Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm get the big stage at UFC 219 in Las Vegas on Saturday night, as Cyborg attempts to defend her women's featherweight belt against the challenging Holm. Cyborg is 18-1, and hasn't lost since her professional debut in 2005, whereas Holm is 11-3 and just recently ended a three-fight losing streak. Sixteen of Cyborg's wins have come by knockout. Although Cyborg is favored, the disparity isn't as great as it would appear to be on paper -- and Holm is coming off a huge win against Bethe Correia in June.
While there won't be any other belts at stake on the card, Khabib Nurmagomedov is putting a No. 2 ranking on the line against No. 4 Edson Barboza. A pair of top lightweights do battle when Dan Hooker faces off against Marc Diakiese, rising strawweight prospect Cynthia Calvillo matches up with Carla Esparza and Carlos Condit takes on Neil Magny. The marquee fight here is clear, but of the five fights on the main card, four of them involve top fighters putting their rankings on the line.
How to watch UFC 219 early prelims
Date: Saturday, Dec. 30
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: T-Mobile Arena -- Las Vegas, Nevada
Stream: UFC Fight Pass
How to watch UFC 219 prelims
Date: Saturday, Dec. 30
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: T-Mobile Arena -- Las Vegas, Nevada
Stream: fubo.TV (try for free!) and Fox Sports Go
Channel: FS1 (check local listings)
How to watch UFC 219 main card
Date: Saturday, Dec. 30
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Location: T-Mobile Arena -- Las Vegas, Nevada
Stream: UFC.TV
Channel: PPV (check provider)
Main card odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weight class |
|---|---|---|
Cris Cyborg (-360) | Holly Holm (+295) | Women's featherweight title |
Khabib Nurmagomedov (-300) | Edson Barboza (+250) | Lightweight bout |
Marc Diakiese (-195) | Dan Hooker (+170) | Lightweight bout |
Cynthia Calvillo (-240) | Carla Esparza (+205) | Women's strawweight bout |
Carlos Condit (-155) | Neil Magny (+135) | Welterweight bout |
It'll be a full night of fighting starting at 7:30 p.m. on Fight Pass. Those interested can purchase Fight Pass or get a seven day free trial for UFC 219. After that, Fight Pass has options from $7.99 per month.
Holm and Cyborg will be well worth checking out. It's going to be a huge fight in determining the female fighting landscape for 2018. Holm made a name for herself by taking down Ronda Rousey in UFC 193 in the second round with a massive head kick. Now, she can take down another giant of the sport on just before the start of 2018.
