Next UFC card: When is it and who will headline the event?

Bruce Buffer [Image via Getty: UFC 265: Yadong v Kenney]

UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus marked the final event of 2021. The UFC now has a three-week break before it next holds a card. However, when the promotion returns, fans have much to look forward to.

The first event of 2022 will be headlined by a featherweight clash between elite strikers Giga Chikadze and Calvin Kattar. The Fight Night card will take place on January 15 and is filled with a host of intriguing and exciting matchups.

Chief among them is the aforementioned Chikadze vs. Kattar bout. Giga Chikadze has rapidly ascended from prospect to contender over the past two years. His electric striking and the now well-known 'Giga-kick' have made him a fan favorite.

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He takes on Calvin Kattar, a slick boxer with incredibly heavy hands. Kattar took most of 2021 off after sustaining a large amount of damage in his five-round war with Max Holloway. However, fans can be sure that he will be back in full effect when he takes on 'Ninja' in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Chikadze.

Also featured on the card is a women's bout between two former flyweight title challengers, Katlyn Chookagian and Jennifer Maia. Knockout artists Abdul Razak Alhassan and Joaquin Buckley also face off, while a bout between unorthodox strikers Michel Pereira and Muslim Salikhov promises fireworks.

Which UFC cards are set to be the biggest of 2022?

While UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Chikadze will no doubt be an excellent spectacle, in some regards it is only a warmup for what is to come. The next event will be the first pay-per-view card of the year, as Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou will throw down for the heavyweight title at UFC 270.

UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland follows shortly after, and then fans are treated to yet another UFC pay-per-view event. UFC 271 features a hugely anticipated rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker for the middleweight title.

The rest of the year's cards have not yet been finalized but some matchups have already been booked. These include Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush and Edson Barboza vs. Bryce Mitchell.

CONFIRMED! Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev will face off at 155lbs on February 26!

This will be a war! 💣💥

Who is getting their arm raised? 👇

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