Recognition as the greatest heavyweight in UFC® history is on the line, as champion Stipe Miocic and former champion and No. 1 ranked contender Daniel Cormier battle in a rubber match main event for the ages. In the co-main event, budding superstar and No. 14 ranked bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley takes on the toughest test of his young MMA career when he meets proven finisher Marlon Vera.
UFC® 252: MIOCIC vs. CORMIER 3 will take place Saturday, August 15 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas and will stream live on Pay-Per-View, exclusively through ESPN+ in the U.S. at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT in both English and Spanish.
ESPN+ is the exclusive provider of all UFC Pay-Per-View events to fans in the U.S. as part of an agreement announced in 2019.
Preliminary fights will air nationally on ESPN, ESPN Deportes (Spanish), and ESPN+ (English, Spanish), starting at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT, with the first four bouts also simulcast on UFC Fight Pass.
The most successful heavyweight champion in UFC history, Miocic (19-3, fighting out of Independence, Ohio) looks to cement his legacy with another statement win over Cormier. Owner of the most total post-fight bonuses in the heavyweight division with nine, Miocic has earned career-defining stoppage victories over fellow legends Junior Dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt. He now intends to add another finish to his resume and defend his belt for a record-setting fourth time.
Competing for the final time, former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Cormier (22-2 1 NC, fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) aims to end his career on a high note by once again defeating Miocic and recapturing the heavyweight crown. A former Olympic wrestling team captain, Cormier has established himself as one of the best mixed martial artists in the world with marquee wins over Anderson Silva, Derrick Lewis and Anthony Johnson. He now looks to further solidify his future hall of fame status.
One of the fastest rising superstars on the UFC roster, O’Malley (12-0, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.) seeks to show that he has the skills to justify his hype. An undefeated signee first discovered on Dana White’s Contender Series, O’Malley burst onto the MMA scene with impressive wins over Alfred Khashakyan, Jose Quinonez and Eddie Wineland. He now goes for his most crucial win yet on the biggest stage of his career.
A member of the UFC roster since 2014, Vera (15-6, fighting out of Chone, Manabi, Ecuador) looks to secure the biggest win of his career and announce himself as the next true contender in the bantamweight division. Still only 27 years old, Vera has competed 14 times under the UFC banner with all but one of his wins coming by finish, including victories over Brian Kelleher, Brad Pickett and Andre Ewell. He now aims to derail the hype train of O’Malley by handing him his first professional loss.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- Top heavyweight contenders faceoff in a battle of formidable strikers as former champion and No. 5 ranked Junior Dos Santos (21-7, fighting out of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil) meets No. 6 ranked Jairzinho Rozenstruik (10-1, fighting out of Paramaribo District, Suriname)
- No. 12 ranked bantamweight John Dodson (22-11, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) aims to halt the momentum of No. 15 ranked Merab Dvalishvili (11-4, fighting out of Long Island, N.Y. by way of Tbilisi, Georgia)
- A highly-anticipated light heavyweight rematch sees No. 14 ranked Magomed Ankalaev (13-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) take on Ion Cutelaba (15-5 1 NC, fighting out of Chisinau, Moldova)
- Fan-favorite lightweight Jim Miller (32-14 1 NC, fighting out of Sparta, N.J.) looks to add another finish to his impressive resume in a contest with fellow veteran Vinc Pichel (12-2, fighting out of Simi Valley, Calif.)
- Decorated grapplers Ashley Yoder (7-5, fighting out of Temecula, Calif.) and Livinha Souza (13-2, fighting out of Araraquara, State of São Paulo, Brazil) clash in a women’s strawweight bout
- Fast-rising featherweight Herbert Burns (11-2, fighting out of Latana, Fla. by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) looks to remain undefeated in the UFC when he battles Daniel Pineda (26-13, 2 NC, fighting out of Houston, Texas)
- No. 15 ranked women’s strawweight Felice Herrig (14-8, fighting out of Crystal Lake, Ill.) looks to defend her spot in the rankings against Virna Jandiroba (15-1, fighting out of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil)
- Dana White’s Contender Series signee TJ Brown (14-7, fighting out of Little Rock, Ark.) looks to spoil the debut of UFC newcomer Danny Chavez (10-3, fighting out of Miami, Fla.) in a featherweight bout
