For the 15th time in UFC history and second time this year, the promotion is back in Australia with UFC 243 and a title unification bout that’s being called the biggest fight ever in the Oceanic region.
A crowd of more than 50,000 is expected at Marvel Stadium, where middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and interim champ Israel Adesanya will square off in the main event. And in the co-headliner, Al Iaquinta meets Dan Hooker in a lightweight bout.
Take a look at the UFC 243 event info with lineup, start times, and key storylines below.
What: UFC 243
When: Saturday (Sunday locally)
Where: Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia
TV, Live stream: ESPN+, ESPN 2, pay-per-view
Full fight card, start times
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Champ Robert Whittaker vs. interim champ Israel Adesanya – to unify middleweight title
- Dan Hooker vs. Al Iaquinta
- Sergey Spivak vs. Tai Tuivasa
- Luke Jumeau vs. Dhiego Lima
- Yorgan De Castro vs. Justin Tafa
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET)
- Rostem Akman vs. Jake Matthews
- Maki Pitolo vs. Callan Potter
- Jamie Mullarkey vs. Brad Riddell
- Megan Anderson vs. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:45 p.m. ET)
- Nadia Kassem vs. Ji Yeon Kim
- Bruno Silva vs. Khalid Taha
Key storylines
- UFC 243 pre-event facts: Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya bring strong numbers to unifier
- UFC 243 breakdown: Will Robert Whittaker be the one to snap Israel Adesanya’s unbeaten streak?
- Nothing personal: Why Robert Whittaker isn’t bothered by Israel Adesanya’s pre-UFC 243 talk
- Israel Adesanya (again) questions Robert Whittaker’s UFC title reign: ‘He’s the interim champ’
- Jon Jones warns Israel Adesanya during UFC 243 fight week: ‘I will make you my absolute (expletive)’
- Al Iaquinta ready to prove he’s not just a tough guy vs. Dan Hooker at UFC 243: ‘I’m a way better fighter‘
