Including A BMF Title Fight

The UFC takes a week off to begin July 2025, but the promotion returns on July 12 to start a run of nine consecutive weekends of fight cards. The July UFC schedule features a mix of offerings with a UFC Fight Night, a pay-per-view card, and a UFC on ABC event.

Below, we look at the full UFC schedule for July 2025.

UFC Schedule July 2025: UFC Nashville

On July 12 the UFC returns to Nashville, Tennessee for the first time since August 2023. The fast approaching UFC Nashville fight card is headlined by a heavyweight matchup between former UFC heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis and the undefeated Tallison Teixeira. UFC Nashville takes place at Bridgestone Arena.

UFC Nashville airs on ESPN and ESPN+. The main card begins at 9:00 p.m. ET following prelims on the same networks at 6:00 p.m. ET

UFC Nashville Fight Card

UFC Nashville Main Card

Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira – Heavyweight

Stephen Thompson vs. Gabriel Bonfim – Welterweight

Calvin Kattar vs. Steve Garcia – Featherweight

Nate Landwehr vs. Morgan Charriere – Featherweight

Vitor Petrino vs. Austen Lane – Heavyweight

Junior Tafa vs. Tuco Tokkos – Light Heavyweight

UFC Nashville Preliminary Card

Max Griffin vs. Chris Curtis – Welterweight

Jake Matthews vs. Chidi Njokuani – Welterweight

Lauren Murphy vs. Eduarda Moura – Women’s Flyweight

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Valter Walker – Heavyweight

Mitch Ramirez vs. Mike Davis – Lightweight

Max Griffin vs. Chris Curtis – Welterweight

Fatima Kline vs. Melissa Martinez – Strawweight

UFC Schedule July 2025: UFC 318 Pay-Per-View

The next UFC pay-per-view card, UFC 318, takes place on July 19 at Smoothie King Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. At the top of the card is the trilogy fight between two of the most respected and entertaining fighters in UFC history, Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier. Holloway’s BMF title will be on the line that night. The matchup is also Poirier’s retirement fight.

The UFC 318 main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view at 10:00 p.m. ET. The ESPN Prelims air at 8:00 p.m. ET, and the event kicks off at 6:15 p.m. ET with the ESPN+ streaming early prelims.

UFC 318 Main Card: Holloway Vs. Poirier 3

Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier – Lightweight – For Holloway’s BMF title

Dan Ige vs. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire – Featherweight

Ateba Gautier vs. Robert Valentin – Middleweight

Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov – Middleweight

Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber – Lightweight

Other Official Fights For UFC 318

Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen – Middleweight

Kyler Phillips vs. Vinicius Oliveira – Bantamweight

Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferreira – Middleweight

Neil Magny vs. Gunnar Nelson – Welterweight

Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio – Light Heavyweight

Adam Fugitt vs. Islam Dulatov – Welterweight

Carli Judice vs. Nicolle Caliari – Women’s Flyweight

UFC Schedule July 2025: UFC Abu Dhabi

The UFC is back in Abu Dhabi on July 26 for a UFC Fight Night card at Etihad Arena. UFC CEO Dana White recently announced the first six matchups for that fight card, including the main event, which pits former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker against the rising Reinier de Ridder. In the evening’s co-main event, Aaron Pico makes his UFC debut opposite Movsar Evloev in a five-round featherweight matchup.

The main card for UFC Abu Dhabi airs on ABC at 3:00 p.m. ET. The prelims start at noon ET on ESPN and ESPN+.

UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card: Official Fights

Robert Whittaker vs. Renier de Ridder – Middleweight

Movsar Evloev vs. Aaron Pico – Featherweight

Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee – Bantamweight

Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov – Bantamweight

Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault – Middleweight

Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov – Light Heavyweight

Asu Almabayev vs. Ramazan Temirov – Flyweight

İbo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana – Light Heavyweight

UFC 318 Fight Card: Holloway Vs. Poirier 3 Main Event

Dustin Poirier (30-9-0-1) has been a UFC fighter since 2011. At the time he had a 7-1 record. Between 2011 and 2018, Poirier went 16-4-0-1, picking up notable wins over Max Holloway, Bobby Green, Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, and Eddie Alvarez. His losses during that stretch came to The Korean Zombie, Cub Swanson, Conor McGregor, and Michael Johnson.

Poirier’s wins over Miller, Pettis, Gaethje, and Alvarez set him up to fight for the interim UFC lightweight title against then-UFC featherweight titleholder Max Holloway. Poirier was the No. 3 ranked fighter in the UFC 155-pound division at the time, April 2019. Poirier claimed the interim crown with a decision win.

In September 2019, Poirier faced Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout. Nurmagomedov won that contest by third-round submission.

Three wins after that, including two TKO victories over Conor McGregor, put Poirier in another lightweight title fight. He lost that battle to Charles Oliveira, falling to a rear-naked choke in the third round of their December 2021 matchup.

The 36-year-old Poirier is 2-2 since that setback with wins over Michael Chandler and Benoit Saint Denis. Poirier’s losses during that run came against Justin Gaethje for the BMF title and, most recently, opposite Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 302 in June 2024.

Poirier has 15 fight-night bonus awards, which ties him for fourth all-time in that category. Poirier is the No. 5 ranked UFC lightweight.

Max Holloway (26-8) has been with the UFC since 2012. If there’s a stat that the UFC tracks, chances are Holloway is among the leaders. He holds the UFC featherweight record for wins (20), finishes (11), knockouts (nine), win streak (13 straight), total fight time (6:58:57), significant strikes landed (2,971), and total strikes landed (3,180). Holloway’s overall UFC records include significant strikes landed (3,457) and total strikes landed (3,706).

Holloway’s run as UFC featherweight champ began in June 2017 when he knocked out Jose Aldo. Holloway entered that contest as the interim champ, a belt he won by knocking out Anthony Pettis in December 2016. He defended his title against Aldo (TKO), Brian Ortega (TKO), and Frankie Edgar (decision). He also attempted to win the interim UFC lightweight belt during that run, but he fell short, dropping a decision to Dustin Poirier.

Holloway’s championship run ended in December 2019 when Alexander Volkanovski beat him by decision. Volkanovski retained the title in an immediate rematch.

Wins over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez earned Holloway another shot at Volkanovski and his title in July 2022, but the champ retained his belt with a decision win.

Holloway followed that setback with wins over Arnold Allen, the Korean Zombie, and Justin Gaethje. The Gaethje victory, a fight that many voted “Fight of the Year” and “Knockout of the Year,” earned Holloway the BMF title. That fight took place at 155 pounds.

Holloway followed his BMF title win with the first knockout loss of his career, falling to Ilia Topuria in a UFC featherweight title fight in October 2024.

Holloway is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC featherweight rankings. He is also ranked at No. 12 at 155 pounds and sits at No. 12 in the pound-for-pound rankings.

ForbesDana White: UFC 318 Was Built For Big Star Dustin Poirier’s RetirementBy Trent Reinsmith

UFC 318: Holloway Vs. Poirier Previous Meetings

Poirier is 2-0 against Holloway. They first met in a featherweight scrap at UFC 143 in February 2012. The bout was Holloway’s fifth pro fight and first as a member of the UFC. He was 4-0 heading into the contest. Meanwhile, Poirier had been with the WEC/UFC for two years by then with a 11-1 pro record. Poirier won that fight, and earned Submission of the Night, for his first-round triangle armbar stoppage.

The two faced off for the second time in April 2019 at UFC 236. That matchup was for the interim UFC lightweight title. Poirier won that “Fight of the Night” bonus-winning scrap. Poirier failed to unify the title, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov by submission at UFC 242 in September 2019.

We will have more on the UFC schedule for July 2025 as each event nears, as well as results on fight night.