This weekend, the UFC will host its last event of the year with UFC Vegas 66.
The last UFC card of 2022 will feature a main event between middleweights Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland. Both fighters are looking to rebound from their previous loss.
Cannonier is coming off a loss against former UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision at UFC 276 on July 2. Although he suffered defeat, the UFC has Cannonier ranked third in the middleweight division.
Before his fight with the former middleweight champion, Cannonier was on a two-fight win streak. He defeated Derek Brunson at UFC 271 on Feb. 12 and Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Vegas 34 on Aug. 21. A win could put Cannonier back into consideration to fight for the UFC Middleweight Championship.
Strickland hopes to get back into the win column after his loss to Alex Pereira by knockout at UFC 276. Before his defeat, Strickland had become a strong candidate to compete for the middleweight title. Strickland was on a six-fight win streak before his fight against Pereira.
A win over Strickland could put him back into contention for fighting for the UFC Middleweight Championship. However, it seems unlikely the UFC would look for Strickland to fight Pereira for the title this soon. If Strickland wins this Saturday, the UFC could have him fight one or two more fights before getting a title opportunity.
The co-main event will feature a lightweight matchup between Arman Tsarukyan and Damir Ismagulov. Tsarukyan aims to rebound from his unanimous decision defeat against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Vegas 57 on June 25. However, Ismagulov will be a challenging opponent, as he is on a 19-fight win streak.
UFC Vegas 66: Cannonier vs. Strickland Fight Card
(Final card & bout order subject to change)
Main Card
- Main Event– Middleweight Bout: #3 Jared Cannonier (15-6) vs. #7 Sean Strickland (25-4)
- Co-Main Event– Lightweight Bout: #9 Arman Tsarukyan (18-3) vs. #12 Damir Ismagulov (24-1)
- Flyweight Bout: #8 Amir Albazi (15-1) vs. Alessandro Costa (12-2)
- Featherweight Bout: #15 Alex Caceres (19-13) vs. Julian Erosa (28-9)
- Lightweight Bout: Drew Dober (25-11) vs. Bobby Green (29-13-1)
- Middleweight Bout: Cody Brundage (8-2) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (17-5)
Preliminary Card
- Women’s Strawweight Bout: Cheyanne Vlismas (7-2) vs. Cory Mckenna (7-2)
- Welterweight Bout: Jake Matthews (18-5) vs. Matthew Semelsberger (10-4)
- Middleweight Bout: Julian Marquez (9-3) vs. Deron Winn (7-3)
- Bantamweight Bout: #15 Said Nurmagomedov (16-2) vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov (10-2)
- Lightweight Bout: Rafa Garcia (14-3) vs. Maheshate (9-1)
- Welterweight Bout: Bryan Battle (8-1) vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov (20-2)
- Flyweight Bout: #9 David Dvorak (20-4) vs. #12 Manel Kape (17-6)
- Bantamweight Bout: Sergey Morozov (18-5) vs. Journey Newson (10-3)
When is UFC Vegas 66: Cannonier vs. Strickland?
UFC Vegas 66: Cannonier vs. Strickland will take place on Dec. 17 at the UFC Apex Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The main card will begin at 7 PM ET/ 4 PM PT. The prelims will kick off at 4 PM ET/ 1 PM PT. The UFC has advertised the time on its website. However, the bout order and time can still change.
How to Watch?
The entire event will stream live on ESPN+ in the United States.