UFC 299 fight card and start times – O’Malley vs. Vera 2

Las Vegas – UFC returns to Miami, Fla. with another electric card, headlined by a highly anticipated rematch between UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and No. 6 ranked contender Marlon Vera. Also, an action packed five-round co-main event sees No. 3 lightweight contender Dustin Poirier square off with No. 12 ranked Benoit Saint Denis.
UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera 2 takes place Saturday, March 9 at the Kaseya Center, with the main card available on ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The prelims will be airing on ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT, and will join in progress on ESPN starting at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT. The early prelims will be available for viewing exclusively on ESPN + and UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
UFC bantamweight champion O’Malley (17-1 1 NC) fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz. looks to finally settle the score against the only man to hand him a loss. The Arizona-based fighter has delivered highlight performances against top talent such as Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan, and Raulian Paiva. O’Malley now aims to build upon his legacy as champion by finishing his rival, Vera, in emphatic fashion.
Vera (21-8-1) fighting out of Chone, Manabi, Ecuador intends to make the most of his first championship fight by defeating O’Malley for a second time. A versatile finisher and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, Vera has claimed strong victories against Dominick Cruz, Frankie Edgar, and Pedro Munhoz. He now sets his sights on gold as he attempts to become the first ever Ecuadorian UFC champion.
Poirier (29-8 1 NC) fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Lafayette, Louis. returns to action seeking redemption. An Octagon veteran, the former Interim UFC lightweight champion holds wins over elite competition such as Conor McGregor (x2), Michael Chandler, and Dan Hooker. Poirier looks to nullify Saint Denis’ title ambitions with a dominant victory over the rising contender.
France’s Saint Denis (13-1 1 NC) fighting out of Paris, France seeks to further his climb up the lightweight rankings by delivering a highlight finish against a top name. A Judo black belt with impressive striking, the Frenchmen is currently on a five-fight win steak and has finished the likes of Matt Frevola, Thiago Moises, and Ismael Bonfim in his last three outings. Saint Denis now looks to secure the biggest win of his career by defeating Poirier in an unforgettable showing.
Heavyweight contenders No. 5 Curtis Blaydes (17-4 1NC) fighting out of Chicago, Ill. and No. 7 ranked Jailton Almeida (20-2) fighting out of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil battle in a pivotal matchup. Exciting welterweights No. 4 ranked Gilbert Burns (22-6) fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla. by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Dana White’s Contender Series alumni No. 11 Jack Della Maddalena (16-2) fighting out of Perth, Western Australia look to deliver fireworks.
Welterweights attempt to steal the show as fan-favorite Kevin Holland (25-10 1NC) fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas welcomes UFC newcomer Michael Page (21-2) fighting out of London, England in what promises to be an epic standup clash. Also on the cad, No. 4 ranked flyweight contender Katlyn Chookagian (18-5) fighting out of Amity Harbor, N.Y. by way of Quakertown, Penn. clashes with No. 7 Maycee Barber (13-2) fighting out of Sacramento, Calif. in a pivotal matchup.
No. 6 ranked lightweight Mateusz Gamrot (23-2 1 NC) fighting out of Poznan, Poland takes on No.11 Rafael Dos Anjos (32-15) fighting out of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in a high-level bout. Former UFC champion and the current No. 5 bantamweight contender Petr Yan (16-5) fighting out of Yekaterinburg, Russia meets No. 7 Song Yadong (21-7-1 1 NC) fighting out of Heilongjiang, China in a highly anticipated matchup.
Fight fans will also see No. 11 ranked bantamweight contender Pedro Munhoz (20-8 2 NC) fighting out of São Paulo, Brazil goes toe-to-toe with Kyler Phillips (11-2) fighting out of Glendale, Ariz. The always exciting Michel Pereira (28-11) fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. takes on knockout specialist Michal Oleksiejczuk (19-6) fighting out of Barki, Poland at middleweight.
Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus CJ Vergara (12-4-1) fighting out of San Antonio, Texas collides with Assu Almabayev (18-2) fighting out of Almaty, Kazakhstan) at flyweight. Heavyweight Robelis Despaigne (4-0) fighting out of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba) makes his UFC debut against Josh Parisian (15-7) fighting out of Escanaba, Mich.

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.