UFC 266 is just days away, and the overseeing sanctioning body has selected the officials for the two title fights on tap.
For the UFC featherweight title fight between champion Alexander Volkanovski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and Brian Ortega (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), veteran referee Herb Dean will serve as the third man inside the cage. Judges Mike Bell, Sal D’Amato, and Junichiro Kamijo will be the three cageside judges.
For the co-main event, in which women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (21-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will defend her title against first-time challenger Lauren Murphy (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC), the referee will be Keith Peterson. The selected judges are Eric Colon, Chris Lee, and Dave Hagen.
The referees involved in the title fights will be paid $2,500, while the judges will each pocket $2,000.
UFC 266 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for featherweight title
- Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy – for women’s flyweight title
- Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Marlon Moraes vs. Merab Dvalishvili
- Nasrat Haqparast vs. Dan Hooker
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Chris Daukaus
- Roxanne Modafferi vs. Taila Santos
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
- Uros Medic vs. Jalin Turner
- Manon Fiorot vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
- Karl Roberson vs. Nick Maximov
- Martin Sano vs. Matthew Semelsberger
- Omar Morales vs. Jonathan Pearce
