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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Matt Erickson

UFC on ESPN 65: How to watch Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy, start time, Las Vegas fight card, odds, more

UFC ESPN Josh Emmett Lerone Murphy Las Vegas Dan Ige Edson Barboza Joanderson Brito Pat Sabatini Torrez Finney

The UFC is back in its “Sin City” home base this week with UFC on ESPN 65 in Las Vegas.

Here’s how to watch UFC on ESPN 65 with a pair of featherweight scrappers at the top of the card.

Broadcast and streaming info

UFC on ESPN 65 has a main card that starts at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+. The preliminary card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET.

Stay tuned to MMA Junkie for more broadcast details this week.

Main event: Josh Emmett

Record: 19-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC
Opponent: Lerone Murphy (15-0-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Key wins: Bryce Mitchell, Calvin Kattar, Dan Ige, Shane Burgos, Mirsad Bektic, Ricardo Lamas
Misc.: Emmett is coming off what no doubt was a particularly satisfying result when he sent professed nazi and Hitler fan and sympathizer Bryce Mitchell into a deep enough realm that when he woke up and saw his shadow, it guaranteed at least six more years of him thinking the earth is flat. That snapped a two-fight skid to Ilia Topuria and Yair Rodriguez, the latter of which was in an interim title fight.

Dec 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Josh Emmett (red gloves) reacts after knocking out Bryce Mitchell (blue gloves) during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Main event: Lerone Murphy

Record: 15-0-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC
Opponent: Josh Emmett (19-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Key wins: Dan Ige, Edson Barboza,
Misc.: For the second time in three fights, England’s Murphy is in a main event. His first, against Edson Barboza less than a year ago, was a Fight of the Night winner. His climb up the UFC ladder has been steady, but a win over Emmett with Barboza and Dan Ige the two before it would be a stellar resume notch.

Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige, UFC 308 (via UFC)

Co-main event: Joanderson Brito

Record: 17-4-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC
Opponent: Pat Sabatini (19-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Key wins: Jack Shore, Jonathan Pearce, Andre Fili, Diego Lopes, Chepe Mariscal
Misc.: Brito had a five-fight winning streak snapped by a split decision loss to William Gomis in Paris this past September. The five wins before that all were stoppages, including two for post-fight bonus awards.

Co-main event: Pat Sabatini

Record: 19-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC
Opponent: Joanderson Brito (17-4-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Key wins: Jonathan Pearce, Lucas Almeida, Jamal Emmers
Misc.: Sabatini has traded wins and losses his past five fights, but got back on the uptick with a first-round submission of Jonathan Pearce this past fall.

UFC debut: Torrez Finney

Record: 10-0
Opponent: Rob Valentin (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Middlweight
Misc.: For some reason, a whole bunch of fighters have gotten into the UFC with underwhelming decision wins on DWCS. Anymore, it seems like the only requirement is win and you win a contract. That wasn’t the case for Finney, who finally will make an actual UFC walk – after three wins on DWCS. His first one was a submission in 2023 that wasn’t good enough – and he was the only one on the card who didn’t get a contract that show. A decision in 2024 wasn’t good enough, either – and again he was the only one on the card who left the building without a contract from Dana White, even though another decision winner got a deal. The same season, he returned and got a stoppage win – and finally a deal.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 01: Torrez Finney reacts after defeating Abdellah Er-Ramy of Morocco in their middleweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season eight, week eight event at UFC Apex on October 1, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

UFC debut: Luis Gurule

Record: 10-0
Opponent: Ode Osbourne (12-8 MMA, 4-6 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Misc.: Gurule’s split decision win on DWCS this past October was enough to get the 31-year-old Coloradan into the UFC.

UFC debut: Daniel Frunza

Record: 9-2
Opponent: Rhys McKee (13-6-1 MMA, 0-4 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Misc.: Italy-based 30-year-old punched his ticket to the UFC through DWCS this past fall. He has five straight wins, and eight of nine in his career have been stoppages – all knockouts.