Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the hurt business tonight (Sat., July 14, 2018) for UFC Fight Night 133, which is set to go down from inside CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. The Fox Sports 1 event will feature a Heavyweight fight between former division champion Junior dos Santos taking on Blagoy Ivanov. In the co-main event, rising sensation Sage Northcutt takes on Zak Ottow. UFC 227 CHEAT SHEET What UFC event is on tonight? UFC 227: “Dillashaw vs Garbrandt 2” Who is fighting tonight at UFC 227? T.J. Dillashaw vs Cody Garbrandt bantamweight title rematch is the main event. When does UFC 227 start? Today (Sat., Aug. 4, 2018), beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass. Where will UFC 227 take place? Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. How can I watch UFC 227? UFC Fight Pass “Prelims” start time at 6:30 p.m. ET. Then the remaining undercard balance on FX at 8 p.m. ET, before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on PPV. Where can I get UFC 227 updates and results? Get full play-by-play updates and live coverage here! What’s Hot: After a year a away from action and a tussle with United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA), Junior dos Santos will finally make his return to the cage in search of a big win to get him closer to a championship fight in a wide open 265-pound division. “JDS” hasn’t fought since getting worked by Stipe Miocic at UFC 211, so the itch to get back in the win column is real. It won’t be easy, though, as he has been tasked to take out Blagoy Ivanov, the former WSOF heavyweight champion who hasn’t tasted defeat in three years. UFC wasted no time in throwing Blagoy into the deep end, as this will mark his Octagon debut. Facing a former world champion with dynamite in his hands in the main event for your first UFC fight? No pressure at all. Still, Blagoy is seasoned, winning five in a row dating back to 2015. He also comes into the fight as WSOF and PFL’s last heavyweight champion. Should he get a win over “Cigano,” Blagoy can firmly cement himself as a legit threat from the start, and since the UFC’s heavyweight division has been cleared up by Daniel Cormier, getting a title shot won’t be too difficult for an surging big man. Still, that’s a long way from now, as Blagoy has a tough task at hand. Sage Northcutt will look for his first-ever three fight win streak inside the Octagon when he faces off against Zak Ottow in the co-main event of the evening. “Super” hasn’t had the rise to the top many expected when he first hopped onto the scene, but he is slowly starting to make waves and finding his groove. Otto, though, is no pushover, as the seasoned veteran can more than give Sage troubles and stop him from keeping his momentum alive. Though he is just 3-2 in his UFC career, Zak is as tough as they come, which should be a good gauge for Northcutt. What’s Not: This is where I have a huge problem with the “official” UFC rankings. Darren Elkins has won six straight and hasn’t tasted defeat in over four years. Yes, he is now ranked in the top 10 (he’s actually No. 10). Then you have guys like Josh Emmett, who is coming of a knockout loss, and is 2-2 in his last four fights, Renato Moicano who is one a one-fight win streak, Chan Sung Jung who hasn’t fought in over a year and half and is 1-1 in the last four years, and Mirsad Bektic -- who was actually knocked out by Elkins last year — all ranked ahead of him. Elkins, meanwhile, has been kicking ass and taking names including impressive victories in his previous three fights over the likes of the aforementioned Bektic, Dennis Bermudez and Michael Johnson. If that were on say Frankie Edgar or Cub Swanson’s resume, people would be screaming title shot. But alas, the rankings are nothing more than an overrated popularity contests where (most of the time) wins and losses have very little bearing when it comes to the title shot, or making fights that make sense. So what does Elkins get for his troubles? He doesn’t get mentioned in the title discussion and he gets buried on the prelims of a Fox Sports 1 fight card taking place in Idaho. To top it off, he gets matched up against Alexander Volkanovski, a high-risk, low reward fight. Alexander is a killer, winning his first four fights inside the Octagon, is riding a 14-fight win streak and hasn’t tasted defeat in nearly five years. He’s a monster that can get the job done and can pull out the win over Elkins. But he is not ranked in the top 10, so a win for Elkins doesn’t really put him in the spotlight and closer to a title shot, whereas a loss pretty much ruins all of his hard work over the last four years. I would’ve liked to see Elkins get more respect and a fight against a higher-ranked opponent such as Jeremy Stephens, a rematch four years in the making. Or maybe even a fight against Cub Swanson or Frankie Edgar. Elkins has more than earned fights like that. Original Card vs Actual Card: James Vick was originally set to face off against Paul Felder at this event, but “The Texecutioner” was yanked from the card to face Justin Gaethje at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 135 event in August. Injuries: None New Blood: Aside from Blagoy Ivanov making his UFC debut, Elias Garcia will make his Octagon debut and put his undefeated mark (4-0) on the line to face Mark De La Rosa. Also, Jennifer Maia will make the jump over from Invicta FC to battle Ronda Rosuey’s first-ever challenge inside the Octagon, Liz Carmouche, in a flyweight showdown. Raoni Barcelos will also put his four fight win streak on the line his UFC debut against Kurt Holobaugh. Said Nurmagomedov -- a relative of Khabib Nurmagomedov -- will make his long-awaited Octagon debut against Justin Scoggins. How The Prelims Look: There are a few intriguing bouts taking place on the underbelly of the event, including a women’s Strawweight showdown between Jessica Aguilar and Jodie Esquibel. Jessica hasn’t tasted the success many expected since jumping over from WSOF, but a win over Jodie can get her back on the right track. Also Darren Elkins and Alexander Volkanovski will collide in a featherweight showdown that will pit two of the longest winning streak in the division. Darren has won six in a row, while Volkanovski has won 14 in row including his first four fights inside the Octagon. The main event for the prelims will see Eddie Wineland take on Alejandro Perez. Who Needs A Win Badly: Cat Zingano Cat hasn’t won a fight since 2014. After getting submitted by Ronda Rousey at UFC 184 in just 14 seconds, Cat hasn’t looked the same since, dropping two more after that to Julianna Pena and Ketlen Vieria. Prior to getting worked by Rousey in record time, “Alpha” hadn’t tasted defeat, winning nine in a row including a knockout wins over current women’s Bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes, and former champion Miesha Tate. She also beat down ex-title contender Raquel Pennington prior to that. So Cat does have the skills to get it done, she just needs to find a way to break her funk against Marion Reneau to avoid dropping her fourth in a row. Interest Level: 6/10 It’s a decent card and I am willing to bet most of the fights will deliver. It’s always fun to see the big men bang it out until someone falls (well, unless you were watching this). Plus, the event will feature the long-awaited return of former title contender Chad Mendes, who has been riding the pine for two years now due to a failed drug test. Standing in his way is Myles Jury, who is riding a two-fight win streak and is looking to play spoiler. Also, Cat Zingano will look to end her horrific three fight losing streak when she faces off against Marion Reneau. Also looking to get back into the win column after three straight defeats is Dennis Bermudez, who will face Rick Glenn in 145-pound action. Card like this are sometimes hard to get up for, but this one does have some decent names on the card to drum up some interest. UFC Fight Night 133 Fight Card: UFC Fight Night 133 Main Event: 265 lbs. : Junior Dos Santos vs. Blagoy Ivanov UFC Fight Night 133 Co-Main Event: 170 lbs. : Sage Northcutt vs. Zak Ottow UFC Fight Night 133 Main Card on FOX Sports 1 (10 p.m. ET): 145 lbs. : Dennis Bermudez vs. Rick Glenn 170 lbs. : Randy Brown vs. Niko Price 145 lbs. : Myles Jury vs. Chad Mendes 135 lbs. : Cat Zingano vs. Marion Reneau UFC Fight Night 133 Prelims on FOX Sports 1 (8 p.m. ET): 135 lbs. : Alejandro Perez vs. Eddie Wineland 145 lbs. : Darren Elkins vs. Alex Volkanovski 125 lbs. : Said Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Scoggins 145 lbs. : Raoni Barcelos vs. Kurt Holobaugh UFC Fight Night 133 Prelims on Fight Pass (6:30 p.m. ET): 125 lbs. : Liz Carmouche vs. Jennifer Maia 125 lbs. : Mark De La Rosa vs. Elias Garcia 115 lbs. : Jessica Aguilar vs. Jodie Esquibel For even more upcoming UFC events click here.<doc-sep>What do Boise and Bulgaria have in common? Well, they both start with “B” and hey, so does Blagoy Ivanov, which is about as exciting as I can make this intro. Anyway, “Blaga” will be making his highly-anticipated (lol) debut with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) when he collides with former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. They’ll do the deed in the five-round main event of the UFC Fight Night 133 mixed martial arts (MMA) extravaganza, held this Sat. night (July 14, 2018) inside CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho, live on FOX Sports 1. What can we expect from the 31 year-old Octagon newcomer? “I want to show everybody my skills,“ Ivanov said. “I want to show what is the Bulgarian spirit. I have to show my potential in my first fight. I feel a little excited about my debut. I welcome the challenge. I think I can finish him.” He wouldn’t be the first one. The UFC heavyweight division is experiencing a changing of the guard, as new blood — like Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov, as well as Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa — start to push out some of yesteryear’s aging heavy hitters, like Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem. It will be interesting to see if Ivanov (16-1, 1 NC) can join the club. The former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) and Bellator MMA bruiser will undoubtedly land himself in the top 10 of the division with a finish over “Cigano.” We’ll find out in roughly 48 hours.<doc-sep>
Just one week after the history-making UFC 226 card, it's time to get right back into the action with UFC Fight Night 133. This latest UFC Fight Night event will take place in Boise, Idaho, with a former heavyweight champion returning to the Octagon to headline the card. In the main event of UFC Boise, former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will make his return and look to get back into the win column when he takes on former World Series of Fighting heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov. Dos Santos is aiming to rebound from his last fight where he was made quick work of by former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in the first round back at UFC 211 in May 2017. Can't get enough UFC? Subscribe to our podcast In This Corner with Brian Campbell where we break down everything you need to know in the Octagon. The former heavyweight king dos Santos was originally scheduled to fight again last September against Francis Ngannou, but he was pulled from the bout for a potential USADA violation. He was cleared to return this past April. Ivanov is looking to make a huge statement in his debut by spoiling the return to the Octagon of dos Santos. In the co-main event, the welterweight that some seem to love to hate, Sage Northcutt, will attempt to extend his winning streak to three fights when he takes on Zak Ottow. Plus, Chad Mendes is back fresh off a two-year layoff thanks to a USADA suspension when he squares off against Myles Jury. It should be another exciting night of fights, and below is all the information you need to catch the UFC Fight Night 133 card from Boise this weekend. How to watch UFC Fight Night 133 Date: Saturday, July 14 Time: 10 p.m. ET Stream: fuboTV (Try for free) Channel: FS1 (check local listings) UFC Fight Night 133 fight card, odds