Memorial Day will see junior welterweight Michael Dutchover in front of his Lone Star State in a UFC Fight Pass show on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. A native of Midland, Texas, Dutchover (14-1 with 10 KOs) will battle Mexico's Ivan Leon Benitez (14-4-1 with 6 KOs) in a ten-round bout on Friday, May 28th at Reed Arena. The 23 year-old Dutchover, known as the "West Texas Warrior," has wins over Miguel Cariozza (10-1); Ricardo Lopez (7-1-2); Bergman Aguilar (14-3-1); Rosekie Cristobal (15-3), and, in his last bout, an eight-round unanimous decision over Jorge Marron (18-1).
From Cancun, Benitez is just twenty years old, but is already a six-year professional! He is coming off a draw with undefeated Francisco Javier Lopez Corrales (12-0) on December 8th in Mexico. "I will have a difficult task ahead of me in fighting Dutchover, but May 28th will be my day. I will be prepared to give the fans a great show and to beat my opponent. This is what I work for everyday, and he will not derail my dreams of becoming a future champion," said Benitez.
Dutchover is promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing. "In December I was supposed to fight, but I had an injury, and things happen for a reason. I am back in California training and am excited to get back in the ring. There is no place that I would rather fight than in Texas. I will have fans there from Midland and all over the state. This is my fifth year as a professional, and this is the year that I become a contender," said Dutchover.
No bouts are set yet for the undercard, but the plan is for Mexican heavyweight Isaac Munoz Gutierrez to return for the first time since 2019. Gutierrez was a successful amateur who has a record of 17-3-1 including the World Series of Boxing. He has stopped his last six opponents and is coming off a first-round stoppage of Jesus Alberto Torres Martinez back in September 2019...
Seeing action in an eight-round bout will be lightweight, Miguel Maduenoa, a 22 year-old from Orange, California with a record of 22-0 with 20 knockouts. Madueno is a four-year professional who has wins over Cristian Flores (7-1-2); Jesus Rendon (13-1-1), and his last bout, a stoppage of Jesus Quintero Velarde in two rounds on December 18th.
Opening up the broadcast will see Jamshidbek Najmitdinov take part in an eight-round junior welterweight fight. Najmitdinov, of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, has a record of 16-1 with 13 knockouts. Najmitdinov is an eight-year professional who will be making his American debut. Najmitdinov has been in several all-action fights, with a style that will appeal to the American audience. The only blemish on his record was a very competitive loss to former world title holder Viktor Postol. That bout saw Najmitdinov go into the home country of Postol in the Ukraine and drop Postol on two occasions, yet he fell short on the judges' scorecards. Najmitdinov is coming off a first-round stoppage over Giorgi Khutsishvili on October 6, 2019.
"I am looking forward to working with UFC Fight Pass and Darren Davis with Reed Arena. We are very excited to be putting on this show to kick off a holiday weekend. This show promises to feature fan-friendly fights. When Michael Dutchover fights in Texas, it is always a great crowd, and we are excited about his continued ascent up the rankings. We also are looking forward to getting a glimpse of a future player in the heavyweight division in Isaac Munoz Gutierrez. The fans watching in the arena and around the world are in for a terrific night of boxing," said Banner Promotions President, Artie Pelullo.
"We are very happy to see the return of Michel Dutchover, and what better place than at the Reed Arena at Texas A&M. Michael will make a run for a world title and this is the best way to get him going," said Ken Thompson, President of Thompson Boxing.
“We are thrilled to be hosting this marquee fight with Banner Promotions. Adding to a growing list of exciting events we are bringing to Bryan-College Station, this fight will be one any boxing fan will not want to miss,” says Darren Davis, General Manager of Reed Arena.
“We couldn’t be happier to be working with Banner Promotions, to bring a championship event to a great Texas Arena. Reed Arena is going to be a great new venue for boxing, the Gig’Em spirit will be alive and well," said Daren Libonati of the Libonati Group.
Tickets go on-sale on Thursday, April 8th at 10 AM CT
