UFC 295 Prochazka vs. Pereira: Live results and analysis

NEW YORK – UFC 295 is a little different than it was originally built to be. The highly anticipated heavyweight title main event between two of the biggest men in UFC history, Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, had to be canceled last week when Jones suffered a torn pectoral.

The consolation prize isn’t bad.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jirí Procházka will face former middleweight titleholder Alex Pereira for the vacant UFC light heavyweight belt in the main event Saturday at Madison Square Garden. For the co-main event, the UFC quickly booked an interim heavyweight title fight between two of the world’s top up-and-coming contenders in the division, Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich.

Procházka (29-3-1) had to vacate the UFC light heavyweight title in late 2022 when he suffered a serious shoulder injury. The Czech-born fighter defeated Glover Teixeira to win the belt in June 2022. Procházka, 32, has won 13 straight, including his first three in the UFC. He is known for his chaotic and exciting fighting style.

Pereira (8-2) made his UFC light heavyweight debut by defeating former champion Jan Blachowicz by split decision at UFC 291 in July. The Brazilian-born fighter, who lives and trains in Connecticut, knocked out Israel Adesanya to win the UFC middleweight title at last year’s MSG Show, before returning the belt to Adesanya in april. Pereira, 36, is a former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion and was recently inducted into that promotion’s Hall of Fame.

Also on the card, Mackenzie Dern will look to continue her rise in the women’s strawweight category against former champion Jessica Andrade; local fighter Matt Frevola takes on Benoit Saint-Denis in a light action fighter battle; and rising featherweights Diego Lopes and Pat Sabatini face off.

Follow Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Jeff Wagenheim and Dre Waters recapping all the action or watch the fights live on ESPN+ PPV.