UFC 295 Start Time, Full Fight Details!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back at it again with another major pay-per-view (PPV) offering as UFC 295 is set to go down later TONIGHT (Sat., Nov. 11, 2023) inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. Headlining the event will be a Light Heavyweight title fight for the vacant strap as former Middleweight champion, Alex Pereira, takes on former 205-pound kingpin, Jiri Prochazka (full preview here). In the co-main event, Sergei Pavlovich will battle Tom Aspinall for the interim Heavyweight title after Jon Jones suffered an unfortunate injury that stalled his collision with Stipe Miocic.

What’s Hot:

Ever since Jon Jones vacated the Light Heavyweight title in Aug. 2020, the division has been an absolute mess. Jan Blachowicz won the strap shortly after “Bones’” decision to leave it behind, defeating Dominick Reyes via knockout at UFC 253 (see it here), and then defended it against Israel Adesanya at UFC 259. That was the last time the belt was successfully defended, marking the beginning of a tumultuous time in the 205-pound weight class.

Glover Teixeira ended Blachowicz’s reign at UFC 267 after he forced him to tap to an air-tight, rear-naked choke (see it again here). In his first attempt to defend the title at UFC 275, Teixeira coughed up his belt to Prochazka, who submitted “Hands of Stone” after an entertaining 24 minutes of action (highlights). The two were set to run it back at UFC 282, but the rematch was axed after Prochazka suffered a shoulder injury. In turn, “Denisa” opted to vacate his title, paving the way for Blachowicz to face Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282 for the vacant strap. After five rounds of action, the fight was ruled a majority draw. Instead of re-booking that fight because it was a dud, Dana White and Co. opted to give Jamahal Hill and Teixeira the chance to fight for gold, which resulted in Hill defeating the long-time veteran via unanimous decision at UFC 283. Seven months later, Hill announced that he would be vacating the belt after tearing his ACL during a pickup basketball game.

And that brings us to UFC 295, which will see former UFC Middleweight champion, Alex Pereira, attempt to enter the record books with another championship win in another weight class if he can top the aforementioned Prochazka. Pereira made his successful move up to 205 pounds by defeating the aforementioned Blachowicz at UFC 291 via razor-thin split decision. As for Prochazka, it’s a full-circle moment for him because he will get the chance to reclaim the strap he left behind one year ago. The fight is an awesome matchup between two devastating and proven strikers because prior to submitting Teixeira, Prochazka was on a 10-fight win steak via (technical) knockout. As for “Poatan,” eight of his wins have come in the same manner, which includes his memorable championship win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 to win the 185-pound title. This fight has all of the makings of an absolute classic … unless ring rust plays a big factor?

What’s Not:

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If we are being 100 percent honest, other than the championship doubleheader, the rest of the PPV main card leaves much to be desired. That usually is the case when Jones is atop of the bill because the promotion knows he can sell an event all by himself, especially as his career could be potentially winding down. But, once he is out of the equation and you dissect the other three fights — Mackenzie Dern vs. Jessica Andrade, Matt Frevola vs. Benoit Saint-Denis and Diego Lopes vs. Pat Sabatini — you would be a fool to think this card will get a lot of buys.

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

Jones was initially set to defend his Heavyweight title against former division kingpin, Stipe Miocic, in a highly-anticipated showdown between two of the best to ever step foot inside the Octagon. Unfortunately for “Bones,” he suffered a devastating injury that forced him out of the card, paving the way for Pereira and Prochazka to take over the headlining duties. Derek Brunson was in line to face Roman Dolidze at this event before he opted not to re-sign with the promotion and bolt for the potential greener pastures of Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Injuries:

As mentioned earlier, the major injury that really gave this card the major hit came after Jones tore his pectoral muscle after he went in for a takedown on his training partner (which you can see here), forcing him to go into surgery.

When it rain it pours.

His scheduled fight against Miocic will now take place at another major PPV event in 2024, and the winner of the fight will face the winner of Pavlovich vs. Aspinall in a 265-pound title unification bout. Also, Nurullo Aliev was forced out of his Lightweight bout against Mateusz Rebecki after suffering an undisclosed injury. As a result, Rebecki was forced off the card altogether.

New Blood:

Kevin Borjas is the lone newcomer on this card. At 9-1 as a professional, Borjas earned his spot on the card with an impressive win on Contender Series, defeating Victor Dias via unanimous decision this past August. That was the first time “El Gallo Negro” had ever gone the distance, winning all eight of his previous fights via stoppage with eight (technical) knockout wins and one submission. He will be facing off against Joshua Van, who escaped with a win in his own UFC debut by defeating Zhalgas Zhumagulov via split decision this past summer.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Surging Flyweight contender, Steve Erceg, will attempt to pick up his second win inside the Octagon after making an impressive debut by out-scoring David Dvorak to earn a unanimous decision win this past summer. Overall, he has won nine straight fights, and standing in his way of getting No. 10 is Alessandro Costa, who picked up his first-ever UFC win by knocking out Jimmy Flick this past June.

In women’s Strawweight action, Loopy Godinez is eying her fourth straight trip to the winner’s circle when she battles Tabatha Ricci. “Baby Shark” stumbled out of the gates by losing her UFC debut to Manon Fiorot, but has since rattled off four straight wins. If she can get No. 4 against Godinez, Ricci can expect a nice bump in the rankings where she currently sits at No. 10.

In the men’s Bantamweight division, John Castaneda tangos with Kyun Ho Kang in a fight that has the potential to win “Fight of the Night” honors. “Sexi Mexi” is 3-1 in his last four UFC fights and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Muin Gafurov. As for Kang, he is an impressive 5-1 in his last six fights and is coming off a victory over Cristian Quinonez, submitting him via rear-naked choke in the first round this past summer.

In Featherweight action, Jamall Emmers will attempt to get back on track after losing a close split decision to Jack Jenkins when he battles Dennis Buzukja, who came up short in his UFC debut against Sean Woodson. Prior to that, he had rattled off seven straight wins, including a successful fight against Kaleio Romero on Contender Series in July 2022.

Jared Gordon has had a rough go as of late. After losing to Paddy Pimblett in a fight most thought “Flash” had won, his next fight resulted in a dreaded “No Contest” against Bobby Green after an accidental clash of heads. He will look to get his first win in more than one year when he battles Mark Madsen, who is hungry for a victory himself after he suffered the first loss of his professional career over a year ago to Grant Dawson.

In other action, Nazim Sadykhov will take on Viacheslav Borshchev in a 155-pound tilt. Sadykhov is currently on a nine-fight win streak and is 2-0 so far in his young UFC career, stopping Evan Elder and Terrance McKinney in back-to-back fights six months apart. As for Borshchev, he is 2-2 under the UFC banner and avoided losing his third straight in his previous outing by knocking out Viacheslav Borshchev in the second round this past May.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

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Jessica Andrade has seen better days inside the eight-walled cage. The former women’s Strawweight champion has lost three straight fights in both the 115- and 125-pound divisions, so she will find herself in a tough pickle should she drop her fourth straight when she goes up against Mackenzie Dern, who is just 2-2 in her last four fights. I don’t foresee the promotion cutting Andrade should she lose her fourth in a row, but she needs to get a win for own own sanity and motivation. For Dern, a win over “Bate Estaca” gets her into the Top 5 again … and back into the championship mix. A win will also go a long way in helping her taking care of those divorce costs, which the same can be said for Andrade.

Interest Level: 8/10

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In the co-main event, Aspinall will face off against Pavlovich for the interim Heavyweight strap. Pavlovich is currently ranked No. 2 and Aspinall sits at No. 4 on the official UFC rankings, and they were the top two choices to face the winner of Jones vs. Miocic, so it as only right for them to face each other for the interim strap. Pavlovich has been on an absolute monstrous tear, winning six straight fights, which includes all first round knockout wins over the likes of Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa and Curtis Blaydes (see it here), among others. That means Aspinall will have his work cut out for him and his head must be kept on a swivel at all times.

Thankfully, Aspinall has some of the best footwork in the 265-pound division (some may say as good as Muhammad Ali). He will need to utilize that to avoid Pavlovich’s big bombs, but the British brawler isn’t a bum with his hands, and can get the job done in the striking department, too. He has finished every opponent in victory with 10 stoppages via strikes with three submissions. After suffering a devastating knee injury during his loss to Curtis Blaydes, Aspinall returned with a vengeance a year to the date to knockout Marcin Tybura in front of his hometown crowd. Now, he is just one more win away from achieving championship gold.

In the Lightweight division, Frevola will battle Saint-Denis (preview here). Frevola is currently on a three-fight win streak after and is coming off a wildly-impressive technical knockout win over Drew Dober at UFC 288, taking him out in the first round (see it again here). Currently ranked No. 14 in the division, “Steamrolla” could get closer to the Top 10 with another impressive stoppage victory when he goes head-to-head with Saint-Denis, who is looking to crack the Top 15 for the first time in his combat sports career. “God of War” is the current owner of a four-fight win streak (all stoppages) and was last seen defeating Thiago Moises via technical knockout in Paris a few months ago (highlights).

Kicking off the PPV main card is a Featherweight bout between Diego Lopes and Pat Sabatini (full breakdown here). Lopes is 1-1 so far in his young UFC career and was last seen defeating Gavin Tucker via first round submission in August (highlights). Sabatini, meanwhile, is an impressive 5-1 so far under the UFC banner and has collected nice wins over Lucas Almeida and Tucker Lutz along the way. He is slowly starting to carve out his own space in the crowded 155-pound division, and if he keeps winning it will be hard to deny him a spot in the rankings.

Two new champions will be crowned tonight, and three fighters will be fighting for UFC gold for the first time, while one (Pereira) attempts to win his second title in as many divisions. As far as the co-headlining big men, Pavlovich and Aspinall not only have their opportunity to earn their first piece of UFC hardware, but they have the chance to potentially lock down a lucrative title unification fight against Jon Jones with a win.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC 295 Fight Card:

UFC 295 Main Event On ESPN+ PPV:

265 lbs.: UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic — CANCELED
205 lbs.: Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira for vacant light heavyweight title

UFC 295 Main Card On ESPN+ PPV (10 p.m. ET):

265 lbs.: Tom Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovich for interim heavyweight title
115 lbs.: Jessica Andrade vs. Mackenzie Dern
155 lbs.: Matt Frevola vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
145 lbs.: Diego Lopes vs. Pat Sabatini

UFC 295 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPNN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):

115 lbs.: Loopy Godinez vs. Tabatha Ricci
125 lbs.: Stephen Erceg vs. Alessandro Costa
155 lbs.: Nurullo Aliev vs. Mateusz Rebecki
155 lbs.: Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Nazim Sadykhov

UFC 295 Early ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET):

155 lbs.: Jared Gordon vs. Mark Madsen
135 lbs.: John Castaneda vs. Kyung Ho Kang
125 lbs.: Kevin Borjas vs. Joshua Van
145 lbs.: Dennis Buzukja vs. Jamall Emmers

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 295 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 295: “Prochazka vs. Pereira” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.