Following the UFC’s Aussie adventure, which saw Dricus Du Plessis retain his middleweight title against Sean Strickland at UFC 312, we head back to more familiar MMA surroundings of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for the latest Fight Night installment on Saturday, February 15.
Once again, though, the focus is on the middleweights, as the UFC Fight Night 251 headline bout sees Jared Cannonier take on Gregory Rodrigues. It's an intriguing encounter with Cannonier, a former UFC title challenger, aiming to stop the rot after suffering back-to-back defeats, taking on a surging Rodrigues, who is eyeing a fourth straight success. It’s a match-up that promises fireworks, with both fighters renowned for letting their fists fly and possessing knockout power.
It will concern Cannonier fans that the veteran knockout artist looks to be on the slide. Having hit the 40-year-old mark, ‘Killa Gorilla’ is now trying to prevent a three-fight losing run for the first ever time in his illustrious MMA career, which began way back in 2011 at ‘Midnight Sun Mayhem 1 - Final Word’. He would debut in the UFC four years later, where he started in the heavyweight ranks. The Texas-born brawler steadily moved down the weight divisions, though he's now competed continuously as a middleweight since November 2018.
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On the back of achieving his fourth career 'performance of the night', when knocking out Derek Brunson at UFC 271, Cannonier was rewarded with a title shot against Israel Adesanya in July 2022. 'Killa Gorilla' suffered a unanimous decision loss that night. Still, he didn't let his head drop for too long as he registered consecutive wins over known faces in the middleweight hierarchy, in the shape of Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori. However, subsequent quickfire summer defeats against Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov last year have seen Cannonier's stock drop despite still being ranked in the top 10 of the UFC's middleweights.
‘Robocop’ joined the UFC in 2021, just a month after claiming the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) middleweight title, and he kicked off his move to the promotion with two wins. However, it proved to be hit-and-miss following that bright start, with losses to Armen Petrosyan and Bruno Ferreira putting pay to any win streaks. Three consecutive victories since that Ferreira loss in January 2023 have boosted Rodrigues's credentials, though, and he will be aiming to maintain that winning form in what will be his toughest test to date at the Apex.
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Cannonier may be in a current slump, but this will be Gregory ‘Robocop’ Rodrigues’ most significant career victory if he can claim the W in Vegas. It’s the Brazilian’s first prominent event appearance, representing an opportunity to elevate his status in the middleweight division. A victory over a proven veteran would solidify Rodrigues’ position as a rising star, and he has momentum and physical advantages, such as his size.
Let GOAL bring you all the information you need ahead of the UFC Fight Night action in Las Vegas, including the full main card match-ups and where you can watch or stream all the live bouts.
When will UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Rodrigues take place?
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Date |
Saturday, February 15 |
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Location |
UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
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Time |
The prelims starts at 4 pm ET / 9 pm GMT |
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Main event ring walks (approx) |
10 pm ET / 3 am (Sun) GMT |
The UFC Apex is a live events and production center in Enterprise, Nevada. The venue hosts events held by the UFC and WWE and events of the Dana White-owned Power Slap league. The facility's location was chosen partly due to its proximity to the UFC Performance Institute, which serves as the UFC's headquarters and is located across the street.
The Apex was built to host live events as well as studio shows. The facility, officially opened in June 2019, proved an important venue during the COVID-19 pandemic, with all US-based UFC events being held at the Apex behind closed doors for a substantial period. Numerous regular UFC Fight Night and UFC on ESPN events have been held at the venue over the past five years. This will be the second UFC card 2025 held at the Apex, following January’s ‘UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2’.
How to watch UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Rodrigues in the US
In the United States, Cannonier vs Rodrigues, plus other main card bouts and prelims, will be broadcast on ESPN+, with streaming available via the ESPN+ app. This is a standalone service from regular ESPN, so you don’t need to be an existing TV subscriber. You can download the app for PC, Apple, Android, Fire TV, Roku, Smart TV and many others. One month of ESPN+ is $11.99 (1 month (disney+/hulu) of ESPN+ is $16.99, 1 month (disney+/hulu no ads) of ESPN+ is $26.99), and 1 year costs $119.99.
How to watch UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Rodrigues in the UK
UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Rodrigues will be broadcast live on TNT Sports in the UK. You can live stream on discovery+ and watch via TNT Sports' TV channels on Sky, BT, and Virgin Media platforms. Discovery+ Premium is £30.99 per month and available on a monthly rolling contract. This includes TNT Sports, Eurosport, and other entertainment channels. Existing BT broadband customers can access TNT Sports for £20 per month. The package consists of TNT Sports, Discovery+, and Eurosport.
Those wanting to watch the preliminary card before the main card can stream the fights through UFC Fight Pass. To sign up for UFC Fight Pass in the UK, go to the official website and click ‘Sign Up.’ You can choose between monthly (£6.99) or annual (£71.99) subscription plans. So, the yearly plan works out at approximately £5.99 per month.
UFC Fight Pass offers exclusive live events worldwide, including Cage Warriors, LFA, and Invicta FC promotions. Subscribers get early access to UFC prelims before they air on TNT Sports, along with a massive MMA fight library of bouts from previous years.
Watch UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Rodrigues from anywhere with a VPN
If UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues isn't available to watch live in your area or if you're traveling, you can use a VPN to tune into the action from wherever you are. A VPN creates a secure connection to bypass geographical restrictions and access your favorite streaming services from anywhere.
Stream live anywhere in the world with Nord VPNUFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Rodrigues Card
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Weight class |
Fight |
|---|---|
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Middleweight |
Jared Cannonier vs Gregory Rodrigues |
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Featherweight |
Calvin Kattar vs Youssef Zalal |
|
Middleweight |
Edmen Shahbazyan vs Dylan Budka |
|
Lightweight |
Ismael Bonfim vs Nazim Sadykhov |
|
Middleweight |
Rodolfo Vieira vs Andre Petroski |
|
Featherweight |
Connor Matthews vs Jose Delgado |
Jared Cannonier MMA stats
- Age: 40
- Height: 5'11" (180cm)
- Reach: 77.5" (197cm)
- Total fights: 25
- Record: 17-8
Gregory Rodrigues MMA stats
- Age: 32
- Height: 6'3" (191cm)
- Reach: 75.0" (191cm)
- Total fights: 21
- Record: 16-5