UFC 291 COUNTDOWN SHOW, PRESSER, BETTING ODDS & WEIGH-IN VIDEO

ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET

Prelims on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ and SiriusXM Fight Nation at 8 p.m. ET

Early Prelims Starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and SiriusXM Fight Nation

ESPN+ available on ESPN.com and ESPN App for mobile and connected TV devices 

Salt Lake City, Utah (July 28th, 2023)– The UFC PPV action is in Salt Lake City, Utah this weekend with UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2. The event will be live from the Delta Center this Saturday, July 29 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, exclusively on ESPN+ PPV (English and Spanish). The Prelims will air on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ and SiriusXM Fight Nation at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Early Prelims will air on ESPN+ and SiriusXM Fight Nation starting at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT. ESPN and ESPN Deportes will join the early prelims in progress at 7 p.m. ET.

Live coverage begins Friday with a special live production from Salt Lake City that includes UFC 291 Pre-Show Live Presented by DraftKings Sportsbook: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 at 2:15 p.m. ET / 11:15 a.m. PT on ESPN+, followed by UFC Live presented by DraftKings Sportsbook: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT on ESPNEWS. Coverage continues Saturday with the special UFC Live Presented by DraftKings Sportsbook: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 Pre-Show on ABC at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT.

In the main event, No. 2 ranked lightweight contender Dustin Poirier (29-7) faces off with No. 3 Justin Gaethje (25-4) in a rematch for the vacant BMF title. Poirier looks for a repeat of one of the best fights of 2018 when they first met: a back-and-forth clash won by Poirier via fourth-round TKO. He is coming off his thrilling submission win over Michael Chandler last year and has boasted two victories over both Conor McGregor and Max Holloway. Former interim lightweight champion Gaethje, who has long established himself as one of the most exciting fighters in MMA, looks to even the score with Poirier. Gaethje has won two of his last three, most recently a majority-decision victory over Rafael Fiziev in March. He has turned back James Vick, Edson Barboza, Donald Cerrone, Tony Ferguson and Chandler.

The co-main event will see former UFC light heavyweight champion and current No. 3 ranked contender Jan Blachowicz (29-9) take on former middleweight titleholder Alex Pereira (7-2). Blachowicz hopes to deliver a highlight-reel knockout that will spoil Pereira’s light heavyweight debut. A former kickboxing standout, Pereira looks to establish himself as a 205-pound contender and enter the light heavyweight top five by stopping one of the division’s most decorated athletes. The winner could potentially face off with Jiri Prochazka in the coming months to determine the next UFC light heavyweight champion.

In the PPV portion of the card, No. 7 ranked welterweight contender Stephen Thompson (17-6) faces No. 15 Michel Pereira (28-11) in a thrilling bout of strikers. Thompson returns to action after a victory against Kevin Holland last December while Pereira has a five-fight winning streak heading into the Octagon this weekend.

Jon Anik will call the action alongside Joe Rogan and UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division Champion Daniel Cormier. Megan Olivi will handle reporting duties.

As part of the Spanish-language coverage, ESPN Deportes’ UFC 291 Camino Al Octagono returns with a special preview on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT. The show presents viewers in-depth analysis, interviews and the latest news around every UFC PPV fight week.

UFC 291 Betting Odds:

UFC 291 takes place Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Check out official weigh-in results below.

Main Card (ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET)

Dustin Poirier (155) vs. Justin Gaethje (156)

Jan Blachowicz (205) vs. Alex Pereira (205.5)

Stephen Thompson (170.5) vs. Michel Pereira (174)*

Tony Ferguson (155) vs. Bobby Green (155.5)

Michael Chiesa (170) vs. Kevin Holland (169.5)

Preliminary Card (ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET)

Gabriel Bonfim (170) vs. Trevin Giles (170)

Derrick Lewis (263.5) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (262)

Roman Kopylov (185) vs. Claudio Ribeiro (185.5)

Jake Matthews (170) vs. Darrius Flowers (170.5)

Early Prelims (ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. ET)

CJ Vergara (125.5) vs. Vinicius Salvador (128.5)**

Matthew Semelsberger (169.5) vs. Uros Medic (170.5)

Miranda Maverick (125.5) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (125)

*missed weight

**Salvador missed weight by 2.5 pounds. His bout with CJ Vergara will proceed as a catchweight with Salvador forfeiting 20 percent of his purse as penalty.

 




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