One of the biggest nights of the year in UFC takes place this weekend, and there is no shortage of huge fights for fans to look forward to. The action will be taking place on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, and fight fans will be able to watch the bouts live on PPV.  UFC 254 will cost $64.99 for existing ESPN+ subscribers, while those that aren’t existing customers will need to pay $84.98.

The headline fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje is what most fans are looking forward to, but there are more, and not least Robert Whittaker vs Jared Cannonier.

Where and When to Watch UFC 254?

• When: Saturday 24^th October 2020
• Where: Flash Forum, Abu Dhabi
• How to Watch: ESPN+

UFC 254: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje

There is no doubting the fight that fans are most looking forward to, as the outright UFC Lightweight Champion will be crowned. Khabib Nurmagomedov will take on Justin Gaethje, as he looks to maintain his perfect professional record with yet another huge scalp.

Khabib is regarded as one of the best fighters in the UFC and is currently rated as the second-best pound-for-pound fighter in the company. There is no weakness to his game from the outside looking in, as he has skills in judo, sambo and wrestling. However, it’s his grappling that makes his stand out from the crowd, as no fighter has been able to deal with that part of his arsenal.

Khabib’s record only showcased his dominance, as this will be his opportunity to add yet another huge name to the string of victims that he has already beaten. The Russian arrived on the global scene back in 2018 after he forced Conor McGregor to tap out in round four at UFC 229. He successfully defended the lightweight championship in his next fight against Dustin Poirier with another submission victory in round three. But, could Gaethje have the tools to challenge the champion?

Gaethje will go into this fight as the massive outsider, despite having proven skills at knocking out opponents. The American has won 19 of his 22 victories through that method and has won the Fight of the Night award of five occasions. Being the underdog will be nothing new for Gaethje, as he went into his UFC 249 bout against Tony Ferguson in the same position. On that occasion, Gaethje stunned the fighting world by knocking out the heavy favourite in the fifth round.

There is no doubt that Khabib will be aware of the strengths that Gaethje has, and he does have the ability to beat the Russian. However, for that to happen, Khabib will have to have a very rare off-night and underperform to a level that we haven’t seen in the past. We predict a submission victory for Khabib.

UFC 254: Robert Whittaker vs Jared Cannonier

The co-main event at UFC 254 will see UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker take on Jared Cannonier. This fight was originally scheduled to take place back in March but was pushed back due to personal problems on Whittaker’s side. However, the champion will now be looking to showcase his dominance in this fight against the fighter that is ranked second in the middleweight rankings.

Whittaker has a proven record in the UFC, as he has won 21 of his 26 fights. Nine of these fights have been won by knockout, while he has won five times by submission. The Australian has bounced back this year after a stunning knockout loss at the hands of Israel Adesanya last year. Whittaker responded to that defeat by beating Darren Till by unanimous decision back in July. That defeat against Adesanya remains the only time that Whittaker has been beaten in the Middleweight division.

Cannonier will go into this middleweight bout as the narrow favourite in the betting, as he has been in excellent form in the octagon over the past two years. Since his TKO defeat against Dominick Reyes, he has moved up to the middleweight division and won all three fights. Not only that, but he has won all three by TKO. The most recent of those victories was against Jack Hermansson, as he beat his opponent in the second round.

Cannonier’s ability to knock out his opponents with ease in the middleweight division means that there is cause for concern for the champion, and we predict that there will be a crowning of a new champion this weekend via TKO/KO.

Other UFC 254 Main Card Bouts & Predictions