LAS VEGAS – UFC makes its highly anticipated return to Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, July 29 with a “Fight of the Year” candidate that will see No. 2-ranked lightweight contender Dustin Poirier run it back with No. 3 Justin Gaethje for the vacant BMF title. The co-main event will see former UFC light heavyweight champion and current No. 3 ranked contender Jan Blachowicz look to spoil the 205-pound debut of former middleweight titleholder Alex Pereira.

The event is the result of a partnership with Utah Sports Commission and Smith Entertainment Group.

“I’m excited to return to Salt Lake City, which has one of the nicest arenas in the world,” UFC president Dana White said. “The fan response last year was incredible, and this time we’re bringing one of the most anticipated cards of the year with two of the baddest fighters in the world for the BMF title. I want to thank the Utah Sports Commission and Smith Entertainment Group for their continued support. UFC 291 will be one of the biggest events of the year.”

“Last year’s epic UFC 278 pay-per-view event brought huge economic impact and tremendous global media exposure to ‘Utah: The State of Sport,’” said Jeff Robbins, president and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission. “With that success we are excited to partner again with the UFC, Smith Entertainment Group and welcome some of the top MMA fighters in the world as we play host to ‘UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2’ at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to have UFC back to Salt Lake City. UFC 291 will be one of the most anticipated sporting events of 2023, and we’re all in on hosting it at the Delta Center,” said Ryan Smith, chairman of Smith Entertainment Group. “Utah is a premier sports and entertainment destination, and SEG is committed to bringing world-class events to the state and providing exceptional experiences to fans, talent, and organizations while they are here. We’re thrilled about our continued partnership with UFC and Utah Sports Commission. We look forward to hosting another successful fight night.”

UFC 291 will take place at Delta Center with the main card at 10 p.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+ PPV. The prelims will be available on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET. The night’s action will start at 6 p.m. ET with early prelims on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.

UFC 291 tickets are set to go on sale to the public on Friday, June 2 at 10 a.m. MT and will be available through Ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight per person. 

No. 13 men’s pound-for-pound fighter Poirier (29-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) is coming off his thrilling submission win over Michael Chandler last year. A dynamic striker and grappler, the former interim lightweight champion also holds spectacular victories against Conor McGregor (twice), Max Holloway (twice) and Eddie Alvarez. Poirier now looks to stop Gaethje once again and take home the BMF belt.

Former interim lightweight champion Gaethje (24-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) has long established himself among the most exciting fighters in MMA. A heavy-handed striker and wrestler, he has earned memorable wins over Michael Chandler, Donald Cerrone and Rafael Fiziev. Gaethje now plans to even the score with Poirier by delivering another highlight-reel KO.

Blachowicz (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) intends to take out another former champion in impressive fashion. Known for his “legendary Polish power,” he holds notable victories against Israel Adesanya, Luke Rockhold and Dominick Reyes. Blachowicz now hopes for a show-stopping performance to stake his claim for a title shot.

Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) looks to turn heads at light heavyweight by stopping one of the division’s most decorated athletes. A former kickboxing standout, he holds thrilling KO wins over Adesanya, Sean Strickland and Andreas Michailidis. Pereira now intends to make a statement against Blachowicz to enter the light heavyweight top 5.

Other bouts on the card include:

• Fan favorites collide when Tony Ferguson (25-8 MMA, 15-6 UFC) battles Bobby Green (29-14-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) in a lightweight bout guaranteed to deliver fireworks

• Former middleweight title challenger and No. 5-ranked contender Paulo Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) returns to Salt Lake City to face surging Ikram Aliskerov (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)

• No. 7-ranked welterweight contender Stephen Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) faces No. 15 Michel Pereira (28-11 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a battle of exciting strikers

• No. 11-ranked heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis (26-11 MMA, 17-9 UFC) aims to take back the UFC knockout record all for himself when he meets Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-8-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC)

• No. 12-ranked welterweight contender Michael Chiesa (16-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) locks horns with Kevin Holland (24-9 MMA, 11-6 UFC) in an intriguing matchup

• Matthew Semelsberger (11-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) squares off with Yohan Lainesse (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in an all-action welterweight bout

• Roman Kopylov (10-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) meets Claudio Ribeiro (11-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at middleweight

• Trevin Giles (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) battles undefeated Gabriel Bonfim (14-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a welterweight tilt

• C.J. Vergara (11-4-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) takes on Vinicius Salvador (14-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at flyweight

• Joanne Wood (16-8 MMA, 8-8 UFC) faces Priscila Cachoeira (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) in a flyweight bout