UFC 254: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje fight card

Oct 6, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Khabib Nurmagomedov (red gloves) reacts after his fight against Conor McGregor (blue gloves) during UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 6, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Khabib Nurmagomedov (red gloves) reacts after his fight against Conor McGregor (blue gloves) during UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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UFC 254: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje fight card.

A title unification bout headlines this weekend’s UFC 254 card between undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.

Nurmagomedov (28-0) is searching for his third-straight title defense after finishing both Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier via submission in his first two defenses. Meanwhile, Gaethje (22-2) has been on a tear as of late, winning his last four fights via KO/TKO, grabbing five performance bonuses in that four fight stretch. Gaethje won the interim title over Tony Ferguson back at UFC 249 when the UFC restarted operations, defeating him via fifth-round TKO in what was a thrilling contest.

The co-main event sees former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker face off against the red-hot Jared Cannonier in a three round affair that has title implications on the line. Whittaker was able to bounce back after losing his title to Israel Adesanya, defeating Darren Till a few months ago via unanimous decision. Looking to get his first shot at UFC gold is Cannonier, a guy who has fought in three separate weight classes in the promotion, but seems to have found a home at 185 lb. Cannonier has won three in a row by TKO, finishing top opponents like Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson.

The card also features a key matchup at heavyweight between fellow top-10 fighters Alexander Volkov and Walt Harris.

Full UFC 254: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje fight card

* Fight cards subject to change

Main Card (2 p.m. ET, PPV):

  • Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje
  • Robert Whittaker vs. Jared Cannonier
  • Alexander Volkov vs. Walt Harris
  • Jacob Malkoun vs. Phillip Hawes
  • Lauren Murphy vs. Lilya Shakirova
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba

Preliminary Card (12 p.m. ET, ESPN+):

  • Stefan Struve vs. Tai Tuivasa
  • Nathaniel Wood vs. Casey Kenney
  • Alex Oliveira vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • Da-Un Jung vs. Sam Alvey

Early Preliminary Card (10:30 a.m. ET, UFC Fight Pass):

  • Liana Jojua vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Joel Alvarez vs. Alexander Yakovlev

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UFC 254 takes place on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, live from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Follow along with FanSided MMA, who is cageside for the event, for all your live news and highlights.