In the co-main event, Robert Whittaker vs. Jared Cannonier will battle for the vacant middleweight title. Darren Till recently vacated the title as he plans his move up to the middleweight division, leaving the top contenders to square off to crown a new champion. Reyes is coming off a controversial decision loss to Jones, suffering the first defeat of his career in the process. Whittaker is on a three-fight winning streak, most recently knocking out Cannonier .
Below are the confirmed bouts for the fight card that is still yet to announce a location less than a month out. Among the most interesting bouts is Jake Matthews vs. Diego Sanchez as Sanchez nears the end of his career. He won his most recent outing by disqualification after Michel Pereira landed an illegal knee. Because of that, he's won three of his last four fights.
It's Fight Island's final bout of the year, and what a clash to be ringing that final bell to. UFC 254 plays host to the biggest fight of 2020, as interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje takes on the dominating Khabib Nurmagomedov for the Undisputed gold. And we're showing you exactly how to live stream UFC 254 and watch Khabib vs Gaethje and more this weekend with ESPN+ being your main destination.
After losing his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, to Covid-19, Khabib was left on the sidelines, dealing with his own personal tragedy while Garthje stepped in for the interim. This weekend Nurmagomedov is back in the Octagon to bring his belt home.
It's worth noting that UFC 254 set to take place a lot earlier than previous events this Saturday, October 24. Early prelims are starting at 10.15am ET / 7.15am PT with the main card to commence at 2pm ET / 11am PT. And ESPN+ will be the place to watch the fight.
Gaethje has stormed his way up the lightweight ladder, finishing up with a dominating performance against Tony Ferguson in May. Now, he's looking to use his wrestling background to take on the reigning champion, forcing a higher center of balance to lend even more power to his record-leading striking rate.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has seen all that before, though, and conquered it. With the longest win streak in the history of the UFC - and that crushing win against one Conor McGregor - Nurmagomedov doesn't run into trouble too often. With a ground game as forceful as they come, Khabib has earned his stripes by keeping his opponents under his control and finishing off with a siege of attacks that simply can't be returned.
However, this is where this weekend's UFC 254 matchup gets interesting. While it's easy to assume that such raw power will keep Nurmagomedov's belt warm for him, his interim competitor has a unique style that will have to be reckoned with if Khabib is going to walk away with ease.