Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo UFC 194 preview: What time does the fight start, what channel is it on and full undercard

A look ahead to the UFC 194 as Conor McGregor meets Jose Aldo for the featherweight championship

Jack de Menezes
Saturday 12 December 2015 17:30 GMT
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Conor McGregor of Ireland enters the arena
Conor McGregor of Ireland enters the arena (Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC)

*UPDATE* UFC 194 is underway! Follow all the action with our live blog.

Who’s fighting?

The main event sees the hotly-anticipated clash between UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and UFC interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor, five months after it was originally planned for UFC 189.

Aldo is No 1 in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings, with McGregor sitting in 12th in the company’s charts. However, McGregor is undefeated in the Octagon, and is ranked as the No 1 contender to Aldo’s championship.

As well as Aldo, the No 3 pound-for-pound fighter will be in action in the form of UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman as the All-American takes on his compatriot Luke Rockhold.

The winner of the bout could well face another victor on the main card, as No 2 ranked middleweight Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza takes on No 3 ranked Yoel Romero.

In the welterweight division, Demian Maia takes on Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson, while the main card is wrapped up with a featherweight clash between Max Holloway and Jeremy Stephens.

When is it?

UFC 194 takes place at Las Vegas’s MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday 12 December, with the main card beginning at 3am GMT early on Sunday morning.

Where can I watch it?

UFC fans in the United Kingdom can catch all the action on BT Sport 2, with pre-lims getting underway at 1am Sunday morning before the main card begins at 3am. McGregor and Aldo's fight is expected to begin around 5,30am, with the walks to the Octagon scheduled no earlier than 5am.

Why was the original fight postponed?

Aldo was forced to pull out of the fight at UFC 189 due to a rib injury. The Brazilian originally claimed that he had suffered a broken rib, but UFC president Dana White disputed this and said that the champion was suffering from a bruised rib and cartilage. However, it was deemed that Aldo could not cut down to the correct weight due to the injury, and a contingency plan was put in place for McGregor to fight Chad Mendes in the main event instead. McGregor won the bout, cementing his place as the No 1 contender to Aldo's title.

McGregor faces Aldo at UFC 194 (Getty Images)

Full match card

Early prelims:

Court McGee vs Marcio Alexandre

John Makdessi vs Yancy Medeiros

Joe Proctor vs Magomed Mustafaev

Prelims:

Leonardo Santos vs Kevin Lee

Warlley Alves vs Colby Covington

Urijah Faber vs Frankie Saenz

Chris Weidman (right) will defend his middleweight championship against Luke Rockhold (Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC)

Main card:

Max Holloway vs Jeremy Stephens

Demian Maia vs Gunnar Nelson

Ronaldo Souza vs Yoel Romero

Chris Weidman vs Luke Rockhold (five rounds)

Jose Aldo vs Conor McGregor (five rounds)

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