We begin the UFC 249 main card break down with the first planned fight of the lineup featuring Greg Hardy and Yorgan de Castro.
The heavyweights will be attempting to kickoff the ESPN+ pay-per-view portion of the night with a devastating finish. The event takes place Saturday from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
In the main event, Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje square off for the interim UFC lightweight title, while Dominick Cruz challenges Henry Cejudo for his bantamweight belt.
A former NFL standout, Greg Hardy has transitioned nicely into mixed martial arts.
Hardy earned five wins in his first six bouts, including a pair of finishes inside the Octagon. His lone loss during that opening stretch was via disqualification.
This past October, Hardy had his victory over Ben Sosoli overturned to a no-contest due to his use of an inhaler in between rounds. The following month, he suffered a decision loss to Alexander Volkov in Russia.
For Hardy, what he learned from that defeat to his toughest opponent to date will be interesting to see. How he picked up what he did wrong and how he corrected it will determine his success moving forward.
The 33-year-old Yorgan de Castro will be attempting to spoil Hardy’s night.
A native of Cape Verde, de Castro is a perfect 6-0 in his career with five knockouts to his credit.
Following a first round finish on Dana White’s Contender Series last June, he made his official UFC debut with another quick win over Justin Tafa, finishing the fight in just over two minutes.
MAIN CARD (ESPN+ Pay-Per-View)
Interim UFC Lightweight Championship
Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje
UFC Bantamweight Championship
Henry Cejudo (c) vs. Dominick Cruz
Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Featherweight: Jeremy Stephens vs. Calvin Kattar
Heavyweight: Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan de Castro
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN)
Welterweight: Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis
Heavyweight: Alexey Oleinik vs. Fabricio Werdum
Strawweight: Carla Esparza vs. Michelle Waterson
Middleweight: Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)
Welterweight: Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price
Featherweight: Bryce Mitchell vs. Charles Rosa
Light Heavyweight: Ryan Spann vs. Sam Alvey
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