UFC 254 — Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje: Fight card, start time, odds, prelims, how to watch, stream. A lightweight unification showdown headlines the next pay-per-view card on Fight Island.
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KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV takes on Justin Gaethje TONIGHT in UFC’s biggest fight of the year at UFC 254.
The UFC lightweight title contest will be the Eagle’s first fight since September 2019, while Gaethje goes into the bout buoyed after his dominant win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.
The champ was scheduled to face Tony Ferguson — a sixth time attempting to get the two in the Octagon together — in May, but travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 global pandemic made it impossible for Nurmagomedov to make it to the event. In stepped Gaethje, who held out for his shot at a title fight and delivered in kind with a tremendous performance against Ferguson to claim the interim strap.
Gaethje enters the showdown with four straight TKOs, including three in the first round over James Vick, Edson Barboza and Donald Cerrone. “The Highlight” has yet to see the judges’ scorecards since joining UFC back in 2017 and the last decision of his career came in 2014 against Melvin Guillard under the WSOF banner.
Plus, the co-main event sees a de facto middleweight title eliminator take place as former champ Robert Whittaker takes on veteran Jared Cannonier. Whittaker rebounded nicely from his TKO loss to Israel Adesanya with a decision win over Darren Till earlier this summer. Cannonier, meanwhile, has won three straight since dropping to 185 pounds, but none of his opponents have been the level of Whittaker.
It’s going to be a busy week of fight coverage in Abu Dhabi. Stay tuned to this page for the latest news, odds and updates surrounding UFC 254, as well as our feature content on the main event fighters. Below is the complete fight card with odds provided by William Hill Sportsbook.
UFC 254 fight card, odds
Khabib Nurmagomedov (c) -330 vs. Justin Gaethje (ic) +260, lightweight title
Jared Cannonier -115 vs. Robert Whittaker -105, middleweights
Alexander Volkov -180 vs. Walt Harris +155, heavyweights
Phillip Hawes -270 vs. Jacob Malkoun +220, middleweights
Lauren Murphy -220 vs. Liliya Shakirova +180, women’s flyweights
Magomed Ankalaev -310 vs. Ion Cutelaba +250, light heavyweights
Stefan Struve -115 vs. Tai Tuivasa -105, heavyweights
Alex Oliveira -165 vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov +140, welterweights
Da-Un Jung -360 vs. Sam Alvey +280, light heavyweights
Casey Kenney -195 vs. Nathaniel Wood +165, catchweights
Miranda Maverick -360 vs. Liana Jojua +280, women’s flyweights
Joel Alvarez -195 vs. Alexander Yakovlev +165, lightweights
UFC 254 info
Date: Saturday, Oct. 24
Location: Flash Forum — Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Start time: 2 p.m. ET (Main card) | noon ET (prelims)
How to watch: ESPN+ PPV (main card) | ESPN 2 (prelims)
Live stream: fuboTV (try for free) (prelims only)
UFC 254 countdown
Complete staff predictions and expert picks
Brookhouse: Breaking down every fight on the main card
Campbell: Gaethje’s transformation to champion nearly complete
Brookhouse: The best prop bets to make on UFC 254 card
Brookhouse: Coach Trevor Wittman is key to Justin Gaethje upset win
Campbell: Five storylines to watch at UFC 254
Gaethje aims to “ruin the day” of Khabib, White, others in main event
How can I watch UFC 254?
UFC 254 will be live on BT Sport Box Office in the UK and ESPN+ in the US.
The card will cost £19.95 to purchase on BT Sport Box Office.
BT Sport begin their coverage at 5pm BST, starting with the prelims.
The early prelims are live on UFC’s Fight Pass App for subscribers.
How can I listen to UFC 254?
You can listen to all of the action live for FREE on talkSPORT 1 here.
talkSPORT begin their commentary of the card from 8pm.
Coverage will be hosted by Ade Oladipo alongside regular talkSPORT commentator Adam Catterall and Fight Disciples’ Nick Peet.
What time is the main event?
Expect the main event of Khabib vs Gaethje at around 10pm BST.
UFC’s Fight Island in Abu Dhabi plays host to the card.
The early prelims begin at 3.15pm BST, the prelims 5pm BST and the main card from 7pm BST.
How do the fighters compare?
3
What is the fight card?
Main card (from 7pm BST/ 2pm EST)
Khabib Nurmagomedov (c) vs Justin Gaethje (UFC Lightweight Championship)
Robert Whittaker vs Jared Cannonier (Middleweight – co-main)
Alexander Volkov vs Walt Harris (Heavyweight)
Islam Makhachev vs Rafael dos Anjos (Lightweight)
Cynthia Calvillo vs Lauren Murphy (Women’s Flyweight)
Magomed Ankalaev vs Ion Cutelaba (Light Heavyweight)
Preliminary card (from 5pm BST/ 12pm EST)
Stefan Struve vs Tai Tuivasa (Heavyweight)
Jacob Malkoun vs Phil Hawes (Middleweight)
Alex Oliveira vs Shavkat Rakhmonov (Welterweight)
Jung Da Un vs Sam Alvey (Light Heavyweight)
Early prelims (from 3.15pm BST/ 10.15am EST)
Liana Jojua vs Miranda Maverick (Women’s Flyweight)
Nathaniel Wood vs Casey Kenney (Catchweight)
Joel Alvarez vs Alexander Yakovlev (Lightweight)