he took on Overeem in the co-main in Beijing.
The previously unbeaten Russian was unable to get going, and the Reem secured the finish in the first round.
Golm, meanwhile, also came into the UFC unbeaten but he has gone 0-2 in the Octagon since winning his debut, dropping decisions to the wrestling-heavy duo of Tim Johnson and Arjun Singh Bhullar.
#7 Roxanne Modafferi vs #12 Antonina Shevchenko
An intriguing matchup in the women's flyweight division takes place on the main card, with veteran Roxanne Modafferi facing off with the champion's sister, Antonina Shevchenko.
Antonina's entrance into the UFC has thrown up a potentially fascinating dynamic to the division, where Valentina Shevchenko currently reigns supreme.
It will, therefore, be interesting to see how the next year or so will look for Antonina, especially if she is able to overcome Modafferi and in turn make her way up the rankings.
This particular matchup will likely look like a typical grappler vs striker bout, with Shevchenko's considerable Muay Thai credentials going up against Modafferi's ground game.
The intrigue is compounded by the respective differences in MMA experience, with Antonina heading into just her fifth bout since 2005, while Roxy will be making her 38th appearance and her 30th in the same period.
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