UFC Vegas 96 start time, all details about the fight card | Cannonier vs. Borralho

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns (for a limited time only) to the Apex to host UFC Vegas 96: “Cannonier vs. Borralho” later TONIGHT (Sat., Aug. 24, 2024), featuring a middleweight showdown between the top 15 middleweight strikers fighting up to 185 pounds. Jared Cannonier And Caio Borralhoand the finale of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 32, on ESPN+.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

What is hot:

Dricus du Plessis did his job last Saturday at UFC 305 by Israel Adesanyasecured his first title defense at 185 pounds (see here again) and at the same time added to his impressive resume, which includes consecutive victories over Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland and “The Last Stylebender.” That means other contenders are salivating to get close to “Stillknocks.” Jared Cannonier would love nothing more than to work his way back up and win another title shot after falling to Adesanya two years ago at UFC 276. He has bounced back well, winning two straight victories over Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettoribut then failed due to Nassourdine Imavovlost his last fight via fourth-round TKO (recap here). Currently ranked No. 5, Cannonier will look to get back on track against rising contender Caio Borralho, who has been nothing short of impressive during his UFC career.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

After two consecutive wins in two separate games on the Contender SeriesBorralho finally secured his ticket to the big show and he was nothing short of a monster, taking six consecutive victories, three of which came by stoppage, including his TKO victory above Paul Craig at UFC 301 a few months ago. His run was good enough to earn him the No. 12 spot, but he’s looking to break into the top 10, maybe even the top 5, with a win over “Killa Gorilla.” The 31-year-old has proven he has what it takes to get the job done, but Cannonier will no doubt be his toughest challenge yet in the Octagon given his experience. But Borralho has faced all the challenges and this one will be no different. This should be a cracker.

What is not:

The fights will take place regardless of the order, I understand that, but Angela Hill Comparisons Tabatha Ricci as co-main over undefeated Michael Morales compete against a long-time veteran, Neil Magnyis a lot of work. Others may disagree, and that’s fine, but in my opinion, it would have been a better decision to give Morales – who is 16-0, 4-0 in the UFC – the opportunity to shine against a true veteran like Magny and co-headline the event.

Original card vs. actual card and injuries:

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

A middleweight fight between Roman Kopylov And Bruno Ferreira was cancelled after Kopylov had to pull out of the fight following an appendectomy. There was also a featherweight fight between Daniel Silva And Dennis Buzukja was also scheduled for this event before Silva withdrew due to an unspecified injury and was replaced by Francis Marshall in a lightweight fight.

Fresh blood:

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Robert Valentine As a member of Team Grasso, he made short work of his two opponents at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 32 and defeated Giannis Bachar by knockout in the first round and subsequent submission Paddy McCorryalso in the first round to make his way into the middleweight final against Ryan Loder. Speaking of which, Loder will represent Team Shevchenko after Tom Theocharis in the first round and then won unanimously on points against Omran Chaaban to reach the final.

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In the featherweight final of TUF 32, Team Grasso and Kaan Ofli And Mairon Santos to see who will get the coveted “six-figure” contract. Ofli defeated Nathan Fletcher in the opening round by unanimous decision before winning the first round against Roedie RoetsAs for Santos, he went down in his two fights against Edwin Cooper Jr. and late replacement, Guillermo TorresBut make no mistake, Santos can do it because he has seven such victories to prove just that.

Cong Wang will make her official UFC debut when she faces Victoria Leonardo in a women’s flyweight bout. Wang is undefeated at 5-0, including a big win against Paula Luna in the quarterfinals of Road to UFC Season 3: Shanghai. As for Leonardo, she’s only 1-3 in her first four fights with UFC, so she’ll need to put up a better showing (and win) if she wants to stick around for much longer.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Nathan Fletcher (8-1) was eliminated in the first round of the featherweight tournament at TUF 32 by finalist Kaan Ofli. Now he’s looking to impress in his UFC debut and hope to earn a contract. He’ll face another fighter who was eliminated early on. Zygimantas Ramaskawho has an impressive 9-2.

Despite a defeat on Contender Series To Magomed Gadzhijasulow, Jose Medina will have the opportunity to make his official UFC debut against Zachary Reese (which we will discuss in more detail below).

This is what the preliminary rounds look like:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Josiane Nunes was on quite a run, winning nine fights in a row, including her first three under the UFC banner, before moving on to Chelsea Chandler earlier this year that ended her winning streak. Now she is ready to start another run as she fights Jacqueline Cavalcanti in the women’s bantamweight division. Cavalcanti has won four fights in a row and is 6-1 overall. She made her UFC debut with a win over Zarah Fairn a year ago. And judging by the picture above, she will have a HUGE size advantage.

Zachary Reese secured his first victory under the UFC banner by Julian Marquez with a vicious TKO two months ago, improving his record to 7-1. He doesn’t want to give up that momentum, so you can bet he’ll be coming out with his guns drawn when he faces Jose Medina, who is coming off a loss to Magomed Gadzhijasulow on the Contender Series.

Dennis Buzukja secured his first ever win in the Octagon after losing his first two fights, safely avoiding elimination. His opponent Francis Marshall won his UFC debut after coming out of the Contender Series, but has since lost two fights in a row, so he desperately needs a win here.

For those who urgently need a win:

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Viacheslav Borshchev The run with the promotion has been less than stellar to say the least. He got off to a good start thanks to a KO victory over Dakota Bush on his debut, but has since only managed 1-3-1, which includes a loss to James Llontop could mean the end of his career in the Octagon. But that doesn’t mean that Llontop doesn’t need a big win, because he failed in his own UFC debut, losing to Chris Padilla by a first-round rear-naked choke earlier this year, ending his 12-fight winning streak on the regional tour.

Interest level: 5/10

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In the co-main event, No. 9 ranked Angela Hill will face No. 11 ranked Tabatha Ricci in a women’s strawweight bout. Hill is 4-1 in her last five fights, a nice turnaround for her after losing three straight that could have cost “Overkill” her spot on the bloated roster. As for Ricci, she is 5-1 in her last six fights and will look to break into the top 10 with a win.

Neil Magny’s last three defeats were against Gilbert Burns, Ian Machado Garry And Shavkat Rakhmonovso he is used to competing against the best of the best. He just scored a TKO victory over Mike Malott just a few months ago, and would love nothing more than to keep that momentum going by handing Michael Morales his first ever loss. In fact, Morales stands with a 16-0 record, which includes his first four fights under the UFC banner. He has 11 knockouts in his career, so it would be in Magny’s best interest to keep a cool head, because if the Ecuadorian hits, it could be an early end for him.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Edmen Shahbazyan never quite lived up to the hype. Once touted as one of the best up-and-coming middleweights in the world, his star fizzled out after a three-fight losing streak. He has since rebounded with a 2-1 record, so if he wants to continue his rise, he needs a win over Gerald Meerschaert is a must. Meerschaert recently ended his own losing streak of two fights after Bryan Barberena by submission in March of this year, so he has every reason to be confident.

Have fun fighting!

Full UFC Vegas 96 fight card:

UFC 96 Main event on ESPN/ESPN+:

185 pounds: Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho

UFC 96 Main card on ESPN/ESPN+ (10:00 p.m. ET):

115 pounds: Angela Hill vs. Tabitha Ricci
185 lbs.: Ryan Loder vs. Robert Valentin (TUF 32 Middleweight Final)
145 lbs.: Kaan Ofli vs. Mairon Santos (TUF 32 Featherweight Final)
170 pounds: Neil Magny vs. Michael Morales
185 pounds: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert

UFC 96 ‘Preliminary round ticket on ESPN+ (7:00 p.m. ET):

155 pounds: Dennis Buzukja vs. Francis Marshall
205 pounds: Zach Reese vs. Jose Medina
155 pounds: Viacheslav Borshchev vs. James Llontop
135 pounds: Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Josiane Nunes
145 pounds: Zygimantas Ramaska ​​vs. Nathan Fletcher
125 pounds: Wang Cong vs. Victoria Leonardo

*The fight card, fight order and number of fights are subject to change.*

MMAmania.com delivers LIVE round-by-round and blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 96 fight card HEREstarting with the ESPN+ Preliminary card games scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the rest of the main card slate on ESPN/ESPN+ at 10:00 p.m. ET.

To see the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 96 news and notes, be sure to visit our comprehensive event archives here and here. Click here to view the updated and final Cannonier vs. Borralho fight card and ESPN/ESPN+ schedule.