Injuries can make a mess out of any UFC card, but even though some have played a part in Friday’s UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey, the card still has its headliner and two championship belts up for grads. Women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes will face Ronda Rousey in the main event, while men’s bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will defend his title against Cody Garbrandt.
It will be Rousey’s first fight since suffering her first loss as a professional mixed martial artist, and it’s one of the most anticipated fights of the year. Friday’s card will get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET with UFC Fight Pass, will continue at 8 p.m. on Fox Sports 1 and then will be available at 10 p.m. on pay-per-view for the main card.
Rousey’s three-year reign as champion was ended when she lost to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015. Rousey, a noted submission specialist, was unable to get Holm to the ground and was eventually knocked out on the receiving end of Holm’s superior striking.
Nunes holds a 13-4 professional record in MMA and owns wins in her last four fights. Her last loss was to Cat Zingano at UFC 178, but she owns wins over Sara McMann and Miesha Tate since then, finishing both fighters with rear-naked choke submissions.
It’s been an excellent return to the ring for Cruz, who back in 2011 beat Demetrious Johnson while defending his bantamweight championship before succumbing to injuries and having to vacate the title. There was doubt as to whether or not Cruz would ever fight again, but he reclaimed his title with a win over T.J. Dillashaw in January 2016 and most recently beat Urijah Faber in June.
He’ll go into Friday’s co-main event with a 22-1 record in MMA, his lone blemish being a submission loss to Faber all the way back in 2007. It will be a huge step up for Garbrandt, who is 10-0 in MMA, his most significant win being a first-round TKO of Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 202 in August.
The card did lose a fight between Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum, as the former was declared unfit to fight by the Nevada Athletic Commission due to a back injury. That said, it’s still a very strong card, with fighters like T.J. Dillashaw and Dong Hun Kim being on the main card, while former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks will headline the preliminary card on Fox Sports 1.
Below is all you need to watch Friday’s action.
More UFC 207 coverage from SB Nation
All Times Eastern
PPV Main Card (10 p.m.)
Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey
Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt
T.J. Dillashaw vs. John Lineker
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Tarec Saffiedine
Ray Borg vs. Louis Smolka
Fox Sports 1 Preliminary Card (8 p.m.)
Johny Hendricks vs. Neil Magny
Alex Garcia vs. Mike Pyle
Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Marvin Vettori
Niko Price vs. Brandon Thatch
Fight Pass Preliminary Card (7:30 p.m.)
Tim Means vs. Alex Oliveira
UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey schedule and coverage for Friday
Time: Prelims 1 at 7:30 p.m.; prelims 2 at 8 p.m.; main card at 10 p.m.
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
TV: Fox Sports 1 (prelims 2), PPV (main card)
Online streaming: UFC Fight Pass, UFC.TV, UFC YouTube