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Check out our staff members’ picks and analysis for the UFC on ESPN 61 main card in Las Vegas.
The UFC is back in its home base this week with a heavyweight rematch at the top of the lineup.
UFC on ESPN 61 (ESPN/ESPN+) takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid for the main card in a separate window.)
Get main card pick results from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, as well as additional analysis, below.
UFC on ESPN 61 ceremonial weigh-ins are complete, and the fighters came face-to-face one final time before Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 61 weigh-ins took place Friday, and the fighters came face-to-face one final time before Saturday’s event.
The weigh-ins took place at the UFC Apex, which hosts Saturday’s event (ESPN/ESPN+). Check out the video above to see the athletes from all 10 scheduled matchups come face-to-face, and don’t miss the photo gallery below.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.
Get a closer look at the fighters on the scale and their faceoffs from UFC on ESPN 61 official weigh-ins with these exclusive photos.
Check out these photos of the UFC on ESPN 61 official weigh-ins and faceoffs at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos by Ken Hathaway, MMA Junkie)
Check out the UFC on ESPN 61 weigh-in results from Las Vegas, featuring Marcin Tybura vs. Serghei Spivac.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC on ESPN 61 (ESPN/ESPN+) fighter weigh-ins at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Among those weighing in are Marcin Tybura (25-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) vs. Serghei Spivac (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC), who meet in the heavyweight main event.
The #UFCVegas95 main event is weighed in and official. ✅
⚖️ Marcin Tybura – 262 pounds
⚖️ Serghei Spivac – 238 pounds pic.twitter.com/2IesJKHcwl— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 9, 2024
The headliners were on point, but the same can’t be said for other athletes, three of whom missed weight, including Chepe Mariscal for the featherweight co-main event vs. Damon Jackson, Danny Barlow for his featured welterweight bout Nikolay Veretennikov, and Chelsea Chandler for her women’s featherweight fight vs. Yana Santos.
Damon Jackson said prior to #UFCVegas95 weigh-ins that Chepe Mariscal would miss, and he did by 3.5 pounds for the co-main event. pic.twitter.com/UnT2kBSupa
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 9, 2024
Undefeated prospect Danny Barlow missed weight by 0.25 pounds for #UFCVegas95, and his coach claimed the doctor wouldn't let him drop the final ounces. pic.twitter.com/iTd3KIIiep
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 9, 2024
Chelsea Chandler missed weight by a whopping FIVE POUNDS for her #UFCVegas95 fight vs. Yana Santos, which is now in question. pic.twitter.com/W7Pi79LkP8
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 9, 2024
The full UFC on ESPN 61 weigh-in results include:
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MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)
* Mariscal missed featherweight limit by 3.5 pounds; fine amount TBD
** Chandler missed women’s bantamweight limit by 5 pounds; fine amount TBD
*** Barlow missed welterweight limit by .25 pounds; fine amount TBD
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.
The main event for the UFC’s latest home show is official after the headliners made weight Friday.
LAS VEGAS – The main event for the UFC’s latest home show is official after the headliners made weight Friday.
Ahead of UFC on ESPN 61 (ESPN/ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex, heavyweights [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) and [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.
Check out the video from their trips to the scale above.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.
Quang Le predicts a first-round KO of Chris Gutierrez after being pulled from Dana White’s Contender Series to debut at UFC on ESPN 61.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Quang Le[/autotag] was preparing to deliver the performance of his life and earn a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. Then he got the news he could skip that step.
In need of a replacement opponent to face Chris Gutierrez (20-6-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 61 at the UFC Apex (ESPN, ESPN+), the UFC matchmakers called Le (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and presented him the opportunity to move straight into the promotion in a bantamweight bout.
The undefeated Vietnamese athlete didn’t hesitate to accept.
“I couldn’t believe when they called right away,” Le told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I turned all my medicals in (for DWCS). An hour later, they called. I was like, ‘Oh wow, let’s take it. Whoever, wherever – I don’t care. I’m ready.’ I was so excited.”
Because he agreed to the short-notice slot, Le said he was signed to a four-fight UFC contract. That means he won’t have to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series and can focus on excelling on the main roster. It will be no easy introduction with Gutierrez, who holds a win over UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar.
Le, 32, is confident he can maximize this moment, however, and predicted he will put Gutierrez away early.
“I like to strike,” Le said. “I like to stand up more. I have the power to get you out of there in the first round. My last two fights were a first-round knockout, and I plan to knock him out in the first round this Saturday night.”
To hear more from Le, check out his complete UFC on ESPN 61 media day interview above.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.
Watch Marcin Tybura make quick work of Tai Tuivasa ahead of his return at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 61.
[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] is entering his third consecutive UFC main event with momentum.
The heavyweight veteran is coming off a dominant, first-round submission win over Tai Tuivasa back in March. Tybura quickly closed the distance on Tuivasa, took him down, got his back, and submitted him with a rear-naked choke. the victory put him at 4-1 in his past five performances, with his lone loss coming against UFC heavyweight interim champion Tom Aspinall.
You can watch Tybura’s submission win in the video above.
Tybura (25-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) returns to the cage in the main event of UFC on ESPN 61, which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He takes on Serghei Spivac (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in a rematch that stems from 2020.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.
Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC on ESPN 61 on ESPN and ESPN+.
After a trip to the Middle East, the UFC is back on its home turf this week with a pair of ranked heavyweights at the top of the lineup.
Here’s how to watch UFC on ESPN 61 with big men in the headlining spot, plus bantamweights in the co-feature.
