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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Matt Erickson

UFC on ESPN 55: How to watch Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez, start time, Las Vegas fight card, odds, more

Alex Perez Matheus Nicolau ESPN UFC ESPN 55 Las Vegas UFC on ESPN 55 (Event) Bogdan Guskov Ryan Spann Jhonata Diniz

After a week off, the UFC is back on its home turf with a pair of flyweights at the top of the bill.

Here’s how to watch UFC on ESPN 55 with 125-pounders in the headlining spot, plus light heavyweights in the co-feature.

Broadcast and streaming info

UFC on ESPN 55 has a main card that starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The preliminary card streams on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET.

Veteran broadcaster Karyn Bryant serves as desk anchor and host at UFC on ESPN 55.

UFC Hall of Famer/former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and coach Din Thomas joins her as analysts at the desk.

Noted octagon announcer Joe Martinez will introduce the fighters before battle at UFC on ESPN 55.

John Gooden will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC on ESPN 55.

He’ll command play-by-play and be joined in the booth by retired former two-division and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, as well as former UFC and WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

It will be the first event the trio of Gooden, Cormier and Cruz have worked together in the commentary booth.

– Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie

Main event: Matheus Nicolau

Dec 3, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Matheus Nicolau (red gloves) reacts after fighting Matt Schnell (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Matheus Nicolau (19-4-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC) was supposed to fight Manel Kape, but Kape pulled out of of a fight with him for the second straight time (the first time was a cancellation when he missed weight). Instead, Nicolau will try to get back in the win column against Alex Perez. It’s been a year since Nicolau was knocked out by Brandon Royval, which snapped a six-fight winning streak.

Main event: Alex Perez

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 02: (L-R) Alex Perez punches Muhammad Mokaev of Russia in a flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 02, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Alex Perez (24-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC) had been booked for a fight with Tagir Ulanbekov in June, but was rebooked for this one instead. Perez has lost three straight fights starting with a submission loss in a flyweight title fight to then-champ Deiveson Figueiredo in November 2020.

Co-main event: Bogdan Guskov vs. Ryan Spann

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 10: (L-R) Bogdan Guskov of Uzbekistan punches Zac Pauga in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Bogdan Guskov (15-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has won five of his past six, including a bonus-winning first-round knockout of Zac Pauga in February that got him back on track after a loss to former light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir.

Nov 12, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Dominick Reyes (red gloves) and Ryan Spann (blue gloves) during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Spann (21-9 MMA, 7-4 UFC) needs to reverse a two-fight skid of a submission loss to Nikita Krylov 13 months ago and a split decision setback against Anthony Smith in a rematch this past August.

UFC debut: James Llontop

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 12: (L-R) James Llontop of Peru elbows Malik Lewis of Germany in a lightweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season seven, week six at UFC APEX on September 12, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Record: 14-2
Opponent: Chris Padilla (13-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Misc.: Llontop was set to fight Lando Vannata for his UFC debut Saturday, but Vannata pulled out and was replaced by Gabe Green. Then Green dropped out, too, making Padilla the Peruvian standout’s third opponent for his first fight in the UFC. He got here courtesy of a DWCS win this past September, which was the 24-year-old’s 12th straight.

UFC debut: Chris Padilla

Record: 13-6
Opponent: James Llontop (14-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Misc.: Padilla steps up on just a few days’ notice to fill in for Gabe Green against Llontop. Coincidentally, Padilla fought Green under the Bellator banner more than six years ago, which was his first taste of a major promotion. He’s been up and down since then, but currently has won four of his past five.

UFC debut: Jhonata Diniz

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 12: (L-R) Jhonata Diniz of Brazil knees Eduardo Neves of Brazil in a heavyweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season seven, week six at UFC APEX on September 12, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Record: 6-0
Opponent: Austen Lane (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Misc.: 6-foot-4 Brazilian knocked out Eduardo Neves in the first round on DWCS to win his way into the UFC. Has a reach of nearly 80 inches. All six of his wins are by first-round knockout – and all four of Lane’s losses have been by first-round KO.