White also announced a co-main event bout between thealways-polarizing Sean Stricklandand a top middleweight contender Paulo Costa, with Strickland likely to earn a title shot in the middleweight division with a win.
The rest of the card is still taking shape, but the undefeated Cesar Almeida has been confirmed for the event along with rising star Jake Matthews. While the two won’t fight each other, their matches will provideMMAfans with a glimpse of the future.
The UFC announcedbrand new glove designsthat will debut during the event as well, with Makhachev and Poirier becoming the first to don the all gold championship match mitts.
Start times for Eastern Time, Pacific Time, and Greenwich Mean Time are included in the table below.
Islam Makhachevmakes his much-anticipated return to the octagon by defending his lightweight strap against long-time UFC starDustin Poirier.
It’s a match of contrasting styles, as Makhachev thrives as a grappler and ground-and-pound artist, while Poirier is always seeking a lethal knockout blow.
On the prelims, Jake Matthews, a rising star from Australia, looks to notch the 20th victory in his still-young MMA career after losing to Michael Morales in his last showing.
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Then, there’s the battle of two flyweight prospects — Mitch Raposo and Andre Lima. Raposo only has one fight under his belt in the UFC, while Lima has an unblemished 2-0 record with the promotion.
Lima has a chance to cement himself as a true contender for Alexandre Pantoja’s championship belt with another victory.
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Hunter Haas was a Senior Sports Writer at Dexerto. Over the last two years he has worked as a writer and editor for FanSided at NFLMocks. He also served as an editor at The Raider Ramble and The Blue Stable. Hunter is an expert in all things MMA, WWE, and NFL.
You can email him here: hunter.haas@dexerto.com
