The UFC is back in its “Sin City” home base with flyweights at the top of the lineup.
Here’s how to watch UFC on ESPN 71 with a short-notice 125-pound matchup in the headlining spot.
Broadcast and streaming info
UFC on ESPN 71 has a main card that airs at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. The preliminary card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET.
Veteran broadcaster Karyn Bryant serves as desk anchor and host at UFC on ESPN 71. Former Invicta FC champion Michelle Waterson-Gomez, “The Ultimate Fighter 15” winner Michael Chiesa and UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans join her at the desk as analysts throughout the broadcast and on the post-fight show. UFC correspondent McKenzie Pavacich will conduct pre and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC on ESPN 71 card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.
Brendan Fitzgerald will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC on ESPN 71. He’ll command play-by-play and be joined in the booth by UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping and former UFC/WEC champion Dominick Cruz.
Main event: Tatsuro Taira
- Record: 16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC
- Opponent: HyunSung Park (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC)
- Division: Flyweight
- Key wins: Alex Perez, Carlos Hernandez
- Misc.: After a blazing-hot 6-0 start to his UFC tenure, Taira dropped a split decision to recent title challenger Brandon Royval this past October. The Fight of the Night winner was the first loss of Taira’s career. He was set to try to get back on track against Amir Albazi until Albazi pulled out this past week.
Main event: HyunSung Park
- Record: 10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC
- Opponent: Tatsuro Taira (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC)
- Division: Flyweight
- Key wins: Carlos Hernandez
- Misc.: The Road to UFC winner was set to meet former title challenger Steve Erceg next week, but gets a short-notice change to a main event thanks to Amir Albazi’s withdrawal this week.
Co-main event: Chris Duncan
- Record: 13-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC
- Opponent: Mateusz Rebecki (20-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC)
- Division: Lightweight
- Key wins: Jordan Vucenic, Bolaji Oki
- Misc.: The Scotsman has back-to-back guillotine choke wins on his resume after a submission loss to Manuel Torres in early 2024 marked the first loss of his UFC career.
Co-main event: Mateusz Rebecki
- Record: 20-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC
- Opponent: Chris Duncan (13-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC)
- Division: Lightweight
- Key wins: Myktybek Orolbai, Roosevelt Roberts
- Misc.: Rebecki was knocked out by Diego Ferreira in May 2024 for his first loss in nearly 10 years. This past fall, he got back on track with a split call win over Myktybek Orolbai.
UFC debut: John Yannis
- Record: 9-3
- Opponent: Austin Bashi (13-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
- Division: Featherweight
- Misc.: Yannis steps in for Francis Marshall for a short-notice debut. In May, he knocked out UFC veteran Nick Aguirre to win the Fury FC featherweight title.
UFC on ESPN 71 lineup
MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)
- Tatsuro Taira vs. HyunSung Park
- Chris Duncan vs. Mateusz Rebecki
- Elves Brener vs. Esteban Ribovics
- Nora Cornolle vs. Karol Rosa
- Neil Magny vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
- Danny Silva vs. Kevin Vallejos
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
- Nathan Fletcher vs. Rinya Nakamura
- Tresean Gore vs. Rodolfo Vieira
- Nick Klein vs. Andrey Pulyaev
- Felipe Bunes vs. Rafael Estevam
- Piera Rodriguez vs. Ketlen Souza
- Austin Bashi vs. John Yannis
UFC on ESPN 71 main card betting odds
- Taira -250, Park +190
- Duncan +170, Rebecki -205
- Brener +205, Ribovics -250
- Cornolle +155, Rosa -185
- Magny +165, Zaleski dos Santos -200
- Silva +310, Vallejos -395
UFC on ESPN 71 prelim betting odds
- Fletcher +330, Nakamura -425
- Gore +180, Vieira -220
- Klein +130, Pulyaev -155
- Bunes +390, Estevam -520
- Rodriguez -185, Souza +155
- Bashi vs. Yannis TBD
