All eyes will be on Conor McGregor next weekend when he takes on Khabib Nurmagomedov in Las Vegas.
The lightweight belt will be on the line on October 6.
The UFC has been lacking a star name since the Irishman took time out of the Octagon to face boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.
But his return is expected to be a hit at the box office with UFC president Dana White predicting a record 2.5 million pay-per-view buys.
And although he will be the star attraction in Sin City, the UFC 229 has plenty appeal for fight fans.
Here, we take a look at the other fighters making the walk from the dressing room to the T-Mobile Arena cage…
Main card
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor
The Irishman returns following his two-year hiatus in a bid to win back the lightweight title he didn’t lose in the Octagon. McGregor was stripped of the 155lb belt as he took time out of mixed martial arts to face Floyd Mayweather in a boxing ring. In the meantime, Nurmagomedov beat Al Iaquinta to become the new champion.
Tony Ferguson vs Anthony Pettis
Had things worked out differently, Ferguson could have been facing McGregor in the main event. He was forced to pull out of his title fight against Nurmagomedov in April when he suffered a freak injury on a TV set. That was the fourth time a fight with the Russian had fallen through and Ferguson will have to work his way back into contention, starting with Pettis who is bidding to string two wins together for the first time since 2014.
Ovince Saint Preux vs Dominick Reyes
Saint Preux was riding a three-fight win streak until he came a cropper against Ilir Latifi in February – but he rebounded in style against Tyson Pedro in June. Now he takes on 9-0 Reyes who has won his first three fights in the UFC in the opening round, including his TKO of Jared Cannonier in Chile in May.
Derrick Lewis vs Alexander Volkov
Lewis’ bid to earn himself a heavyweight title shot took a hit last year when he was stopped by Mark Hunt, but victories over Marcin Tybura and Francis Ngannou have put him back on track. The 33-year-old faces a tough test against Alexander Volkov who is coming off a career-best victory over Fabricio Werdum in London.
Michelle Waterson vs Felice Herrig
Waterson narrowly avoided a third successive defeat last time out when she decisioned Cortney Casey following defeats by current strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and Tecia Torres. But that victory will count for little if Waterson can’t overcome Herrig who is herself bidding to bounce back from a split-decision defeat by Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Prelim card
Sean O’Malley vs Jose Alberto Quinonez
O’Malley holds a perfect record of 10-0 following his victories on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series and the TUF finale. The 23-year-old made it three from three with the promotion when he beat Andre Soukhamthath at UFC 222. In Quinonez, O’Malley faces a fighter on a four-fight winning streak which culminated in a points win over Teruto Ishihara in February.
Sergio Pettis vs Jussier Formiga
The younger Pettis brother will bid to make it a night to remember for his family when he looks to follow up his summer win over Joseph Benavidez. Before that Pettis lost to current flyweight champion Henry Cejudo and will have his sights set on a potential rematch. Formiga has also lost to Cejudo, as well as Ray Borg, but has won his last two, against Ulka Sasaki and Ben Nguyen.
Aspen Ladd vs Tonya Evinger
Early prelim card
Lina Lansberg vs Yana Kunitskaya
Lansberg endured a baptism of fire on her UFC debut when she was stopped by Cris Cyborg and has since been unable to string two wins together. Victory over Lucile Pudilova preceded defeat by Aspen Ladd and a win over Gina Mazany. Kunitskaya meanwhile lasted less than two minutes against Cyborg on her UFC debut last time out and will be looking to register her first success with the promotion.
Scott Holtzman vs Alan Patrick
Holtzman signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC back in January but has had to wait for his seventh fight with the promotion. The lightweight has won his last two bouts, beating Michael McBride and Darrell Horcher. At 35, Patrick does not have time on his side but did return from an 18-month absence in February to defeat Damir Hadzovic.
Nik Lentz bt Gray Maynard via TKO
Gray Maynard will surely bow out after suffering a beating for just over a round. The veteran was fortunate to survive the opening session having suffered a cut over his left eye and been knocked down and dominated from the ground. But he was put out of his misery in the second round when a head kick sent him to the ground and the referee stepped in.
Lentz said: "I feel amazing. I don’t know what to attribute it to but something has changed inside of me. After I had my second kid, I just felt a change over me. I’m not the same person or fighter that I used to be and I hope everyone took notice of that tonight. I specifically asked to be on this card to knock someone out.
"They decided to give me a real challenge to complete that task in Gray Maynard and I’m glad that they did. Gray is one of the toughest guys to ever fight in the UFC and I think that beating him is a statement for any fighter. I’ve been in the UFC a long time now and I’ve changed a lot since I was 25-year-old Nik. I didn’t have the confidence, I didn’t have the skills, I wasn’t good enough. I’ve been on long win streaks and lost.
"Through that, I realized that it’s not just about winning. It’s about putting on a show. It’s about entertaining the fans. Now, with a win like that, I feel confident in saying that I’m the best in the world… No matter who my next opponent is."
Tony Martin bt Ryan LaFlare via TKO
Tony Martin kicked the card of in devastating fashion with a third-round TKO. After a cagey first session, Martin dominated the second on the canvas before detonating a head kick in the third which left Ryan LaFlare prone on the canvas. A brief ground-and-pound forced the referee to intervene.
Martin said: "That was a beautiful performance if you ask me. Ryan Laflare is a tough guy, one of the biggest welterweights, size-wise, and no one has fought him like I just did. I controlled the ground game, the striking exchanges and I worked really hard on my Muay Thai coming in here tonight.
"People think of me as a grappler and I rarely threw kicks in my previous fights but my striking is deadly and I’m glad I got to show that tonight. This is the perfect start to my career at welterweight and I want to keep that moving. I want the winner of Cowboy Cerrone vs. Mike Perry.
"Both of those guys like to stand and trade and that’s intriguing to me. Like I said, people think I’m a grappler but my right hand will hurt you. I’m 29 years old and this is my time to make a run to the top of this division."
Who will win at UFC 229?
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