UFC 248 fight card

UFC is all set to kick off its latest PPV endeavor in Las Vegas this weekend. A pair of title fights headline on the marquee for UFC 248 on Saturday night as middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will defend the 185-pound crown against two-time title challenger Yoel Romero, and in an anticipated co-main event, women’s strawweight champ Weili Zhang puts her strap on the line against former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

This is set to be Romero’s third title fight in his last four appearances inside the Octagon and Jedrzejczyk’s third in her last five. Romero has had multiple chances at gold, but never made the most of it, losing twice to Robert Whittaker for gold and then beating Luke Rockhold via vicious knockout, but the former Cuban Olympian was ineligible to win the interim title that night after missing weight.

Jedrzejczyk, meanwhile, is looking to become the first female fighter to regain a title she previously owned in UFC after her reign as strawweight queen ended via first-round knockout against Rose Namajunas in 2017.

Can’t get enough UFC? Subscribe to my podcast — State of Combat with Brian Campbell — where we break down everything you need to know in the Octagon, including a complete preview of UFC 248 with Brandon Wise.

Meanwhile, Zhang is set to make her first defense of the 115-pound crown on Saturday after mowing down Jessica Andrade in August in under a minute. The Chinese champion is on a 20-fight winning streak and looking to add another notch to her impressive resume. Jedrzejczyk, meanwhile, looks to become the first female fighter to regain a title in her fourth title fight in five showings.

This card had a little more depth before a pair of fights fell off. Namely, former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker withdrew from a scheduled bout with Jared Cannonier last month. Plus, a scheduled fight between Edmen Shahbazyan and Derek Brunson was moved to next month. Still, some top prospects fill out the undercard, including “Suga” Sean O’Malley facing off against Jose Quinonez.

Below is the complete fight card for Saturday night as well as everything that happened this week in the lead up to the event that you need to catch up on. CBS Sports will be with you throughout the night with updates, results and recaps for all the action in Houston. Check back in on this page to keep track.

Israel Adesanya (c) -270 vs. Yoel Romero +220 — Middleweight title
Weili Zhang (c) -180 vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk +155 — Women’s strawweight title
Beneil Dariush -165 vs. Drakkar Klose +140 — Lightweights
Li Jingliang -175 vs. Neil Magny +150 — Welterweights
Alex Oliveira -150 vs. Max Griffin +125 — Welterweights
Sean O’Malley def. Jose Quinonez via first-round TKO (punches)
Mark Madsen def. Austin Hubbard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Rodolfo Vieira def. Saparbek Safarov via first-round submission (arm triangle)
Gerald Meerschaert def. Deron Winn via third-round submission (rear naked choke)
Giga Chikadze def. Jamall Emmers via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Danaa Batgerel def. Guido Cannetti via first-round knockout (punch)

UFC 248 viewing info

Date: March 7 | Location: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Stream: ESPN+ | Price: $64.99

UFC 248 countdown

Who will win Adesanya vs. Romero, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight on the main card, all from the accomplished expert who has been profitable for five straight years, and find out.