The UFC will be returning to the Saitama Super Arena on September 27 for UFC Fight Night 77 and the fight card will be headlined by a heavyweight bout as Roy Nelson meets Josh Barnett in a scheduled five round bout.
The event and headlining bout was announced by the UFC in a press release on early Thursday morning.
In addition to being in the main event of this card, Nelson and Barnett will be coaches on a new UFC reality show called “Road to UFC: Japan.” The reality show will see eight MMA athletes train both in their hometowns and in Las Vegas at the TUF Gym under the supervision of Nelson and Barnett.
Throughout the course of the series, match ups will be selected and fights will be scheduled to whittle the contestants down to two finalists, who will then participate in the live event at the Saitama Super Arena. The TV show will be broadcast in Japan beginning in July, airing weekly until September, and culminating at UFC Fight Night 77.
“We are very happy to be bringing our live event to the Saitama Super Arena once again this year,” UFC Asia Executive Vice President and General Manager Ken Berger said. “There is a rich and diverse MMA talent in Japan and we’re positive that through Road to UFC: Japan, we will uncover more UFC prospects. We have recently witnessed the fast power of Kyoji Horiguchi in the Octagon against flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and it really is only a matter of time before we see a champion emerge from Japan.”
More information on UFC Fight Night 77: Nelson vs. Barnett will be announced in the coming weeks by the UFC including more fight bookings and ticket information.