UFC Fight Night 253: How to watch Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev, start time, Las Vegas fight card, odds, more
The UFC is back in its Las Vegas home base for the next three weeks, and in this first week, flyweight contenders are at the top of the bill.
Here’s how to watch UFC Fight Night 253 with 125-pounders in the headlining spot, plus a potential middleweight slugfest in the co-feature.
Broadcast and streaming info
UFC Fight Night 253 has a main card that starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+</a. The preliminary card streams on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET.
Stay tuned for more broadcast details later this week.
Main event: Manel Kape
Record: 20-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC
Opponent: Asu Almabayev (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Key wins: Bruno Silva, Felipe dos Santos
Misc.: Kape has had plenty of ups and downs in the UFC, including more canceled fights than the average fighter. He’s coming off a third-round knockout of Bruno Silva and was set to get former title challenger Brandon Royval this week until an injury caused a switch to Almabayev.
Dec 14, 2024; Tampa, Florida, UNITED STATES; Manel Kape (red gloves) reacts after defeating Bruno Silva (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Main event: Asu Almabayev
Record: 21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC
Opponent: Manel Kape (20-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Key wins: Matheus Nicolau, CJ Vergara, Ode Osbourne
Misc.: Kape is Almabayev’s third opponent after Steve Erceg and Allan Nascimento both fell by the wayside to set up this main event with Kape. After a bonus-winning submission in his UFC debut, Almabayev has three straight decision wins.
Asu Almabayev def. CJ Vergara, UFC 299 (via UFC)
Co-main event: Cody Brundage
Record: 10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC
Opponent: Julian Marquez (9-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Key wins: Zach Reese, Jacob Malkoun
Misc.: After a submission loss to Bo Nickal, Brundage’s fight with Abdul Razak Alhassan was a no contest after Brundage landed illegal strikes to the back of the head. He was set to fight Ryan Loder, but gets Marquez as a replacement.
Co-main event: Julian Marquez
Record: 9-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC
Opponent: Cody Brundage (10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Key wins: Sam Alvey, Maki Pitolo, Darren Stewart
Misc.: Marquez had a cup of coffee in 2021 as a hot commodity at middleweight with back-to-back bonus-winning submissions and a viral crush on Miley Cyrus. Since then, it’s been nothing but canceled fights and three knockout losses, leaving him badly in need of a win.
UFC debut: Mario Pinto
Record: 9-0
Opponent: Austen Lane (13-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Misc.: The 26-year-old from Portugal punched his ticket to the big show with a first-round knockout win on DWCS this past fall.
Mario Pinto def. Lucas Camacho – DWCS 75
UFC Fight Night 253 main card betting odds
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
- Manel Kape -245 vs. Asu Almabayev +200
- Cody Brundage +140 vs. Julian Marquez -170
- Nasrat Haqparast +210 vs. Esteban Ribovics -260
- Austen Lane +280 vs. Mario Pinto -380
- Hyder Amil +175 vs. William Gomis -210
UFC Fight Night 253 prelim betting odds
Andrea Lee
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
- Danny Barlow -300 vs. Sam Patterson +400
- Chepe Mariscal -450 vs. Ricardo Ramos +325
- John Castaneda -220 vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade +180
- JJ Aldrich -185 vs. Andrea Lee +155
- Lucas Almeida +160 vs. Danny Silva -190
- Luana Carolina -135 vs. Montana De La Rosa +115
- Charles Johnson +105 vs. Ramazan Temirov -125