UFC 329 Features Thrilling Prelims Saturday Night!

UFC 329 fight week is here! After an open date last Saturday evening for the Fourth of July holiday inside the United States of America, MMA's No. 1 promotion is back every weekend for the balance of the summer schedule of events.

T-Mobile Arena in Enterprise, NV serves as the setting for the grand finale of the 2026 edition of International Fight Week. Live coverage begins with the UFC 329 early prelims at 5 pm ET/ 2 pm PT. Inside the United States, this portion of the show can be seen as a live simulcast on Paramount Plus and UFC Fight Pass.

Late prelims follow at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on Paramount Plus before the main card caps the activities at UFC 329 at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT. There will be no simulcast of this weekend's show on linear television via CBS. Saturday's card is highlighted by the return of Conor McGregor at welterweight against Max Holloway in the main event of the evening and features a slate of 14 bouts inside the fabled Octagon.

UFC 329 Featured Prelim: Robert Whittaker vs. Nikita Krylov: Whittaker's First Foray at 205

At the top of the bill for the undercard this coming weekend, light heavyweights take to the cage when Robert Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) makes his first walk to the Octagon at 205 lbs against No. 12 contender Nikita Krylov (31-11 MMA, 12-9 UFC.) All fights mentioned herein are an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes apiece.

Whittaker comes into UFC 329 having posted a record of 2-3 in his last five outings and is looking to halt a two-fight losing streak on Saturday night. Last year, he sustained a split decision defeat to Reinier de Ridder (21-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in the last UFC Fight Night seen on the ABC Television Network.

Whittaker, who formerly staked claim to the UFC Middleweight Championship and began his career in the welterweight division, only stands six feet even, but in a recent interview with Demetrious Johnson, put concerns about his move to 205 to rest. 

"This is the best I think I've felt in my career, holistically," he said. "This is just a more natural weight for me."

How will he fare for the first time at 205? Tune in and find out.

Krylov Makes Second Walk of 2026 in UFC 329

Meanwhile, Nikita Krylov enters this week's featured prelim with a record of 3-2 in his last five outings. During the first UFC event of the year, UFC 324 back in January, he scored a third-round knockout victory against Modestas Bukauskas (20-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC.)

The victory put an end to a two-fight losing streak. Krylov hasn't put together a sustained winning streak since securing three triumphs in a row from July of 2022 to March of 2023. 

Can he win his second fight in succession? Only time will tell.

UFC 329 Co-Featured Prelim: Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison: Former Big Ten Product Makes Debut

Immediately beforehand, the co-featured prelim at UFC 329 on Saturday night sees heavyweight action take place as Gable Steveson (3-0 MMA, UFC promotional debut) fights Elisha Ellison (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC.) Steveson, a former Olympian and member of The University of Minnesota's wrestling team, will be making his first walk as a member of the UFC's active roster on Saturday night having yet to lose in his pro MMA career.

Back in February, he finished Hugo Lezama (11-4 MMA) inside the opening round with punches. From there, he returned to his wrestling roots in Real American Freestyle, besting Alexandr Romanov by technical fall during the second round of their match on May 30.

With three first-round knockouts to his credit already, fans are expecting more of the same under MMA's brightest lights this coming weekend. To make a good first impression, he'll need to get past Ellison.

Elisha Ellison Looking to Spoil Party of Gable Steveson's Debut

Speaking of Elisha Ellison, he'll be lining up across the way with a 3-2 mark in his last five appearances. Saturday's co-featured prelim is his first bout in over nine months.

On Sept. 27 of last year, in a rebooking of a postponed fight from the Aug. 26 broadcast of Contender Series, he was on the receiving end of a first-round knockout by Brando Pericic (7-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the UFC promotional debut for both men. Pericic secured the $50,000 (USD) bonus for the Performance of the Night after the show.

Ellison knows what it's like to have a UFC promotional debut spoiled by his opponent. Can he return the favor against Gable Steveson?

UFC 329: Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yanez: Garbrandt Eager to Build off March Win

Also on the undercard, bantamweights go to battle for a contest matching Cody Garbrandt (15-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) against Adrian Yanez (17-6-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC.) Garbrandt touches down in Enterprise having gone 3-2 in the past five contests.

Four months ago, he bested Long Xiao (27-11 MMA, 1-3 UFC) via unanimous decision inside the very same T-Mobile Arena where UFC 329 takes place this weekend. Garbrandt will be hoping for a belated birthday present to himself on Saturday.

He celebrated his 35th birthday Tuesday and isn't sure how much longer he's going to fight, but wants to eventually depart from the sport on his own accord. A victory here will be better than birthday cake.

Adrian Yanez Searching for Definitive Result in UFC 329

In the other corner, Adrian Yanez enters Saturday night's undercard sporting a 1-3-1 record in his last five tilts. He's on a two-fight winless streak going into the weekend. 

Back in March during UFC Seattle, his bout versus Ricky Simon (22-7-1 MMA, 10-6-1 UFC) ended in a majority draw after 15 minutes of action inside Climate Pledge Arena, having lost the fight on one scorecard. While that fight ended in a dead heat for Yanez on two scorecards, he'd like nothing more than a win this weekend.

Given that Yanez fought to a draw last time out, expect him to fight with frustration on Saturday.

Rest of the Prelims

UFC 329's undercard is rounded out by these fights:

• a featherweight contest between Luke Riley (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Kai Kamaka III (18-7-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) to begin the late prelims,
• a women's flyweight fight matching No. 8 contender Tracy Cortez (12-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) against No. 12 contender Wang Cong (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in the featured early prelim,
• a middleweight bout versing Damian Pinas (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) with Cesar Almeida (7-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC,)
• a bantamweight affair pairing No. 15 contender Farid Basharat (15-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and John Garza (6-1 MMA, UFC promotional debut,)
• a middleweight showcase matching Ryan Gandra (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) against Zachary Reese (10-3, 1 NC MMA, 4-3, 1 NC UFC,)
• and a flyweight encounter between Alessandro Costa (16-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) and Cody Durden (18-10-1 MMA, 7-8-1 UFC.)