UFC 252 WEIGH-IN, PRESS CONFERENCE, COUNTDOWN SHOW & ODDS
Las Vegas, NV (August 14th, 2020)– UFC 252: Miocic vs Cormier III streams exclusively on ESPN+ PPV this Saturday, August 15 at 10 p.m. ET, when the heavyweight championship, and the legacy as – arguably – the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time, are on the line. Saturday’s main event will, once again, see heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic (19-3) defending his title against former two-division champ Daniel Cormier (22-2, 1 NC). Cormier ended Miocic’s record run of three straight heavyweight title defenses in their first meeting in 2018, and Miocic regained the title from Cormier last year at UFC 241. The winner of the trilogy grudge match will have a strong claim as UFC’s greatest heavyweight of all time.
In the co-main, unbeaten and no. 14-ranked UFC bantamweight “Suga” Sean O’Malley (12-0) will try to continue his run up the 135-pound ranks against Ecuadorian battler “Chito” Marlon Vera (15-6-1), who enters the Octagon having won five of his last six bouts. Since breaking into UFC in 2017, O’Malley has quickly become a fan favorite. Saturday will mark his third fight of 2020 already – having dispatched both Jose Quiñónez and former WEC bantamweight champion, Eddie Wineland, with first-round knockouts in March and June, respectively. Vera is coming off his only loss since 2018, a controversial decision defeat to no. 13-ranked Song Yadong in May.
Elsewhere on the main card, the no. 5- and no.6-ranked heavyweights also face each other, as former UFC champion Junior Dos Santos (21-7) and Jairzinho Rozenstruik (10-1) face off in the Octagon – with each looking to establish a possible path back into championship contention. Illustrating the depth of the heavyweight competition behind Miocic and Cormier, Dos Santos enters the fight having beaten no.4 Derrick Lewis last year, but losing since then to both no. 2-ranked Francis Ngannou and no. 3-ranked Curtis Blaydes. Meanwhile, Rozenstruik will look to get back on a rising track in the heavyweight rankings, following his first-ever defeat – a 20-second knockout loss to Ngannou in May.
Saturday’s coverage begins at 1 p.m., with a one-hour UFC Live: Miocic vs Cormier III Pre-Show, live on ABC. Live coverage continues at 7 p.m., with the prelims on ESPN, ESPN Deportes (Spanish), and ESPN+ (English and Spanish). On Friday, UFC Live will air on ESPN2 at 7 p.m., providing fans with exclusive insights and views on the biggest stories heading into UFC 252.
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