The UFC will close out an action-packed 2016 with a rare, Friday night card in UFC 207. The card, which will emanate from the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been hit by a few unfortunate twists of fate, but still stands out as an excellent one.
The main event will see women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes take on returning former champion Ronda Rousey. The bout will mark Nunes’ first defense since winning the title from Miesha Tate in July, and Rousey’s first steps into the Octagon since she was knocked out by a Holly Holm head-kick in November of 2015.
The co-main event, meanwhile, will occur in the men’s bantamweight division, where champion Dominick Cruz will look to build on his storybook return from a long stretch on the injury list with a defeat of stone-fisted challenger Cody Garbrandt. Cruz will enter the bout having reclaimed the title from TJ Dillashaw in January and defended it against Urijah Faber in June. Garbrandt will enter the fight with a perfect 10-0 pro record. Five of his pro wins have occurred in the UFC, and the three most recent of those wins have been first-round knockouts.
The next biggest feature of the main card was expected to be a rematch between former heavyweight champions Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum. Regrettably, the NSAC elected not to license Velasquez for this contest when he was deemed “unfit to fight” due to a severe back injury. He was removed from the card and no replacement opponent was arranged for Werdum.
The rest of the UFC 207 main card will feature a bantamweight contender bout between former champion TJ Dillashaw and streaking striker John Lineker, a welterweight bout between Dong Hyun Kim and Tarec Saffiedine (moved from the undercard to replace Velasquez vs. Werdum), and a compelling flyweight bout between Louis Smolka and Ray Borg. The undercard, finally, will feature names like Johny Hendricks, Neil Magny, Alex Oliveira, and Tim Means.
Here’s a full rundown of this action-packed card’s lineup, complete with start times and broadcast details.
The Main Card | 10pm ET/ 7pm PT on Pay-Per-View
135 lbs: Champion Amanda Nunes vs. challenger Ronda Rousey for the UFC women’s bantamweight title
135 lbs: Champion Dominick Cruz vs. challenger Cody Garbrandt for the UFC men’s bantamweight title
265 lbs: Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum – CANCELLED
135 lbs: TJ Dillashaw vs. John Lineker
170 lbs: Tarec Saffiedine vs. Dong Hyun Kim
125 lbs: Louis Smolka vs. Ray Borg
The Prelims | 8pm ET / 5pm PT on FOX Sports
170 lbs: Johny Hendricks vs. Neil Magny
185 lbs: Marvin Vettori vs. Antonio Carlos Jr.
170 lbs: Mike Pyle vs. Alex Garcia
170 lbs: Brandon Thatch vs. Niko Price
The Early Prelims | 7pm ET / 4pm PT on UFC Fight Pass
170 lbs: Tim Means vs. Alex Oliveira