UFC 254 WEIGH-IN, COUNTDOWN EPISODE, ODDS, MEDIA DAY, PRESS CONFERENCE & HOW TO WATCH

  • Saturday afternoon Main Card begins at 2 p.m. ET
  • Prelims on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ at Noon ET, Early Prelims start at 11:00 a.m. ET
  • Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker faces Jared Cannonier  
  • To subscribe or purchase PPV, visit espn.com/ufc
  • ESPN+ available on ESPN.com and ESPN App for mobile and connected TV devices 

UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje streams exclusively on ESPN+ PPV this Saturday, October 24 at a special 2 p.m. ET start time from UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The top of the fight card features one of the most anticipated fights of the year ‒ two lightweight champions facing off in the main event to determine the undisputed king of one of UFC’s most competitive weight divisions.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, the UFC lightweight champion, enters the Octagon with a perfect, undefeated record (28-0-0) and is coming off two dominating defenses of his title – most recently in a third-round submission of Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in September 2019. Justin Gaethje (22-2-0) has won four fights in a row, including three first-round finishes, capped by a fifth-round TKO of then-No. 1 contender Tony Ferguson in May – a victory that earned Gaethje the interim UFC lightweight title.

Nurmagomedov will be looking to take the fight to the ground where his unrelenting wrestling and ground-and-pound has been the end of many of the best fighters in the world. Gaethje will be looking to keep the fight on its feet and in the middle of the Octagon, where his knockout power and striking speed may give him the edge.

The co-main event pits former UFC middleweight champion and No. 1-ranked contender Robert Whittaker (22-5-0) against No. 3-ranked contender Jared Cannonier (13-4-0). The winner is likely to have a future date with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who has already said he wants Cannonier if he can win this bout. Whittaker lost his belt to Adesanya a year ago, only to bounce back with a win over Darren Till in July and is looking to be in position for a chance to reclaim the title. Cannonier last fought over a year ago in September 2019, when he knocked out Jack Hermansson for his third straight early TKO.

Elsewhere on the main card, two top-10 heavyweights match up as No. 6-ranked Alexander Volkov (31-8-0) and No. 8-ranked Walt Harris (13-8-0) both try to move up the rankings in hopes of title contention. Plus, a light heavyweight rematch between Magomed Ankalaev (13-1-0) and Ion Cutelaba (15-5-0) will see the two fighters run it back after a controversial first-round stoppage in February, which Cutelaba appealed.

Saturday’s coverage begins with the early prelims beginning on ESPN+ at 11 a.m. The prelims begin at Noon across ESPN2, ESPN Deportes (Spanish), and ESPN+ (English and Spanish). 

On Friday, UFC Live will air on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m., providing fans with exclusive insights and views on the biggest stories heading into UFC 254.

The full UFC 254 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 2 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov (155) vs. interim champ Justin Gaethje (155) – for lightweight title
  • Jared Cannonier (185) vs. Robert Whittaker (186)
  • Walt Harris (254) vs. Alexander Volkov (265)
  • Phil Hawes (186) vs. Jacob Malkoun (186)
  • Lauren Murphy (126) vs. Liliya Shakirova (126)
  • Magomed Ankalaev (205) vs. Ion Cutelaba (205.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2, ESPN+, noon ET)

  • Stefan Struve (265) vs. Tai Tuivasa (265)
  • Casey Kenney (140) vs. Nathaniel Wood (140)
  • Alex Oliveira (173*) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (171)
  • Sam Alvey (206) vs. Da Un Jung (206)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 11 a.m. ET)

  • Liana Jojua (126) vs. Miranda Maverick (126)
  • Joel Alvarez (159.5**) vs. Alexander Yakovlev (155.5)

BACKUP FIGHTERS

  • Michael Chandler (155) – backup for Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje
  • Sergey Morozov (139.5) – backup for Kenney vs. Wood
  • Isi Fitikefu (203.5) – backup for Ankalaev vs. Cutelaba

* Oliveira missed weight and will forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse to Rakhmonov 

** Alvarez missed weight and will forfeit 30 percent of his fight purse to Yakovlev


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