Fight fans have been anticipating UFC 276 since potential bouts for the card were leaked from the UFC offices in March during a Dana White video appearance. In the background, fans could make out the pairings of middleweight Israel Adesanya against Jared Cannonier, Sean O’Malley opposite Pedro Munhoz, and Sean Strickland with Alex Pereira. Those fights are all on the schedule for this weekend, as is the Robbie Lawler contest against Bryan Barberena.
Also featured in the leak was Khazmat Chimaev against Nate Diaz which has since fallen apart due to Diaz’s contract, and the since-canceled Meisha Tate vs Lauren Murphy bout. The only matchup that will take place this weekend that was not included in the leak for UFC 276 is the co-headliner featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.
Watch UFC 276: Adesanya vs Cannonier
- When: Saturday, July 2, 2022
- Early Prelims Start Time: 6 p.m. EST / 3 p.m. PST
- Prelims Start Time: 8 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. PST
- Main Card Start Time: 10 p.m. EST / 7 p.m. PST
- Location: T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada
- How to Watch: ESPN+/PPV
In addition to the two title bouts, UFC 276 features six other contests with ranked fighters across the early preliminaries, preliminaries, and the main card. Top-10 talents Jessica Eye (#10 women’s flyweight) and Uriah Hall (middleweight) are underdogs hoping to hold their ranking in the early prelims. On the preliminary card, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone steals the spotlight, fighting in what is reportedly his second-to-last match in the UFC, aiming to reach 50 contests in the organization. He, of course, was on the card at UFC Austin opposite Joe Lauzon, but their fight was cancelled when Lauzon’s knee locked up the day of the event. Cerrone is an underdog, going against Jim Miller on rather short notice.
UFC 276 Main Card Preview
The main card at UFC 276 marks the conclusion of International Fight Week, during which two of the organization’s greats – Daniel “DC” Cormier and Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov – were inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Almost in tribute, the main card features five contests of great talent, both young and old. In the co-headliner, the featherweight champion Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski has a shot to be the greatest featherweight of all time (according to Josh Emmett) if he can sweep the trilogy against No.1. Meanwhile, middleweight champion Israel “The Last Stylebener” has the “new blood” matchup he wanted against No.2 Jared Cannonier.
A card FULL of finishers 💥
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— UFC (@ufc) July 2, 2022
First up is the bantamweight bout between No.9 Pedro Munhoz and No.13 Sean O’Malley, with Munhoz (19-7-0, 1 NC) playing the role of gatekeeper for O’Malley (15-1-0) to break through to the top 10. Munhoz has fought the best in the division throughout his eight-year career in the Octagon and provides a great test for the former Dana White’s Contender Series standout.
Next up on the main card is the timeless “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler, now in his 20th year in the UFC, taking on another veteran, Bryan “Bam Bam” Barberena in a welterweight contest. Lawler (29-15-0, 1 NC) is coming off of a win in his last appearance, a third-round TKO of Nick Diaz last year at UFC 266. That win had snapped a four-fight losing streak for Lawler dating back to 2017. Barberena (17-8-0) has won his last two contests heading into Saturday night, earning decisions in both fights. At 40 years old, Lawler is the early betting favorite at -125.
Preluding the evening’s main events is an interesting bout between No.4 middleweight Sean Strickland against unranked Alex Pereira that has a little drama behind it. Strickland told the media this week that his matchup against Pereira is “literally just a ploy by the UFC, putting him against somebody who likes to strike, to potentially get him an Izzy shot.” Pereira is undefeated in his two UFC appearances since debuting last November at UFC 268 and would surely have more work to do to climb the roster and get a shot at Adesanya. Good thing Strickland is in a position to prevent his fear from happening.
UFC 276 Fight Card and Odds
Main Card
- (C) Israel Adesanya (-475) vs #2 Jared Cannonier (+380) – Middleweight Title Fight
- (C) Alexander Volkanovski (-200) vs #1 Max Holloway (+170) – Featherweight Title Fight
- #4 Sean Strickland (-125) vs Alex Pereira (+100) – Middleweight
- Robbie Lawler (-125) vs Bryan Barberena (+105) – Welterweight
- #9 Pedro Munhoz (+245) vs #13 Sean O’Malley (-295) – Bantamweight
Prelims Card
- #14 Brad Riddell (+130) vs Jalin Turner (-150) – Lightweight
- Ian Garry (-175) vs Gabriel Green (+150) – Welterweight
- Jim Miller (-190) vs Donald Cerrone (+160) – Welterweight
- #12 Brad Tavares (+130) vs Dricus Du Plessis (-150) – Middleweight
Early Prelims Card
- #9 Uriah Hall (+265) vs #13 Andre Muniz (-320) – Middleweight
- #10 Jessica Eye (+240) vs #13 Maycee Barber (-285) – Women’s Flyweight
- Jessica-Rose Clark (-150) vs Jula Stoliarenko (+130) – Women’s Bantamweight
