Here is everything you need to know about the UFC 229 fight card, including the biggest main event in UFC history between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
UFC 229 is arguably the biggest pay-per-view the promotion has ever put on. After an almost two-year hiatus from mixed martial arts, Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon to fight lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in the biggest fight in UFC history. A fight that was only made bigger after McGregor was arrested before UFC 223 for attacking one of the fighter buses.
McGregor (21-3) last fought in the octagon at UFC 205 on Nov. 12, 2016, knocking out Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight championship. In the two years since that fight, the UFC stripped McGregor of his featherweight and lightweight titles due to inactivity. Instead of fighting in the Octagon, McGregor boxed undefeated champion, Floyd Mayweather Jr., losing by TKO in the 10th round. In recent months, McGregor signed a new contract with the UFC and launched his own whiskey brand. The question fight night will be how much Octagon rust does McGregor have?
Nurmagomedov has run through every opponent put in front of him in his career. The Russian fighter has never lost a round and will enter Saturday’s fight with a 26-0 record. Nurmagomedov won the lightweight title, a title McGregor never lost via competition when he defeated Al Iaquinta via decision.
Saturday’s fight will be the classic fight between a great grappler in Nurmagomedov and a powerful puncher in McGregor. If Nurmagomedov is able to successfully takedown McGregor, he will likely win the fight. However, all McGregor needs is one well placed left-hand to stop Nurmagomedov in his tracks.
In the co-main event, lightweights Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis collide. Ferguson has won 10 straight fights, including a win over Kevin Lee for the interim lightweight championship. The California native was originally supposed to fight Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 but was forced to pull out of the fight with an injury. Pettis is a former lightweight champion, coming off of his best performance in years. The Milwaukee native submitted Michael Chiesa in the second round of their fight at UFC 226.
Also on the main card is a light heavyweight fight between the master of the Von Flue choke, Ovince Saint Preux and Dominick Reyes. Saint Preux is coming off of an impressive win against Tyson Pedro, while Reyes has an undefeated 9-0 record following his knockout win against Jared Cannonier.
Heavyweight contenders Derrick Lewis and Alexander Volkov meet inside the Octagon on Saturday. Lewis defeated Francis Ngannou at UFC 226 in one of the worst fights in UFC history. The Houston native will look to redeem himself against Volkov. The Russian heavyweight has won four straight, including a knockout win against Fabricio Werdum in his last fight.
Rounding out the main card is a fight between women’s strawweight contenders Michelle Waterson and Felice Herrig. Waterson rebounded in her last fight, beating Cortney Casey after suffering two losses. Herrig had won four straight fights before losing to Karolina Kowalkiewicz in her last fight.
In the best fight on the preliminary card, Sergio Pettis fights Jussier Formiga in a fight between two of the flyweight division’s best fighters. Pettis scored a huge win over Joseph Benavidez in his last fight. Current flyweight champion Henry Cejudo is the only person to beat Pettis in a fight over the last three years. Formiga has won two straight fights and is looking to get into title contention with a third straight win.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 6
Start Time: Prelims at 6:15 p.m. ET, Main card at 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Venue: T-Mobile
TV Info: UFC Fight Pass, FS1, Pay-Per-View
Prelim Live Stream: UFC.TV | Fox Sports Go
PPV Live Stream: UFC.TV PPV | DirecTV
The full fight card can be found below.
Main Card – Pay-Per-View 10:00 p.m. ET
- Lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov (c) vs. Conor McGregor
- Lightweight Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis
- Light Heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux vs. Dominick Reyes
- Heavyweight Derrick Lewis vs. Alexander Volkov
- Women’s Strawweight Michelle Waterson vs. Felice Herrig
Preliminary Card – FS1 8:00 p.m. ET
- Flyweight Sergio Pettis vs. Jussier Formiga
- Welterweight Vicente Luque vs. Jalin Turner
- Women’s Bantamweight Aspen Ladd vs. Tonya Evinger
- Lightweight Scott Holtzman vs. Alan Patrick
Preliminary Card – UFC Fight Pass 6:15 p.m. ET
- Women’s Bantamweight Lina Lansberg vs. Yana Kunitskaya
- Lightweight Gray Maynard vs. Nik Lentz
- Welterweight Ryan LaFlare vs. Tony Martin