UFC celebrates its 30-year anniversary with two championship fights in one of combat sport’s most extraordinary venues. Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira and Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall top UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday.
UFC 1 saw Royce Gracie put Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on the martial arts map by submitting three opponents in one night. It was an early chapter in MMA’s colorful history and rise from a renegade sport to a global entity.
Saturday’s main event is a story-rich meeting between a pair of former champions in Prochazka and Pereira for the vacant light heavyweight belt. Prochazka vacated the title one year ago due to injury after winning it from Glover Teixeira in CBS Sports’ 2022 Fight of the Year. Former middleweight champ Pereira, a pupil and dear friend of Teixeira’s, moved up to 205 pounds to retrieve the belt for his mentor.
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Longstanding heavyweights are beginning to go extinct at the hands of new apex predators. Fighters like Pavlovich and Aspinall are the future. A new breed of athletic and well-rounded heavyweights. Aspinall and Pavlovich boast the shortest and second shortest average fight duration, respectively, among active UFC fighters in all weight classes. It could be short but sweet when they fight for the interim UFC heavyweight title.
No party goes perfectly and the same is true for this 30-year anniversary. UFC 295 was originally headlined by Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title. A fight between the greatest light heavyweight and heavyweight champions in UFC history was suitable pageantry for the occasion. An injury to Jones resulted in Pavlovich vs. Aspinall being booked on short notice. Pavlovich was preparing as a backup for Jones or Miocic but Aspinall was not originally in the mix.
CBS Sports will also have live coverage of the fight with round-by-round scoring and blow-by-blow updates to keep you up to date throughout the night.
Below is all the information you need to catch UFC 295 on Saturday night.
How to watch UFC 295 prelims
Date: Nov. 11 | Location: Madison Square Garden — New York
Time: 8 p.m. ET (6 p.m. ET for early prelims)
Channel: ESPN
How to watch UFC 295 main card
Date: Nov. 11 | Location: Madison Square Garden — New York
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Stream: ESPN+ PPV | Price: $79.99
Now, here’s a look at the UFC 295 main fight card and betting odds.
UFC 295 main card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Pereira -125 | Jiri Prochazka +105 | Vacant light heavyweight title |
| Tom Aspinall -110 | Sergei Pavlovich -110 | Interim heavyweight title |
| Mackenzie Dern -220 | Jessica Andrade +180 | Women’s strawweights |
| Benoit Saint-Denis -225 | Matt Frevola +185 | Lightweights |
| Pat Sabatini -115 | Diego Lopes -105 | Featherweights |
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