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The UFC is heading back to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah for its next pay-per-view event, UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2. The card on Saturday, July 29, is topped by an epic clash between former interim lightweight champions Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. The pair will battle it out with the ceremonial BMF title on the line.
Watch UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 fight preview below:
In the co-main event of UFC 291, former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz will welcome ex-middleweight king Alex Pereira to 205 pounds.
Let's take a look at all the main and prelim card fighters competing at UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 below.
UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 - Main card fighters
Here is a list of all the main card fights for this weekend's UFC event:
Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje (lightweight)
Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira (light heavyweight)
Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira (welterweight)
Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green (lightweight)
Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland (welterweight)
Dustin Poirier (29-7-1NC)
Dustin Poirier is coming off a third-round submission win over Michael Chandler last time out in November to bounce back from his loss to former champion Charles Oliveira. 'The Diamond' has gone 6-2 inside the octagon since his win over Justin Gaethje back in 2018.
Justin Gaethje (24-4)
Justin Gaethje also rebounded from his loss to Oliveira in his latest UFC appearance. 'The Highlight' snapped Rafael Fiziev's six-fight win streak when he beat the Azerbaijani via majority decision earlier this year. Much like his opponent, Gaethje has also gone 6-2 since his first meeting with Poirier five years ago and will be determined to avenge his loss apart from capturing the BMF belt.
Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1)
Jan Blachowicz dropped the light heavyweight title to Glover Teixeira in October 2021, suffering a second-round submission loss. The Polish fighter bounced back with a TKO of Aleksandar Rakic last May before fighting Magomed Ankalaev to a split draw in a competitive battle for the vacant 205-pound title. With Jamahal Hill now vacating the title, Blachowicz will look to earn another crack at the gold with his next performance.
Alex Pereira (7-2)
Alex Pereira captured the UFC middleweight crown in his fourth UFC appearance last November when he dispatched Israel Adesanya via fourth-round TKO. However, 'Poatan' suffered a knockout loss in their rematch and is now moving up to 205 pounds. A convincing win for Pereira could earn him a shot at the now-vacant light heavyweight title.
Stephen Thompson (17-6-1)
After dropping back-to-back decisions in 2021, Stephen Thompson bounced back with an impressive fourth-round TKO of Kevin Holland last December. 'Wonderboy' will hope to build another win streak as he takes on a streaking opponent this Saturday.
Michel Pereira (28-11-2NC)
Michel Pereira will enter this bout eyeing his sixth consecutive victory. The Brazilian has won four of his last five fights via decision with his latest triumph coming over Santiago Ponzinibbio via split decision in December.
Tony Ferguson (25-8)
Tony Ferguson will be looking to put an end to his five-fight skid when he enters the octagon this weekend. 'El Cucuy' was stopped in three of those five losses with his recent defeat coming at the hands of Nate Diaz via submission last September.
Bobby Green (29-14-1-1NC)
Bobby Green's latest outing against Jared Gordon was ruled a no-contest due to an accidental clash of heads. The Californian was finished in his previous two fights before the Gordon bout by Drew Dober and reigning lightweight king Islam Makhachev.
Michael Chiesa (16-6)
After going unbeaten in four consecutive bouts, Michael Chiesa finds himself on a two-fight losing skid. The Washington native was submitted by Vicente Luque in August 2021 before getting outpointed by Sean Brady later that year.
Kevin Holland (24-9-1NC)
Kevin Holland suffered back-to-back stoppage defeats to Khamzat Chimaev and Stephen Thompson last year. However, 'Trailblazer' rebounded with a vicious third-round knockout of Santiago Ponzinibbio in April and will hope to carry that momentum into his upcoming fight this Saturday.
UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 - Preliminary card fighters
Here is a list of all the prelim card fights for this weekend's event:
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Trevin Giles (welterweight)
Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (heavyweight)
Roman Kopylov vs. Claudio Ribeiro (middleweight)
Jake Matthews vs. Darrius Flowers (welterweight)
Gabriel Bonfim (14-0)
Gabriel Bonfim has enjoyed a perfect professional career thus far with 14 straight finishes, including 11 submissions and three KO/TKOs. The undefeated Brazilian submitted Mounir Lazzez in his UFC debut in January and will look to keep his 100 percent finish rate alive when he returns to the cage on Saturday.
Trevin Giles (16-4)
Trevin Giles dropped back-to-back fights through 2021-22 but bounced back with two victories of his own. In his latest outing in March, the Texan edged out a split-decision win over Preston Parsons.
Derrick Lewis (26-11-1NC)
Derrick Lewis has been finished in three straight fights and four of his last five octagon appearances. The former title challenger was most recently submitted by Sergey Spivak in February and will hope to turn his fortunes around when he returns to the octagon this Saturday.
Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-8-1)
Marcos Rogerio de Lima outpointed Waldo Cortes-Acosta last time out in April to pick up his second straight win. The Brazilian is 4-2 in his last six trips to the octagon.
Roman Kopylov (10-2)
After going 0-2 to start his UFC career, Roman Kopylov rebounded with back-to-back stoppage wins. The Russian most recently dispatched Punahele Soriano via second-round TKO in January.
Claudio Ribeiro (11-3)
Claudio Ribeiro made an unsuccessful start to his UFC career in January, suffering a vicious knockout at the hands of Abdul Razak Alhassan. However, the Brazilian bounced back in emphatic fashion, scoring a TKO win over Joseph Holmes four months later.
Jake Matthews (18-6)
Jake Matthews has gone 1-2 in his last three bouts and is fresh off a unanimous decision loss against Matthew Semelsberger in December. The Aussie will hope to get back into the win column when he takes on a UFC debutant on Saturday.
Darrius Flowers (12-5-1)
Darrius Flowers will be the only debutant on this weekend’s pay-per-view card. The Iowa native has four consecutive victories, including a first-round TKO of Amiran Gogoladze at DWCS last August and two finishes under the LFA banner.
Watch the top finishes from some of the fighters competing on the card below:
