UFC: Machida and Romero to meet in South Florida on Saturday June 27th

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— Former UFC® light heavyweight champion and current fifth-ranked middleweight contender Lyoto Machida makes a quick return to the Octagon® to meet No. 6 Yoel Romero in the main event of UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: MACHIDA vs. ROMERO on Saturday, June 27 at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Machida (22-6, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif. by way of Belem, Brazil), a black belt in both karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has nine knockouts and two submission victories to his credit, and has defeated former champions Dan Henderson, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Shogun Rua and Rashad Evans. One of the most unorthodox and dangerous strikers the sport has ever seen, “The Dragon” will be a step up in competition for Olympic silver medalist Romero (9-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Pinar del Rio, Cuba). Coming off a third-round knockout victory over Tim Kennedy at UFC 178, Romero welcomes the former champ to his current hometown of Coconut Creek, with hopes that an impressive win will get him one step closer to a shot at the middleweight world title.

Also, in the co-main event, 11th-ranked welterweight Rick Story (18-8, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.) will meet one of the division’s brightest prospects in Erick Silva (18-5, 1 NC, fighting out of Vila Velha, Espirito Santo, Brazil). The 30-year-old “Horror” Story looks to make it three consecutive wins as he continues to climb the 170-pound ladder. Silva, who has 11 first-round finishes to his name, also hopes to string together a three-fight win streak for the first time in his UFC career.

In addition, the finals of The Ultimate Fighter® Brazil will highlight the main card with new talent in both the bantamweight and lightweight divisions. The fourth installment of the Brazilian version of the show was coached by UFC legends Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.