Yves Edwards takes down John Gunderson at UFC Fight Night 22 in 2010: The mixed martial arts promotion returns to Austin this February. Credit: Photo by Brandon Bollom

Yves Edwards takes down John Gunderson at UFC Fight Night 22 in 2010: The mixed martial arts promotion returns to Austin this February. Credit: Photo by Brandon Bollom
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced the full card for when UFC Fight Night returns to the Frank Erwin Center next month, with a card dominated by Texas fighters.

The world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion swings through Austin about once every four years, with Frankie “The Answer” Edgar taking down Cub Swanson in a memorable main event in 2014, after Fight Night made its local debut at the Erwin Center in 2010 with a dominating win over Rousimar Palhares by Nate “The Great” Marquadt.

This time, it’s welterweight bruisers in the main event, with Muay Thai veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (32-10) looking to end a three match losing streak by defeating Yancy Medeiros (15-4). It’s a pivotal bout for both: A fourth loss will hit Cerrone’s position in the rankings hard, while a win for Medeiros (fresh off a fight-of-the-night bonus at UFC 218) will see him inch closer to a shot at reigning champion Tyron Woodley‘s belt.

This undercard goes heavy on the Lone Star State fighters, with three Houstonians in the octogon: heavy hitter Sage Northcutt (9-2) takes on French striker Thibault Gouti (11-3); former Invicta bantamweight champ Tonya Evinger (19-6) goes toe-to-toe with Marion Reneau (8-3-1); and Roberto Sanchez (7-1) looks to bounce back from his loss in his debut UFC match when he squares up against Joby Sanchez (11-2).

Add in Austin-to-Dallas transplant Geoff Neal (8-2) taking on Brian Camozzi (7-4), and it’s a big night for the home crowd.

UFC Fight Night hits the Frank Erwin Center Feb. 18: tickets go on sale this Friday, Jan. 5, at 10am via www.texasboxoffice.com. If you can’t make it in person, it will air live on FS1.

This article appears in December 29 • 2017.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.