For the first time since Nevada casinos were shut down in March to curb the spread of coronavirus, live MMA and Boxing events are making a comeback in Las Vegas.
The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) approved dates for both Top Rank Boxing and UFC to host matches in Las Vegas, a day after Governor Steve Sisolak announced his Phase 2 reopening plan.
So long Florida, UFC returns home
The UFC will be coming back to its home in Las Vegas and is set to stage its next fight card at the UFC Apex on Saturday, May 30.
The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) oversees all combat sports happening in Nevada. On Wednesday, it gave approval for the first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events to be held in the Silver State since March.
In March, Dana White brought his UFC cards to Jacksonville, Florida, the only state that was willing to host fights as the coronavirus continued its spread across the country.
With gyms and various businesses reopening in Nevada, the state is prepared to reintroduce live sports. Similar to the UFC matches in Florida, spectators will not be allowed for the Nevada fights.
The preliminary matches for UFC Fight Night will commence at 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, and they will be broadcasted on ESPN and ESPN+. The main card will start at 6 p.m. and will also be available for viewing on ESPN and ESPN+.
The primary event is a welterweight contest with former 170-pound champion Tyron Woodley fighting Gilbert Burns. The secondary main event is a heavyweight clash between Blagoy Ivanov and Augusto Sakai.
UFC betting on NV sports betting apps
Before casinos reopen on June 4, only a select few Nevada sports betting apps are conducting business. The fight odds and round totals from William Hill are listed below.
Always ensure to explore for the most favorable odds.
The following NV mobile betting apps also offer full fight odds and prop bets:
- BetMGM
- Caesars
- South Point
- Westgate
- Circa Sports
This UFC card marks the first one intended for Las Vegas. The UFC also received approval from the NAC to hold another event on June 6. The company is planning to host additional events at UFC Apex on three successive Saturdays in June – the 13th, 20th, and 27th.
NAC has not yet approved the dates mentioned above.
Top Rank Boxing returns to Las Vegas
During a virtual hearing on Wednesday, the NAC gave Top Rank Boxing the green light to host two events. These boxing cards, produced by Top Rank, are set to take place at the MGM Grand on June 9 and June 11. ESPN will broadcast both nights of boxing.
Shakur Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs), a 2016 Olympic silver medalist and the current undefeated WBO featherweight champion, will headline the card on June 9.
He is anticipated to face off against Felix Caraballo (13-1-2, 9 KOs) from Puerto Rico in a non-title junior lightweight fight that will go for 10 rounds.
On June 11, the card will highlight a 10-round fight at a catchweight of 128 pounds between Las Vegas’ Jessie Magdaleno (27-1, 18 KOs) and Yenifel Vicente (36-4-2, 28 KOs, 1 NC) from the Dominican Republic.
Full card details for the respective fight nights will be posted closer to the event by Top Rank Boxing.
Similar to the UFC, Top Rank wishes to organize more fights in Las Vegas on the subsequent dates in June:
- Tuesday, June 16
- Thursday, June 18
- Tuesday, June 23
- Thursday, June 25
- Tuesday, June 30
The NAC has acknowledged the request, however, it wasn’t scheduled for approval this week. If all MMA and boxing matches proceed smoothly, anticipate that the NAC will greenlight more events.
