UFC 335 closes out the numbered calendar on Dec 12 in Las Vegas.

The arena hosted UFC 329 in July, and that card set the venue's biggest gate ever at $26.4 million. That is a big act to follow.

The UFC also has Gane vs Hokit and Harrison vs Nunes at Madison Square Garden on Nov 14, so December has to bring its own energy.

Main card

Sean Strickland (c) vs Nassourdine Imavov, middleweight title

Strickland is a two time champion again. He beat Khamzat Chimaev by split decision at UFC 328 in May and handed him his first loss. It was close, and only 11 of 24 media outlets scored it for Strickland. He then dealt with a shoulder injury that pushed back his first title defense.

Imavov has waited for this. He is on five straight wins over Dolidze, Cannonier, Allen, Adesanya and Borralho, and he has not fought in nearly a year. The two have met before. Strickland won a decision in January 2023 in a short notice light heavyweight fight. Imavov has said the UFC promised him the title next. Chimaev is already saying he will fight the winner, and Dricus du Plessis' camp wants a trilogy with Strickland. Whoever wins here has a line of people waiting.
 

Alex Pereira vs Sergei Pavlovich, heavyweight

Pereira's heavyweight debut went badly. Ciryl Gane knocked him out in round 2 at 1:27 at UFC Freedom 250, and his record fell to 13 and 4. He has said he is staying at heavyweight and going after the title. What he needs now is a win in the division.

Pavlovich is a good test. He is 21 and 3 and on a three fight win streak. His last fight was a first round knockout of Tallison Teixeira in 39 seconds. He has been in this spot before, since he lost the interim title fight to Tom Aspinall in round 1 back in 2023. Pereira gets a win at heavyweight, and Pavlovich gets a big name.

Charles Oliveira vs Diego Lopes, lightweight, BMF title

Oliveira is 37 and 11 with one no contest. He took the BMF belt from Max Holloway at UFC 326 in March. He has said he wants one more fight before the year ends. Yahoo Sports

Lopes is 28 and 8 and needs a new start. After two losses to Alexander Volkanovski at featherweight, he is moving up to 155. He wanted to make his lightweight debut this year, and he is coming off a violent finish of Steve Garcia in June. Lopes is also one of the few fighters who can hang with Oliveira on the ground. Two Brazilian finishers with a belt on the line.

Robert Whittaker vs Reinier de Ridder, light heavyweight

This is a rematch but now at Light Heavyweight. In July 2025 de Ridder won a split decision in Abu Dhabi. The numbers were lopsided. He outlanded Whittaker 192 to 70 in total strikes and controlled him for more than nine minutes.

Both men have moved up since. Whittaker, 35, made his light heavyweight debut in July and stopped Nikita Krylov at 1:01 of round 3. It was his first win since June 2024. De Ridder stopped Roman Dolidze in August for his first win at 205. Now they meet again in a new division.

Tommy McMillen vs Vinicius Oliveira, featherweight

McMillen is 12 and 0, and has earned a bonus in each of his three UFC fights. His most recent one was Fight of the Night against Marwan Rahiki on Sept 12. He trains with Sean O'Malley at Red Hawk, and his first two UFC wins each brought a $100,000 bonus.

Oliveira is a former bantamweight contender who moved up after his loss to Mario Bautista and some brutal weight cuts. He stopped Andre Fili in round 2 in June in his featherweight debut. Both men want a ranking. Someone gets it.

Prelims

Luke Riley vs Steve Garcia, featherweight

Riley is 14 and 0, with 10 knockouts and 5 first round finishes. In July he stopped Kai Kamaka III in round 1 at UFC 329. He is also Paddy Pimblett's main sparring partner.

Garcia is 19 and 6 and lost to Lopes in June. He is known for knockouts and has climbed the all time featherweight knockout list. That makes it a real step up for the unbeaten Riley.

Geoff Neal vs Sam Patterson, welterweight

Neal is 16 and 8 with 10 knockouts. He has lost his last two by first round knockout. Carlos Prates got him in August 2025 and Uros Medic in 79 seconds in February. His last win was a first round knockout of Rafael dos Anjos in October 2024. He then pulled out of UFC 330 with an injury, so he has not fought since February. He turned 36 in August.

Patterson is 15 and 3 and 1 draw, with 7 knockouts and 7 submissions. He stopped Santiago Ponzinibbio in round 2 in July after a decision loss to Michael Page in March. He has said he treats a decision win as a kind of failure. That is bad news for Neal who arguably has a chin problem. fightomicfightomic

Alexia Thainara vs Gillian Robertson, strawweight

Thainara is 15 and 1 on a 13 fight win streak, with 8 wins by submission. She beat Amanda Lemos by unanimous decision on Aug 8.

A week later, Robertson fought for the belt. Mackenzie Dern won a unanimous decision and controlled her for over 10 minutes. CBS Sports said Robertson barely got going until the fifth round, and it named this exact matchup as one to make. Thainara gets a big name. Robertson gets a chance to bounce back. cbssports

Early prelims

Austin Vanderford vs Ronald Humphrey, welterweight

Humphrey just got here. He earned a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series on Aug 25 with a first round rear naked choke on Alexis Miranda. He is 5 and 0 with five finishes. He goes by "The Career Ender" and his late father, Ron "Abongo" Humphrey, also fought in Strikeforce.

Vanderford has been around. He is 13 and 3 and 36 years old. He fought Gegard Mousasi for the Bellator middleweight title in 2022, and knocked out Nikolay Veretennikov in his UFC debut in February 2025. His last fight was a guillotine loss to Ramiz Brahimaj in October 2025. He then withdrew from a February fight. He is also the husband of former UFC fighter Paige VanZant. A veteran against a hyped debutant makes for a good early test.

Ty Miller vs Jonathan Micallef, welterweight

Miller is 26 and 8 and 0 with one no contest. He is 2 and 0 in the UFC. Both wins were knockouts that earned Performance of the Night bonuses. The latest came 15 seconds into round 3 against Billy Ray Goff on Aug 8.

Micallef is 10 and 1 and 3 and 0 in the UFC, on five straight wins. He submitted Oban Elliott in January and beat Themba Gorimbo by split decision in Perth in May. Someone's UFC record has to give.

Why this card works

The top of the card has a title fight, a heavyweight redemption spot, a BMF belt and a rematch between two former middleweight stars. The undercard has unbeaten prospects, a debut and veterans trying to stay relevant. The UFC has not booked any of it yet. If it did, December would be a good night.