UFC Vegas 95 Start Time, Full Fight Card Details!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in Las Vegas, Nevada to stage UFC Vegas 95 later TONIGHT (Sat., Aug. 10, 2024) inside UFC Apex. Headlining the ESPN+-streamed event is a heavyweight fight between Marcin Tybura (No. 8) and Serghei Spivac (No. 9). In the revamped co-main event, Damon Jackson will face Chepe Mariscal in a featherweight affair.

Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC

What’s Hot:

We still don’t know exactly when Jon Jones will make his return to action to defend his 265-pound title against Stipe Miocic, but we do expect it to be before 2024 comes to an end. Until then, the rest of the contenders in the division are trying their best to climb up the rankings in order to get their shot at UFC gold. Two men who are trying to crack the Top 5 are Tybura and Spivac. Tybura is 3-1 in his last four fights and an even more impressive 8-2 in his last 10. One of those losses is against current interim title holder, Tom Aspinall, so it’s safe to say that this big man is a legit threat thanks to his all-around arsenal. He is coming off a submission win over Tai Tuivasa, but a win against a Top 5 foe has eluded him, and that is what could get him over the hump and into title contention.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

As for Spivac, he was riding a hot three-fight win streak before he ran into former UFC title holder, Ciryl Gane 10 months ago, losing to “Bon Gamin” via technical knockout (highlights). Now he is out to get back into the win column in order to improve on his ranking. In the process, “Polar Bear” wants revenge because he suffered a loss to Tybura when the two initially threw down back in 2020, losing a unanimous decision. As far as their finish rate they are practically equal as Tybura has nine knockouts with seven submissions, and Spivac is right behind him with seven knockouts and seven submissions. That means both men can get it done either way. It’s a huge fight for both heavyweights, one for revenge and to get momentum back, the other in hopes of going up 2-0 in the series to potentially crack the Top 5. Don’t blink.

What’s Not:

Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC

Yana Santos and Chelsea Chandler managed to get on the main card and I just don’t know why. I get that this card is down to the bones due to all of the canceled fights, but Santos is on a three-fight losing streak and should be relegated to the undercard. Chandler is simply a victim of being paired up against Santos because she is 2-1 inside the Octagon and has an impressive 6-2 record overall. Aside from having a problem that this fight is on the main card, I would have preferred Chandler to get someone with some momentum as opposed to someone who is struggling.

Original Card vs. Actual Card:

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The original co-main event between Chris Gutierrez and Javid Basharat was canceled last week after Basharat had to withdraw. Stepping in to take his place is Quang Le, who got the call up before he was set to appear on the Contender Series. Also, Jonny Parsons was removed from his welterweight bout with Yusaku Kinoshita. Since no replacement was found on short notice, the fight was scrapped altogether. A flyweight battle between Allan Nascimento and Jafel Filho was also scratched as a result of an illness suffered by Nascimento.

Injuries:

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Uros Medic suffered a rib injury and was forced out of his fight against Danny Barlow, who will now be facing promotional newcomer Nikolay Veretennikov in a welterweight showdown that will take place on the main card.

New Blood:

Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC

Quang Le was supposed to appear on this the Contender Series in September, but he instead got the call of a lifetime to join the promotion after Javid Basharat withdrew from the event. The former Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) bantamweight standout is undefeated at 8-0 with five finishes. The scrappy 135-pounder is as fast as they come and is all go and will have a chance to shine on the main card. He will have a tough task against Gutierrez, who is hungry for a win after losing to Song Yadong in his most recent outing, dropping to 1-2 in his last three fights.

Nikolay Veretennikov is currently on a three-fight win streak (all finishes), so he deserved to get the call up after Uros Medic bowed out of the event. Veretennikov trains out of Kings MMA and has a 12-4 record overall with a 80-percent finish rate. He will attempt to hand Danny Barlow his first-ever defeat as he is currently 8-0, which includes winning his own UFC debut earlier this year by knocking out Josh Quinlan at UFC 298.

Stephanie Luciano will make her UFC debut against Talita Alencar in the opening fight of the event in a rematch from the Contender Series. They initially fought in Sept. 2023, but the bout was ruled a draw. Alencar eventually went on to make her UFC debut and defeated Rayanne dos Santos via split decision in Dec. 2023. Now that Luciano gets her debut fight, it’s against a familiar foe with unfinished business to take care of. Luciano is 5-1-1, while Alencar is 5-0-1.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC

Youssef Zalal was successful in his UFC return, defeating Billy Quarantillo via rear-naked choke (highlights) just four months ago to improve his win streak to four. He will go for lucky number five against Jarno Errens, who snapped his two-fight losing streak against Steven Nguyen at the same event. That was Errens’ first win under the UFC banner, which saved him from potentially getting cut before his career took off.

One of the up-and-coming heavyweights to keep an eye out for is Jhonata Diniz, who is undefeated at 7-0, which also includes his impressive UFC debut against Austen Lane earlier this year, knocking him out in the second round (see it again here). All seven of his wins have come by way of knockout, six in the very first round, so he hits as hard as anyone. He will look to keep that momentum going when he battles Karl Williams, who is riding a seven-fight win streak. He is 3-0 under the UFC banner but hasn’t locked down a knockout win in two years.

In women’s bantamweight action, Karol Rosa and Pannie Kianzad will throw down in a fight with a lot at stake. Rosa is just 2-3 in her last five fights and is coming off a loss to former title contender, Irene Aldana. Rosa did start her UFC career at 4-0, but has cooled off and the consistency just hasn’t been there. As for Kianzad, she is on a two-fight losing streak and is just 1-3 in her last four fights. She needs a win here if she wants to avoid the chopping block.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC

In his first two official fights with UFC, Toshiomi Kazama has suffered first-round knockout defeats, which isn’t exactly the best way to start off your run with the biggest promotion on the planet. He will try to avoid his third straight loss — and possibly his release — as he attempts to pick up a win against Charalampos Grigoriou, who failed to make a splash in his UFC debut, losing to Chad Anheliger via unanimous decision a few months ago.

Interest Level: 4/10

Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC

We have already discussed all of the fights but one on the section’s above, so let’s dive in to to see what’s left. Chepe Mariscal has really impressed during his short time with the promotion as the exciting featherweight has won his first three fights to improve his win streak to six in a row. Chepe has made the most of his run thus far and isn’t planning on letting up anytime soon. He will face off against Damon Jackson, who recently snapped his two-fight losing streak by defeating Alexander Hernandez in a fight most thought should have went the other way once the split-decision was awarded, Nevertheless, “Action” wants to prove he isn’t fading despite his last three performances, and stopping Mariscal’s momentum would be a good way to do that.

The event is pretty underwhelming, and this didn’t help, but they can’t all be winners. There were a few injuries and illnesses and downright bad luck that prompted several cancellations, so that only added to the diluting of the event. But fret not, UFC 305 will follow this dreadful card as UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis defends his title against former division king, Israel Adesanya, next Saturday Aug. 17, 2024 inside RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. But, if we are being 100-percent honest, that card isn’t all that stacked, either, to warrant the hefty pay-per-view (PPV) price tag.

Enjoy the fights (as best you can)!

Full UFC Vegas 95 Fight Card:

UFC Vegas 95 Main Event On ESPN/ESPN+:

265 lbs.: Marcin Tybura vs. Serghei Spivac 2

UFC Vegas 95 Main Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):

145 lbs.: Damon Jackson vs. Chepe Mariscal
135 lbs.: Chris Gutierrez vs. Quang Le — (not Javid Basharat)
125 lbs.: Allan Nascimento vs. Jafel Filho — CANCELED (details here)
170 lbs.: Danny Barlow vs. Nikolay Veretennikov — (not Uros Medic)
135 lbs.: Yana Santos vs. Chelsea Chandler
135 lbs.: Toshiomi Kazama vs. Charalampos Grigoriou

UFC Vegas 95 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (5 p.m. ET):

135 lbs.: Pannie Kianzad vs. Karol Rosa
265 lbs.: Karl Williams vs. Jhonata Diniz
170 lbs.: Jonny Parsons vs. Yusaku Kinoshita — CANCELED (details here)
145 lbs.: Jarno Errens vs. Youssef Zalal
115 lbs.: Stephanie Luciano vs. Talita Alencar

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 95 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ preliminary card matchups, which are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN/ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 95 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archives here and here. For the updated and finalized “Tybura vs. Spivac 2” fight card and ESPN/ESPN+ lineup click here.