500th UFC® EVENT HEADLINED BY WELTERWEIGHT CLASH BETWEEN (#3) JORGE MASVIDAL AND (#6) NATE DIAZ
IN NEW YORK CITY
FEATURED BOUTS EXCLUSIVELY ON ESPN+ PAY-PER-VIEW:
(#4) KELVIN GASTELUM vs. (#8-WW) DARREN TILL
(#5) DERRICK LEWIS vs. (#9) BLAGOY IVANOV
(#7) COREY ANDERSON vs. (#10) JOHNNY WALKER
TICKETS FOR UFC® 244: MASVIDAL vs. DIAZ AT
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN GO ON SALE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
PRELIMINARY FIGHTS LIVE ON ESPN2 AND ESPN DEPORTES
Las Vegas – UFC® will hold its 500th event at the World’s Most Famous Arena, featuring a stacked card headlined by an East Coast-West Coast battle between No. 3 ranked welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal and No. 6 Nate Diaz. In a thrilling middleweight bout, No. 4 ranked contender and recent title challenger Kelvin Gastelum welcomes No. 8 welterweight Darren Till to the 185-pound division.
UFC® 244: MASVIDAL vs. DIAZ takes place Saturday, November 2 at Madison Square Garden and will stream live nationally on Pay-Per-View exclusively through ESPN+ in the U.S. at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT in both English and Spanish.
ESPN+ is the exclusive provider of all UFC Pay-Per-View events to fans in the U.S. as part of an agreement announced in March and continuing through 2025.
As UFC® 244: MASVIDAL vs. DIAZ approaches, fans will be able to purchase itonline at ESPNPlus.com/PPV or on the ESPN App on mobile and connected-TV devices. ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App on all major mobile and connected TV devices and platforms, including Amazon Fire, Apple, Android, Chromecast, PS4, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, X Box One and more.
Preliminary fights will air nationally in English on ESPN2 and via streaming on the ESPN App (in Spanish) starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with the early prelims simulcast on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+ at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT.
A perennial fan favorite, Masvidal (34-13, fighting out of Miami, Fla.) etched his name in the UFC history books for fastest knockout after executing a stunning flying knee against previously undefeated Ben Askren. The 16-year veteran has also delivered unforgettable knockouts against Darren Till, Donald Cerrone, Jake Ellenberger and Cezar Ferreira. Masvidal now aims to deliver another sensational finish in the biggest fight of his career.
Among the most popular athletes on the UFC roster, Diaz (21-11, fighting out of Stockton, Calif.) returned from a three-year hiatus in August by securing a thrilling win over Anthony Pettis. Known for his submission win over Conor McGregor, Diaz has also picked up incredible victories against Michael Johnson, Gray Maynard, Jim Miller and Takanori Gomi. He now hopes to keep his momentum going and enter the welterweight top five.
Winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 17, Gastelum’s (16-4 1NC, fighting out of Yuma, Ariz.) last outing saw him put on a Fight of the Year-worthy performance against interim middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Throughout his UFC stint, he has netted impressive wins against Jacare Souza, Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy. Gastelum now hopes to re-assert himself as a 185-pound title threat.
A former welterweight title challenger, Till (17-2-1, fighting out of Liverpool, England) will now test the waters in the ultra-competitive middleweight division. During his run at 170 pounds, he earned hard-fought wins over Stephen Thompson, Donald Cerrone and Jessin Ayari. Till now has his sights set on turning heads at 185 pounds by taking out one of the division’s top contenders.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- Former heavyweight title challenger and No. 5 ranked contender Derrick Lewis (21-7 1NC, fighting out of Houston, Tex.) battles rising No. 9 Blagoy Ivanov (18-2 1NC, fighting out of Sofia, Bulgaria)
- No. 7 ranked light heavyweight contender Corey Anderson (13-4, fighting out of Robbinsville, N.J.) goes for his fourth consecutive win against surging No. 10 Johnny Walker (17-3, fighting out of Phuket, Thailand by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- Former title challenger and No. 9 ranked welterweight contender Stephen Thompson (14-4-1, fighting out of Simpsonville, S.C.) squares off with surging No. 14 Vicente Luque (17-6-1, fighting out of Westwood, N.J. by way of Brasilia, Brazil)
- In a pivotal flyweight contenders’ bout, No. 1 ranked Katlyn Chookagian (12-2, fighting out of Kenilworth, N.J.) takes on No. 5 Jennifer Maia (17-5-1, fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil)
· Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (28-18 2NC, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Minsk, Belarus) faces undefeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik (8-0, fighting out of Paramaribo, Suriname)
- Julio Arce (16-3, fighting out of Bayside, N.Y.) meets Hakeem Dawodu (10-1-1, fighting out of Calgary, Canada) in an exciting featherweight bout
- Krzysztof Jotko (21-4, fighting out of Orneta, Poland) aims to be the first fighter to defeat unbeaten Edmen Shahbazyan (10-0, fighting out of Glendale, Calif.)
- Lyman Good (20-5 1NC, fighting out of New York, N.Y.) looks to defend his home turf against Chance Rencountre (14-3, fighting out of Pawhuska, Okla.)
For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
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Tickets for UFC® 244: MASVIDAL vs. DIAZ go on sale Friday, September 20 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.
UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, September 18 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, September 19 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
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About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 300 million fans and 70 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly one billion TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 60 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.
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