UFC 291 fight card and start times – Poirier vs. Gaethje 2

Las Vegas – UFC makes its highly anticipated return to Salt Lake City, Utah on Sat., July 29 with a Fight of the Year candidate that will see No. 2 ranked lightweight contender Dustin Poirier run it back with #3 Justin Gaethje for the vacant BMF title. The co-main event will see former UFC light heavyweight champion and current No. 3 ranked contender Jan Blachowicz look to spoil the 205-pound debut of former middleweight titleholder Alex Pereira.

This event will take place at Delta Center with the main card at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT exclusively on ESPN+ PPV. The prelims will be available on ABC, ESPN ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ (English and Spanish), at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The night’s action will start at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT with Early Prelims on ESPN+ (English and Spanish) and UFC Fight Pass. The event is the result of a partnership with the Utah Sports Commission and Smith Entertainment Group.

“I’m excited to return to Salt Lake City, which has one of the nicest arenas in the world,” UFC President Dana White said. “The fan response last year was incredible and this time we’re bringing one of the most anticipated cards of the year with two of the baddest fighters in the world for the BMF title. I want to thank the Utah Sports Commission and Smith Entertainment Group for their continued support. UFC 291 will be one of the biggest events of the year.”

“Last year’s epic UFC 278 Pay-Per-View event brought huge economic impact and tremendous global media exposure to Utah: The State of Sport,” said Jeff Robbins, president, and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission. “With that success, we are excited to partner again with the UFC, Smith Entertainment Group and welcome some of the top MMA fighters in the world as we play host to UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to have UFC back in Salt Lake City. UFC 291 will be one of the most anticipated sporting events of 2023, and we’re all in on hosting it at the Delta Center,” said Ryan Smith, chairman of Smith Entertainment Group. “Utah is a premier sports and entertainment destination, and SEG is committed to bringing world-class events to the state and providing exceptional experiences to fans, talent, and organizations while they are here. We’re thrilled about our continued partnership with UFC and Utah Sports Commission. We look forward to hosting another successful fight night.”

Also on the card, #13 men’s pound-for-pound fighter Poirier (29-7 1NC) fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Lafayette, La. is coming off his thrilling submission win over Michael Chandler last year. A dynamic striker and grappler, the former interim lightweight champion also holds spectacular victories against Conor McGregor (twice), Max Holloway (twice), and Eddie Alvarez. Poirier now looks to stop Gaethje once again and take home the BMF belt.

Former interim lightweight champion Gaethje (25-4) fighting out of Denver, Colo. by way of Safford, Ariz. has long established himself among the most exciting fighters in MMA. A heavy-handed striker and wrestler, he has earned memorable wins over Michael Chandler, Donald Cerrone, and Rafael Fiziev. Gaethje now plans to even the score with Poirier by delivering another highlight-reel KO.

Blachowicz (29-9-1) fighting out of Warsaw, Poland intends to take out another former champion in impressive fashion. Known for his “legendary Polish power,” he holds notable victories against Israel Adesanya, Luke Rockhold, and Dominick Reyes. Blachowicz now hopes for a show-stopping performance to stake his claim for a title shot.

Pereira (7-2) fighting out of Danbury, Conn. by way of Sao Paulo, Brazil looks to turn heads at light heavyweight by stopping one of the division’s most decorated athletes. A former kickboxing standout, he holds thrilling KO wins over Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, and Andreas Michailidis. Pereira now intends to make a statement against Blachowicz to enter the light heavyweight Top 5.

Fan favorites collide when Tony Ferguson (26-8) fighting out of Orange County, Calif. battles Bobby Green (29-14-1 1NC) fighting out of Fontana, Calif. in a lightweight bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks. Former middleweight title challenger and #5 ranked contender Paulo Costa (14-2) fighting out of Contagem, MG, Brazil returns to Salt Lake City to face surging Ikram Aliskerov (14-1) fighting out of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia.

We will also see #7 ranked welterweight contender Stephen Thompson (17-6-1) fighting out of Simpsonville, S.C. faces No. 15 Michel Pereira (28-11 2NC) fighting out of Tucuma, Para, Brazil in a battle of exciting strikers. We will see #11 ranked heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis (26-11 1NC) fighting out of Houston, Texas aiming to take back the UFC knockout record all for himself when he meets Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-9-1) fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Elsewhere on the card, #12 ranked welterweight contender Michael Chiesa (18-6) fighting out of Spokane Valley, Wash. locks horns with Kevin Holland (24-9 1NC) fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas in an intriguing matchup. Matthew Semelsberger (11-5) fighting out of Frederick, Md. squares off with Yohan Lainesse (9-2) fighting out of St-Bruno, Quebec, Canada in an all-action welterweight bout.

Roman Kopylov (10-2) fighting out of Bachatsky, Kemerovo, Russia meets Claudio Ribeiro (11-3) fighting out of Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil at middleweight. Trevin Giles (16-4) fighting out of Houston, Texas battles undefeated Gabriel Bonfim (14-0) fighting out of Brasília, Brazil in a welterweight tilt.

CJ Vergara (11-4-1, fighting out of San Antonio, Texas takes on Vinicius Salvador (14-5) fighting out of Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil at flyweight. Joanne Wood (16-8) fighting out of Glasgow, Scotland faces Priscila Cachoeira (12-4) fighting out of Bangu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in a flyweight bout.

Roberto Villa

Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.