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Battle for undisputed Lightweight Championship headlines UFC 254

UFC wraps up its second run on Fight Island with one of the most anticipated bouts of the year as lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champion Justin Gaethje battle to unify the belts.

Battle for undisputed Lightweight Championship headlines UFC 254

Las Vegas, October 19: UFC wraps up its second run on Fight Island with one of the most anticipated bouts of the year as lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champion Justin Gaethje battle to unify the belts.

Undefeated champion Nurmagomedov looks to put on another dominant performance and once again prove he is the best lightweight on the planet. Nurmagomedov is currently tied for the longest active win streak in the UFC with an impressive 12 victories in a row, which includes finishes over former champion Conor McGregor and former interim champion Dustin Poirier.

He now seeks to extend his streak to 13 with a statement performance over Gaethje and make his case as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Gaethje has become a fan favorite for the relentless and entertaining fight style that has earned him nine UFC post-fight bonuses in just seven fights. A proven finisher with a remarkable 20 of his 22 wins coming by stoppage, Gaethje rose through the lightweight ranks with knockouts over Edson Barboza, Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson.

He now looks to realize his ultimate goal of attaining the undisputed UFC lightweight championship by becoming the first person to defeat Nurmagomedov.

In the co-main event, former middleweight champion and No. 1 ranked Robert Whittaker takes on No. 3 Jared Cannonier in a pivotal bout with title implications.

Former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker intends to continue his journey back to the title with his second marquee win of the year. The first Australian UFC champion, Whittaker initially made waves by winning The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes in 2012.

After moving up to the middleweight division, he went on an eight-fight win streak to capture the title, which included spectacular performances against Yoel Romero, Jacare Souza and Derek Brunson. He now aims to keep his momentum going against Cannonier and cement himself as the No. 1 contender for the belt.

Former heavyweight Cannonier seeks to claim the most important win of his career and secure his first UFC title shot. After moving down to the middleweight division, Cannonier quickly established himself as a top contender with stoppage victories over David Branch, Jack Hermansson and former champion Anderson Silva.

He now has his sights set on landing another signature knockout against Whittaker and seizing his spot at the top of the rankings.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• Top 10 heavyweights face off as No. 6 ranked Alexander Volkov battles No. 8 Walt Harris

• No. 2 ranked women's flyweight Cynthia Calvillo and No. 4 ranked Lauren Murphy look to make a statement and earn their first UFC title shot

• No. 11 ranked light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev and Ion Cutelaba finally meet in a highly anticipated bout guaranteed to deliver action

• Stefan Struve locks horns with Tai Tuivasa in a heavyweight bout

• In a clash of UFC newcomers, Jacob Malkoun meets Dana White's Contender Series signee Phillip Hawes at middleweight

• In an exciting welterweight bout, Alex Oliveira aims to spoil the UFC debut of Shavkat Rakhmonov

• Da-un Jung seeks to stay undefeated in the UFC when he takes on veteran Sam Alvey at light heavyweight

• UFC newcomers Umar Nurmagomedov and Sergey Morozov aim to put on a show-stealing performance

• Liana Jojua battles Invicta FC veteran Miranda Maverick

• Top bantamweight prospects battle in a 140-pound catchweight bout as Nathaniel Wood meets Casey Kenney

• In a lightweight bout, Joel Alvarez looks to extend his win streak when he takes on Alexander Yakovlev

UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje will take place Saturday, October 24 on Abu Dhabi's Yas Island and will stream live on Pay-Per-View, exclusively through ESPN+ in the U.S. at a special broadcast time of 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT in both English and Spanish.

The prelims will be simulcast on ESPN2 and ESPN+ (English and Spanish) beginning at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT with the early prelims kicking off at 10:15 a.m. ET /7:15 p.m. PT simulcast on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass. The event is in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi.

ESPN+ is available on ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com and the ESPN App for mobile connected TV devices. To subscribe, visit espnplus.com/ufc.

Source: Press Release

Story first published: Monday, October 19, 2020, 18:07 [IST]
Other articles published on Oct 19, 2020