Yoel Romero will be battling Luke Rockhold in a UFC Middleweight Championship match, but he can’t win the belt. The interim title can only go to Rockhold, if he wins, because Romero missed weight going into UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold. Still, he’ll be plenty motivated to notch another win and get another shot at it later.
UFC 221 fight card: Full list of matches for Romero vs. Rockhold
Romero vs. Rockhold is a strong card from top to bottom, and we have all you need to know.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Saturday’s card will be in the early hours from Australia so it can be broadcast in prime time in the United States. UFC Fight Pass will stream the first few prelim bouts beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. Fox Sports 1 will pick up television coverage for four more preliminary bouts. Then it’s on to pay-per-view for the main card, starting at 10 p.m. ET.
Rockhold and Romero should combine for an excellent middleweight contest, but just before that, there’s potential for a huge knockout as heavyweights Mark Hunt and Curtis Blaydes go toe-to-toe. Hunt has 10 knockouts to his name, including one over Derrick Lewis in his last outing.
Blaydes will be participating in just his 11th career bout, with an 8-1 (1) record. His last win was a doctor stoppage against Oleksiy Oliynyk in his last outing. Before that, he won a unanimous decision over Daniel Omielanczuk. His only career loss is to Francis Ngannou.
But there is an even greater chance for a finish in the preceding bout between Tai Tuivasa and Cyril Asker, both heavyweights as well. Tuivasa is 6-0 as a pro, with a knockout win in each of his bouts. His last fight was his first in the UFC, and he won it with a flying knee knockout.
Asker is 9-3, with a submission win in his last outing. He has only been to a decision twice in 12 fights, and has four knockouts and three submissions on his record.
Jake Matthews and Li Jingliang will be in a welterweight contest prior to that bout, while the main card will open with a contest between light heavyweight’s Tyson Pedro and Saparbek Safarov. The preliminary card is headlined by a lightweight tilt between Dong Hyun Kim and Damien Brown.
Below, you can find all the streaming and viewing information you need as well as the full official UFC 221 fight card.
All Times Eastern
How to watch UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold
Time: Prelims 1 at 6:30 p.m.; prelims 2 at 8 p.m.; main card at 10 p.m.
Location: Perth Arena, Perth, Australia
TV: FS1, Pay-per-view
Online Streaming: UFC Fight Pass, UFC.TV, UFC YouTube, Fox Sports GO
UFC 221 Full Fight Card
PPV Main Card (10 p.m.)
Middleweight: Yoel Romero vs. Luke Rockhold
Heavyweight: Mark Hunt vs. Curtis Blaydes
Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa vs. Cyril Asker
Welterweight: Jake Matthews vs. Li Jingliang
Light Heavyweight: Tyson Pedro vs. Saparbek Safarov
FS1 Preliminary Card (8 p.m.)
Lightweight: Damien Brown vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Middleweight: Rob Wilkinson vs. Israel Adesanya
Featherweight: Jeremy Kennedy vs. Alexander Volkanovski
Flyweight: Jussier Formiga vs. Ben Nguyen
Fight Pass Preliminary Card (6:30 p.m.)
Lightweight: Ross Pearson vs. Mizuto Hirota
Bantamweight: Teruto Ishihara vs. José Alberto Quiñónez
Welterweight: Luke Kumeau vs. Daichi Abe
