Dustin Poirier meets Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 291 on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
It is a rematch of one of the best fights of 2018, a back-and-forth clash won by Poirier via fourth-round TKO. For Saturday's bout, the UFC is putting up for grabs a BMF belt, which signifies "baddest motherf---er" and was introduced for a 2019 fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz.
The UFC 291 main card at the Delta Center will be on ESPN+ pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. and early prelims on ESPN+ at 7 p.m.
Poirier (29-7, 1 NC) has lost just twice in his past 12 fights, with the defeats coming in UFC lightweight championship fights against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. His most recent bout was a third-round submission of Michael Chandler in November. Poirier is No. 10 in the ESPN pound-for-pound men's rankings and No. 5 in the lightweight top 10.
Gaethje (24-4) has won two of his last three, most recently a majority-decision victory over Rafael Fiziev in March. ESPN ranks Gaethje at No. 4 among lightweights.
The co-main event is a light heavyweight fight between former champions Jan Blachowicz and Alex Pereira (the latter reigned at middleweight). There also are several all-action fighters on the card, including Derrick Lewis and Tony Ferguson, both of whom have struggled lately.
What are the storylines behind the top fights at UFC 291? How are experts breaking them down? What do the fighters have to say? Here is the fight card, how to watch it and a collection of all of the UFC 291 essentials.
UFC 290 fight card
ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET
Lightweight: Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje
Light heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
Heavyweight: Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Lightweight: Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
Welterweight: Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
ABC/ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET
Welterweight: Gabriel Bonfim vs. Trevin Giles
Middleweight: Roman Kopylov vs. Claudio Ribeiro
Welterweight: Jake Matthews vs. Darrius Flowers
ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m.
Men's flyweight: CJ Vergara vs. Vinicius Salvador
Welterweight: Matthew Semelsberger vs. Uros Medic
Women's flyweight: Miranda Maverick vs. Priscila Cachoeira
How to watch the fights
Watch the PPV and all other fights on ESPN+: Get ESPN+ here.
Watch the prelims on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+. Download the ESPN App | WatchESPN | TV schedule
Don't have ESPN? Get instant access.
Purchased the fight on your phone and want to stream on your TV? Find out how here.
There's also FightCenter, which offers live updates for every UFC card.
The first time Poirier and Gaethje met ...
Turn back the clock to 2018, when Dustin Poirier beat Justin Gaethje via TKO in their first meeting.
Ranking the fights of a drama-filled MMA weekend: Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 and UFC 291
As ESPN's Jeff Wagenheim set out to rank the weekend's fights, he wanted to get one thing out of the way immediately: No. 1 is not up for discussion. That position is securely in possession of Poirier and Gaethje, for whom expectations are always transcendent. Their first tussle was one of the best fights of 2018, one that forced many to hold their breath throughout those turbulent 15½ minutes. Poirier won the back-and-forth scrap by TKO early in Round 4. He's gotten better since then. So has Gaethje.
But there are some pretty tasty appetizers on the menu prior to the weekend's main course. Thanks to UFC 291 sharing Saturday night with a Bellator and Rizin co-promotion over in Japan, we have to give these rankings the full top-10 treatment.
'Don't beat me up': Dustin Poirier shares the Octagon with inspirational teen
Alden Cary, a 17-year-old from North Carolina, learns some moves in the Octagon from UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.
Dustin Poirier would've been justified in saying no to the request.
Poirier is in the midst of preparation for his main event clash with Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 for the mythical "BMF" title. The bout is expected to be a drama-filled slugfest, and Poirier will need to be in peak condition physically and mentally to come out on top.
But earlier this month, Poirier peaked in a different way for one fan of the sport, as his ability to fulfill the wish of Alden Cary -- a 17-year-old from North Carolina who recently went into remission from non-Hodgkin lymphoma -- served as a top moment for one of his biggest fans. Poirier invited the Cary family to the American Top Team facility in Coconut Creek, Florida, for a tour -- and a sparring session.