UFC Fight Night: Barber vs Namajunas: Fight Card, Date, Time, Telecast & Live Streaming Info

Denver has hosted numerous memorable UFC events throughout the years, including UFC 1, UFC 2, and Jon Jones’ first light heavyweight championship defense.

The last time the Octagon landed in the Rocky Mountains, Yair Rodriguez ended the night with a crazy (in a good way) upward elbow to the horn, knocking out “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. To be honest, one of the most ridiculous knockouts in UFC history receives insufficient attention.

This week, the UFC returns to Denver for the first time since its 25th anniversary show in 2018, with an exciting fight program featuring young talent in key matchups.

UFC Fight Night: Barber vs Namajunas Main Card

• Rose Namajunas vs Tracy Cortez
• Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Muslim Salikhov
• Drew Dober vs Jean Silva
• Gabriel Bonfim vs Ange Loosa
• Julian Erosa vs Christian Rodriguez

UFC Fight Night: Barber vs Namajunas Prelim Card

• Abdul Razak Alhassan vs Cody Brundage
• Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Fatima Kline
• Luana Santos vs Mariya Agapova
• Josh Fremd vs Andre Petroski
• Joshua Van vs Charles Johnson
• Montel Jackson vs Da’Mon Blackshear

Rose Namajunas vs Tracy Cortez

Former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas leads at home, looking to solidify her contender position in the flyweight class, while Tracy Cortez aims to take advantage of a major short-notice chance in Saturday night’s main event.

After losing her divisional debut in Paris last October, Namajunas rallied in March with a five-round unanimous decision victory against Amanda Ribas to establish her place in the pecking order and get things back on track. The 32-year-old two-time champion is still one of the most skillful and accomplished fighters on the roster, and a second straight victory might place her in a position to contend for the crown in 2025.

Cortez leaped at the chance to replace Maycee Barber in the main event, stepping away from her match with Miranda Maverick next week to headline for the first time. The Fight Ready MMA representative is 5-0 in the Octagon and has won 11 consecutive fights overall, but Namajunas offers a significant step up in competition for the Dana White Contender Series (DWCS) graduate.

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Muslim Salikhov

Veteran welterweights Santiago Ponzinibbio and Muslim Salikhov will finally face off inside the Octagon this weekend in Denver.

Ponzinibbio, 37, is making his first appearance since UFC 287 when he was knocked out in the third round by Kevin Holland. The Argentine is still a formidable fighter in the “Second 15” of the welterweight division, and a matchup with a fellow stalwart was in due after several years of acting as a litmus test for rising stars and surging prospects.

Salikhov, a long-time member of the Top 15, has fallen down the rankings in recent years, losing three of his last four. This is the first time he’s entered a battle after losing consecutive fights, so it’ll be fascinating to watch how the unfamiliar territory affects his performance this weekend.

Drew Dober vs Jean Silva

Drew Dober, a dashing lightweight from Denver, remains on the bill after an opponent swap, while Jean Silva moves up a weight class for a quick turnaround after winning at UFC 303 in Las Vegas two weeks earlier.

Dober is 41 fights into his professional career and has effectively established himself as an all-action crowdpleaser who can be depended on to give entertainment every time, win or loss. Originally scheduled to meet Mike Davis, he will now try to rebound from his February setback to Renato Moicano by facing another aggressive, streaking Brazilian in the Octagon.

Silva seeks to win two fights in a row here, taking over for Davis after defeating Charles Jourdain at International Fight Week two weeks earlier. The DWCS Class of ’23 alum is already 2-0 in the UFC this year, with two stoppage victories, and if he completes the hat trick today, the 27-year-old Fighting Nerds representative will have lots of options and a lot of hype moving into the dog days of summer.

Gabriel Bonfim vs Ange Loosa

The first of this weekend’s two main-card welterweight bouts pits Brazilian prospect Gabriel Bonfim against rising DWCS graduate Ange Loosa.

Bonfim started his 2023 rookie season on a high note, defeating Mounir Lazzez and Trevin Giles in back-to-back games to go 15-0 overall. His streak of success ended in November in Sao Paulo, when Danish veteran Nicolas Dalby depleted his petrol tank and gave him his first defeat.

Loosa, who faced top challenger Jack Della Maddalena for three rounds during Season 5 of the annual summer talent hunt series, won successive matches against AJ Fletcher and Rhys McKee after losing his debut to Lazzez on short notice. The Kill Cliff FC fighter was unable to continue his last fight with Bryan Battle after being poked in the eye in the second round.

Julian Erosa vs Christian Rodriguez

In Denver, featherweight veteran Julian Erosa will face off against hot prospect — and “prospect killer” — Christian Rodriguez.

Erosa, 34, is already 40 fights into his career and has established himself as a fan-favorite in the 145-pound weight class. He got a swift submission finish last time out, and each of his previous three fights had finished in the first stanza, demonstrating the risks the Xtreme Couture fighter is prepared to take inside the Octagon.

Rodriguez, who is eight years younger than Erosa, is 11-1 overall and 4-1 in the UFC, with three straight victories over previously unbeaten opponents. The calm 26-year-old gave Raul Rosas Jr. and Cameron Saaiman their first losses in 2023, as well as Isaac Dulgarian in March, making the Roufusport product one that other prospects should avoid.

UFC Fight Night: Barber vs Namajunas: Date, Time and Venue

UFC Fight Night: Barber vs Namajunas is scheduled for Saturday, July 13, with the main card starting at 10 p.m. ET / July 14, 3 a.m. UK (Sunday)/ 7:30 a.m. India (Sunday). The main event cagewalks for Barber vs Namajunas are expected to take place at approximately 1 a.m. ET (Sunday) / 6 a.m. UK (Sunday) / 10:30 a.m. (Sunday). Please note that these timings may vary depending on the duration of the main card fights.

Where to watch?

India: Sony Sports Network, SonyLiv

USA: ESPN

UK: TNT

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