UFC 267 Will be the First Free Numbered Event in a Decade
Jan Blachowicz (Left) will main event UFC 267 against Glover Teixeira (Right)
UFC 267 is heading to Abu Dhabi for a free numbered event. You did not read that wrong! It’s actually going to be free, as long as you have ESPN or ESPN+, of course. The last time the UFC did something like this was way back during the Spike days when it featured UFC 138 via tape delay from Birmingham, United Kingdom in 2011. Since then, the UFC has been on several television networks including previous provider Fox Sports.
However, there is a huge difference between UFC 138 and 267. UFC 138 had a fight night feel due to the fact there was a non-title fight serving as the main event. The main event didn’t feature any eye-catching stipulation such as an interim title fight or even a title eliminator fight.
On the other hand, UFC 267 is having a championship double-header with the card stacking up nicely.
The main event is scheduled to have Jan Blachowicz defending his light heavyweight championship against the UFC veteran Glover Teixeira. The UFC is also bringing a backup competitor in the form of Jiri Prochazka, as first reported by MMA Fighting, who is coming off a knockout win against former title challenger Dominick Reyes.
Jiri Prochazka (Left) teep kicking Dominick Reyes (Right) in the midsection
In the double header, we have the rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan for the bantamweight title. This is a highly anticipated rematch because of a not-so-thrilling finish last time around.Their previous fight ended in controversial fashion with an illegal knee by Yan, causing the stoppage and title change. This was the first time in UFC history a title changed hands because of a disqualification.
Rafael Dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev have been feuding on social media for the past year. Now, they get a chance to meet inside the octagon with them being featured for UFC 267’s main card.
Also on the card is the return of one of the biggest UFC prospects in recent memory, Khamzat Chimaev. He will be taking on the heavy-handed Li Jingliang.
All of this is scheduled for ESPN and ESPN+ at 11 a.m. EST on Oct. 30. The time isn’t ideal for the American fan, but ESPN+ will have their replay feature for those unable to watch the event in real time.
Meanwhile, it looks like free numbered events are not here to stay with UFC 268 bringing the UFC back into pay-per-view status one week later on Nov. 6. The event will be headlined by Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington for the welterweight strap.