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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Matt Erickson

UFC on ESPN 58: How to watch Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira, start time, Las Vegas fight card, odds, more

UFC Alex Perez Tatsuro Taira ESPN UFC on ESPN 58 Antonio Trocoli Las Vegas Ikram Aliskerov ESPN2 Julia Polastri

After a trip to the Midwest, the UFC is back on its home turf this week with a pair of flyweights at the top of the lineup.

Here’s how to watch UFC on ESPN 58 with 125-pounders in the headlining spot, plus featherweights in the co-feature.

Broadcast and streaming info

Brendan Fitzgerald, Laura Sanko, Michael Bisping

UFC on ESPN 58 has a main card that starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The preliminary card airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET.

Stay tuned to MMA Junkie for further broadcast details this week.

Main event: Alex Perez

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 27: (R-L) Alex Perez punches Matheus Nicolau of Brazil in a flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on April 27, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Record: 25-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC
Opponent: Tatsuro Taira (15-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Key wins: Mark De La Rosa, Jordan Espinosa, Jussier Formiga, Matheus Nicolau
Misc.: In the past five years, Perez has had more than a dozen fights booked and scrapped for various reasons – his side, the opponent’s side, COVID … He lost a title shot to then-champ Deiveson Figueiredo in late 2020, and that set off a three-fight skid. But he got back on track in April with a bonus-winning upset of Matheus Nicolau in a headliner, and now he’ll go for two straight.

Main event: Tatsuro Taira

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 09: (R-L) Tatsuro Taira of Japan battles Carlos Hernandez in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on December 09, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Record: 15-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC
Opponent: Alex Perez (25-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Key wins: Carlos Candelario, CJ Vergara, Jesus AGuilar, Edgar Chairez, Carlos Hernandez
Misc.: Taira has three of his five UFC wins by stoppage, and a couple of them were worth an extra $50,000. After some cancellations and new bookings, he now has a shot at arguably his biggest win yet against a former title challenger.

Co-main event: Ikram Aliskerov

Ikram Aliskerov def. Warlley Alves, UFC 294

Record: 15-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC
Opponent: Antonio Trocoli (12-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Key wins: Denis Tiullulin, Phil Hawes, Warlley Alves
Misc.: Aliskerov won his shot at the UFC with a first-round submission of Mario Sousa on DWCS in 2022. His promotional debut against Phil Hawes was a first-round knockout, as was his follow-up against Warlley Alves at UFC 294 – and that one was good for an extra $50,000. The only loss of his career came to the highly touted and unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev.

UFC debut/co-main event: Antonio Trocoli

Record: 12-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC
Opponent: Ikram Aliskerov (15-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Misc.: Trocoli is stepping in for Andre Muniz, who pulled out of the fight, and he goes right to the co-main event slot for his UFC debut. Trocoli’s path to the UFC has been odd. He won on DWCS in 2019, but had it overturned for a failed drug test. He didn’t fight again until 2021, but pulled out of a 2022 UFC debut against Ovince St. Preux, and pulled out last month against Oumar Sy. He’s a huge underdog around +600.

UFC debut: Julia Polastri

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 12: Julia Polastri of Brazil has her hands wrapped prior to her fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season seven, week six at UFC APEX on September 12, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Record: 12-3
Opponent: Josefine Knutsson (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Division: Women’s strawweight
Misc.: The 26-year-old Brazilian lost her first shot on DWCS in 2021, but went on a 3-0 run to get another shot. This past September, she choked out Patricia Alujas to win a contract. She was supposed to debut in March, but had two different fights canceled. Now she makes her long-awaited UFC debut.