UFC 273 main card: Two title fights and Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev set

UFC 273 is stacked with a pair of title fights and one of MMA’s most intriguing contenders.

During Saturday’s UFC 272 broadcast, the main card for the UFC 273 pay-per-view was announced, featuring Alexander Volkanovski defending the featherweight title against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, and a bantamweight title unification bout between undisputed champion Aljamain Sterling and interim champion Petr Yan.

A rumored bout between welterweight contenders Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev was also made official, along with a strawweight bout between Mackenzie Dern and Tecia Torres and a middleweight bout between Kelvin Gastelum and Nassourdine Imavov.

Volkanovski and Jung were scheduled to clash after a trilogy bout between Volkanovski and former champion Max Holloway fell through due to a Holloway injury. This will be Volkanovski’s second title defense and Jung’s second shot at becoming UFC champion.

Sterling defeated Yan by disqualification at UFC 259 last March after Yan connected with an illegal knee to Sterling, who was grounded. The foul cost Yan the UFC bantamweight title, the first time a championship changed hands by disqualification in the promotion’s history. A neck injury forced Sterling out of a rematch at UFC 267 last October. Yan instead defeated replacement Cory Sandhagen to claim an interim title.

Burns looks to become the first fighter to defeat Chimaev. “Durinho” scored a dominant decision win over Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson to rebound from a loss to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, while Chimaev has ran through his first four UFC opponents, finishing all four by knockout or submission.

UFC 273 takes place April 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

See the main card below (number in parentheses indicates MMA Fighting Global Ranking):

Alexander Volkanovski (1) vs. Chan Sung Jung (7)

Petr Yan (1) vs. Aljamain Sterling (2)

Gilbert Burns (4) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (10)

Mackenzie Dern (5) vs. Tecia Torres (7)

Kelvin Gastelum (14) vs. Nassourdine Imavov