The UFC ended July with an exciting Fight Night and looks set for an action-packed August with two Fight Night events and one PPV scheduled. The coming month appears stacked with an interim heavyweight title on the line and some stellar main event matchups.
Here's what August 2021 currently looks like on the UFC calendar:
UFC 265
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The first pay-per-view for the month, scheduled for August 8, will feature a high-stakes heavyweight clash between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane. The top-ranked contenders will face off for the interim heavyweight title.
A feared knockout artist, Lewis is on a four-fight winning streak, and since 2016 has amassed an incredible 12-3 record inside one of the toughest divisions in the UFC. Facing him will be Ciryl Gane, whose varied arsenal has threatened top contenders in the division. The former kickboxer currently holds a perfect 9-0 MMA record, going the distance on just three occasions.
Both men will look to claim interim gold and unify the belts against current heavyweight kingpin Francis Ngannou.
UFC 265 main card
Heavyweight main event: Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane
Bantamweight co-main event: Jose Also vs. Pedro Munhoz
Welterweight: Michael Chiesa vs. Vicente Luque
Women's strawweight: Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill
Bantamweight: Song Yadong vs. Casey Kenney
UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum will headline a UFC fight night scheduled for August 22. Gastelum stepped in as a replacement for Paulo Costa after the former title challenger withdrew from the scheduled bout.
Interestingly, both fighters are coming off losses against the No.1-ranked middleweight contender Robert Whittaker. Gastelum recently dropped a unanimous decision against Whittaker in his UFC return earlier this year. Meanwhile, Cannonier has not stepped inside the octagon since losing to Whittaker in the co-main event of UFC 254 in October 2020.
UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum card
While the fight card, bout order, and the number of fights are yet to be officially announced, here's a list of expected matchups for the card:
Middleweight main event: Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Women's Bantamweight: Mana Martinez vs. Jesse Strader
Light Heavyweight: Fabio Cherant vs. William Knight
Lightweight: Austin Hubbard vs. Vinc Pichel
Flyweight: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval
Featherweight: Austin Lingo vs. Luis Saldana
Heavyweight: Parker Porter vs. Chase Sherman
Bantamweight: Brian Kelleher vs. Domingo Pilarte
Lightweight: Clay Guida vs. Mark Madsen
Welterweight: Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Sasha Palatnikov
Women's bantamweight: Bea Malecki vs. Josiane Nunes
Lightweight: Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Roosevelt Roberts
Women's Flyweight: Cortney Casey vs. Liana Jojua
UFC Fight Night: Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze
Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze will clash in a featherweight main event on August 29 in the last UFC Fight Night of the month. Featuring two highly skilled knockout artists, the bout has all the promises of a barnburner.
Following a three-fight losing skid, Barboza defeated Makwan Amirkhani via unanimous decision in October last year. In his most recent outing at UFC 262, Barboza knocked out Shane Burgos in a 'Fight of the Night' performance.
Meanwhile, Chikadze recently established himself as a legitimate featherweight prospect with a highlight-reel knockout win over Cub Swanson in May. Giga Chikadze is currently riding an eight-fight win streak that includes four first-round finishes.
UFC Fight Night: Edson Barboza vs Giga Chikadze main card
Featherweight main event: Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze
Welterweight co-main event: Sean Brady vs. Kevin Lee
Middleweight: Sam Alvey vs. Wellington Turman