Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the combat spotlight later this evening (Sat., Sept. 5, 2020) to stage UFC Vegas 9 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will be led by a main event clash pitting heavyweight veteran Alistair Overeem against streaking youngster Augusto Sakai.
Adding to the UFC Vegas 9 madness will be a co-main event featuring former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Ovince Saint Preux and rising contender Alonzo Menifield. The two men were expected to clash back at UFC on ESPN 15 late last month, but “OSP” ended up testing positive for COVID-19 and was removed hours before the fight.
While most fight fans are familiar with the likes of Overeem and Saint Preux, they may not know the rest of the athletes competing at UFC Vegas 9. Not to worry. The promotion has released video footage of some of the fighters you should know entering this weekend’s card. It can be seen in the above video player.
Heavily featured in the UFC Vegas 9 preview is Overeem’s main event partner, Sakai. The 29-year-old heavyweight has produced a 4-0 record inside of the Octagon since his debut in 2018, including finishes of veterans Marcin Tybura and Chase Sherman. Sakai’s only career loss came against Cheick Kongo via split decision under the Bellator banner just over three years ago. Expect the Japanese-Brazilian fighter to come out guns blazing in his main event clash with Overeem to prove he’s ready for the next step in his career.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 9 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the main card portion that also streams on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 9: “Overeem vs. Sakai” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.