Jorge Masvidal-Nate Diaz Will Mark 500th UFC Live Event

Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz will be squaring off for the first time on the 500th live UFC event this year, as the two headline UFC 244 from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The event will air live on ESPN+ pay-per-view beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with Darren Till vs. Kelvin Gastelum in the co-main event.

Preliminary fights will air nationally in English on ESPN2 and via streaming on the ESPN App (in Spanish) starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with the early prelims simulcast on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+ at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT.

A perennial fan favorite, Masvidal (34-13) etched his name in the UFC history books for fastest knockout after executing a stunning flying knee against previously undefeated Ben Askren. The 16-year veteran has also delivered unforgettable knockouts against Darren Till, Donald Cerrone, Jake Ellenberger and Cezar Ferreira. Masvidal now aims to deliver another sensational finish in the biggest fight of his career.

Among the most popular athletes on the UFC roster, Diaz (21-11) returned from a three-year hiatus in August by securing a thrilling win over Anthony Pettis. Known for his submission win over Conor McGregor, Diaz has also picked up incredible victories against Michael Johnson, Gray Maynard, Jim Miller and Takanori Gomi. He now hopes to keep his momentum going and enter the welterweight top five. Related: Conor McGregor Congratulates Nate Diaz On His Win

Winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 17, Gastelum’s (16-4) last outing saw him put on a Fight of the Year-worthy performance against interim middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Throughout his UFC stint, he has netted impressive wins against Jacare Souza, Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy. Gastelum now hopes to re-assert himself as a 185-pound title threat.

A former welterweight title challenger, Till (17-2-1) will now test the waters in the ultra-competitive middleweight division. During his run at 170 pounds, he earned hard-fought wins over Stephen Thompson, Donald Cerrone and Jessin Ayari. Till now has his sights set on turning heads at 185 pounds by taking out one of the division’s top contenders.

Additional Bouts For UFC 244

* Former heavyweight title challenger and No. 5 ranked contender Derrick Lewis (21-7) battles rising No. 9 Blagoy Ivanov (18-2)

* No. 7 ranked light heavyweight contender Corey Anderson (13-4) goes for his fourth consecutive win against surging No. 10 Johnny Walker (17-3)

* Former title challenger and No. 9 ranked welterweight contender Stephen Thompson (14-4-1) squares off with surging No. 14 Vicente Luque (17-6-1)

* In a pivotal flyweight contenders’ bout, No. 1 ranked Katlyn Chookagian (12-2) takes on No. 5 Jennifer Maia (17-5-1)

* Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (28-18) faces undefeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik (8-0)

* Julio Arce (16-3) meets Hakeem Dawodu (10-1-1) in an exciting featherweight bout

* Krzysztof Jotko (21-4) aims to be the first fighter to defeat unbeaten Edmen Shahbazyan (10-0)

* Lyman Good (20-5) looks to defend his home turf against Chance Rencountre (14-3)

UFC 244 Ticket Information

Tickets for UFC 244 go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.

Related: Nate Diaz Has All The Pressure On Him At UFC 241

UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.