
Best Of
Almost a year ago to the day, the noise from the audience inside the sold-out United Center in Chicago, Illinois reached a fever pitch. Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero put on a showdown for the ages in one of the most intense and crazy fights we have ever seen.
On Saturday, 26 fighters will look to capture glory, including UFC flyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo. “The Messenger” will be facing rising star Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 238. The exchanges between these two have been heated and fans can expect fireworks.
Valentina Shevchenko will look to defend her flyweight title in the co-main event against Jessica Eye. Both Shevchenko and Eye have had tremendous success since the re-opening of the 125lb division and Saturday will finally determine who the best fighter in the division truly is.
Also on the card is fan favorites and top lightweight contenders Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone. These two fighters have a lot to prove and more to gain by taking out the man who will standing opposite of them in the Octagon. It’s one of those fights that you just aren’t going to want to miss.
Get ready for UFC 238 by watching the past performances of some of the card’s biggest stars and prospects. Watch the whole collection here: https://www.ufc.tv/category/ufc-238-fights-to-watch
Beating one of the best to ever step foot in the Octagon creates legacy and can signify the passing of the torch. After being defeated by Demetrious Johnson, Henry Cejudo went back to the drawing board and improved as a fighter created solely for the purpose of dethroning “Mighty Mouse.” He would go on to cement his place in history with an incredible performance at UFC 227 in Los Angeles.
Fighting someone you’ve had back and forth trash talk with makes things a little easier. So does fighting close to home. Marlon Moraes was able to use both of those factors to quickly dispatch of the technical and respected Jimmie Rivera.
Valentina Shevchenko of Kyrgyzstan punches Joanna Jedrzejczyk of Poland in their UFC strawweight championship fight during the UFC 231 event at Scotiabank Arena on December 8, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Shevchenko vs Jedrzjczyk, two of the best women in MMA fighting for a UFC championship belt. The anticipation was well deserved as both legends put on a show in Toronto, with Shevchenko walking away with the strap.
Jessica Eye has dealt with more adversity than most, and she launched herself into title contention by stringing together her third straight victory in a row at UFC 231. She also gave one of the more memorable Octagon interviews of 2018 after the win.
Tony Ferguson is one of those fighters that is so unpredictable you almost can’t miss a second of action. At UFC 216 he proved that once again against budding star Kevin Lee, as his electric style and dynamic skill-set earned him the UFC interim lightweight title.
Daddy Donald doesn’t play games. On the UFC’s first ever ESPN+ event, “Cowboy” Cerrone found himself up against a tough talking rising prospect in Aaron Hernandez. And once words were replaced with fists and in the case of Cerrone – head kicks – it was clear that Cerrone was on another level than Hernandez.
If you like watching fighters that put on an unrelenting pace and tremendous amounts of pressure Petr Yan is the fighter for you. Yan had his first taste of ranked action against the explosive Douglas Silva de Andrade and proved that he needs to have a number next to his name with a vintage, gritty performance.
Dominate the fight. That’s what undefeated Tatiana Suarez is always looking to do. And in her fight last September against former champion Carla Esparza, she did just that. Suarez mauled Esparza, showcasing her Olympic quality wrestling and vicious ground game.
You’re not going to want to miss one second of this stacked card. Tune in at 6:15pm/3:15pm ETPT on ESPN+ for the early prelims. The prelims will air live on ESPN at 8pm/5pm ETPT.
At 10pm/7pm ETPT the awesome PPV will start. Make sure to order the PPV through ESPN+.
Watch the whole collection here: https://www.ufc.tv/category/ufc-238-fights-to-watch
Gavin Porter is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com, follow him on Twitter at @PorterUFCNews