One of the most highly anticipated UFC events of the year takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, when the UFC Lightweight Championship unification fight between undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Arizona’s own Justin Gaethje goes down at UFC 254 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi on pay-per-view.
Born in Safford, Arizona, Gaethje began wrestling when he was four years old. He was a two-time Arizona state champion as a wrestler at Safford High School, and an NCAA Division I All-American during his time at the University of Northern Colorado. He began his amateur mixed martial arts career while in college, turned professional in 2011 and joined the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) in 2013, where he became Lightweight Champion. He defended his WSOF belt five times before vacating it to join the UFC in 2017.
Here is the event’s main card:
Lightweight: Khabib Nurmagomedov (champion) vs. Justin Gaethje (interim champion)
Middleweight: Robert Whittaker vs. Jared Cannonier
Heavyweight: Alexander Volkov vs. Walt Harris
Middleweight: Jacob Malkoun vs. Phil Hawes
Women’s Flyweight: Lauren Murphy vs. Liliya Shakirova
Light Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cuțelaba
Here’s where you can watch the fights in the Valley.
Dave & Buster’s Tempe Marketplace
Dave & Buster’s Tempe Marketplace is the official sports bar of UFC and one of the best places to be for fight night. Book a viewing party or watch it with friends on one of the facility’s many big screen TVs. For more information, visit www.daveandbusters.com/tempe or follow Dave & Buster’s on Facebook to stay up to date with weekly events and specials.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Saturday’s UFC 254 streams live on pay-per-view at a special start time of 11 a.m. following prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+ and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+. And there’s no better place to watch than Buffalo Wild Wings. With your crew. At the bar. You cannot miss this fight.
Click here to check out your favorite location.
Twin Peaks
The Valley’s most definitive sports lodge, Twin Peaks, will be showing the UFC fight Saturday, October 24. With 100 large-screen TVs, 29-degree draft beers, craft cocktails and scratch-made food this is the place to catch all the games and fight. Guests must spend a minimum of $15 per person on food and drinks and be over 21 to come in. All three Valley locations will be showing the fight. Twin Peaks locations: 2135 E Camelback Rd. in Phoenix, 8787 E. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. in Scottsdale, and 6922 N. 95th Ave. in Glendale. For more information visit www.twinpeaks.com.
