THE UFC ARE pulling out all the stops for the week of Conor McGregor’s clash with Jose Aldo in Las Vegas in December.
McGregor and Aldo will fight in a featherweight title unification bout in the main event at UFC 194 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, 12 December.
The night before, the finale of TUF 22 will also take place in Vegas, with Frankie Edgar versus Chad Mendes headlining the bill at the Cosmopolitan.
And 24 hours prior to that, the Cosmopolitan will also play host to a UFC Fight Night show, the main event of which will be a women’s strawweight tussle between Scottish favourite Joanne Calderwood and US prospect Paige VanZant.
The fight could catapult the winner into title contention in the 115lbs division. Calderwood (10-1) will be aiming for a second successive victory following her shock defeat to Maryna Moroz earlier this year, while VanZant (6-1) — who’s being promoted heavily by the UFC — will be facing her biggest test yet in the octagon, having won three on the trot since making her UFC debut last November.
A cracking lightweight bout between Jim Miller and Michael Chiesa will also feature on the VanZant versus Calderwood card, as well as the UFC debut of English former Cage Warriors welterweight contender Danny Roberts, who’s been matched up against undefeated American Top Team prospect Michael Graves.
With three events taking place in as many days, it looks like the thousands of Irish MMA fans who are expected to travel in support of Conor McGregor are in for a treat in Las Vegas in December. With more fights still to be confirmed, here’s how the three events are currently shaping up:
UFC Fight Night: VanZant vs. Calderwood (The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas — Thursday, 10 December)
Paige VanZant vs. Joanne Calderwood
Jim Miller vs. Michael Chiesa
Elias Theodorou vs. Thiago Santos
Antônio Carlos Júnior vs. Kevin Casey
Omari Akhmedov vs. Lyman Good
Tim Means vs. John Howard
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Andreas Ståhl
Michael Graves vs. Danny Roberts
Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Phillipe Nover
Kaillin Curran vs. Emily Kagan
Sheldon Westcott vs. Edgar Garcia
The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale: Edgar vs. Mendes (The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas — Friday, 11 December)
Frankie Edgar vs. Chad Mendes
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson
Joe Lauzon vs. Evan Dunham
Ryan LaFlare vs. Mike Pierce
UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor (MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas — Saturday, 12 December)
Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold
Ronaldo Souza vs. Yoel Romero
Tecia Torres vs. Michelle Waterson
Max Holloway vs. Jeremy Stephens
Demian Maia vs. Gunnar Nelson
Urijah Faber vs. Frankie Saenz
Warlley Alves vs. Colby Covington
Court McGee vs. Márcio Alexandre Jr.
John Makdessi vs. Yancy Medeiros
Leonardo Santos vs. Kevin Lee
Joe Proctor vs. Magomed Mustafaev
