Here's every fight on the UFC 291 card in Salt Lake City, and the one that didn't make it

SALT LAKE CITY — It seemed like nothing could interrupt UFC 291 from being a success Saturday night at the Delta Center.

Until one fighter didn't make weight.

All but one of the 12 bouts scheduled will run on the ESPN+ pay-per-view card in UFC's second return to the Salt Lake Valley in just over a year, after welterweight Michel Pereira failed to make weight Friday morning.

Pereira, who did not weigh in under the 171-pound limit for the first time since 2019, saw his main card against welterweight challenger Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson scratched after the 29-year-old Brazilian jujitsu specialist weighed in at 174 pounds.

As a result, the heavyweight fight between Derrick Lewis and Marcos Rogerio de Lima was promoted to the main card from the preliminary card.

It's the first time Pereira did not make weight since the UFC Vancouver event in September 2019, when he went on to lose by unanimous decision to Tristan Connelly.

The fight was supposed to be Thompson's 20th fight in the UFC, a milestone for the 40-year-old fighter nicknamed "Wonderboy" who first broke into the promotino in 2012.

"This is UFC fight 20 for me? Shut your butt," Thompson said during UFC 291 media day. "This is crazy. That is wild, man."

Thompson was looking forward to the matchup, too.

"You've seen the guy fight; he cuts flips, he runs across the cage," said Thompson, who moonlights as an analyst. "I think he's going to be fighter for this one at a higher altitude. He's been known to fatigue, so I think he knows that and came out here a little early. ... I still think he's going to do something crazy, just to try to throw me off. I would expect him to try to get me up against the cage and control me there. Where ever the fight goes, I'm going to be ready for it."

The main card will be available on ESPN+ pay-per-view, while the prelims will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. The night begins with the early prelims beginning at 4:30 p.m. MDT on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.

Here's a brief look at the other fights on the UFC 291 card.

Main card

Main event: Dustin Poirier (155) vs. Justin Gaethje (156)

Not officially a title bout, the lightweight bout will award the BMF title belt to the winner after current belt holder Jorge Masvidal retired earlier this year.

The rematch of a 2018 fight Poirier won by fifth-round TKO in 2018 with a punch to the head, second-ranked Poirier enters the match with a 29-7 record to No. 3 Gaethje's 24-4.

Both fighters are known for their showmanship, ranking among the most Fight of the Night bonuses in UFC history. Poirier is coming off a thrilling submission win over Michael Chandler last year, which followed the dynamic striker's victory over Conor McGregor, Max Holloway and Eddie Alvarez.

Former interim lightweight champion Gaethje, who fights out of nearby Denver, has risen to become one of the top fighters in his division with wins over Chandler, Donald Cerrone and Rafael Fiziev, among others.

Co-main event: Jan Blachowicz (205) vs Alex Pereira (205.5)

If Poirier-Gaethje doesn't entertain enough, the top fight might go to Blachowicz's attempt to hold off challenger Pereira in a light heavyweight match.

The Polish power enters with an overall record of 29-9-1, a dominant fighter who holds recent wins over Israel Adesanya, Luke Rockhold and Dominick Reyes.

A win over Pereira, the Brazilian native who fights out of Danbury, Connecticut with a 7-2 record, would likely grant Blachowicz a shot at the light heavyweight title. But the former kickboxer Pereira comes in confident following knockout wins over Adesanya, Sean Strickland and Andreas Michailidis.

Lightweight bout: Tony Ferguson (155) vs. Bobby Green (155.5)

A match between two of the top talkers in UFC, Ferguson (26-8) looks to defend his record against Green (29-14-1), who fights out of Fontana, California, but was one of several fighters based in Salt Lake City while working through Strikeforce until he debuted at UFC 156 in 2013.

"I felt like Strikeforce was my coming out party," Green said. "This is symbolic for me; Salt Lake means the world to me in terms of giving back. There were a lot of guys who came along the way who helped me. My coach Jeremy Horn ... gave me so much. He'll be at the fight, and I will try to honor him for taking care of this little Black kid. I want to tell him, I haven't forgot him."

Welterweight bout: Michael Chiesa (170) vs. Kevin Holland (169.5)

The No. 12-ranked welterweight contender in the world, Chiesa (18-6) locks horns with Kevin Holland (24-9) in a matchup that brings the Spokane Valley fighter to the arena where former local legend John Stockton played out his NBA Hall of Fame career.

Chiesa was so awe-struck by the moment that he wore a white Utah Jazz jersey with Stockton's No. 12 on it during the pre-match press conference. Will a win earn him a statue next to Stock in the arena plaza?

Heavyweight bout: Derrick Lewis (263.5) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (262)

Originally a preliminary bout, Lewis' shot at the UFC all-time knockout record was promoted to the main card after Pereira's scratch, according to MMA Fighting. But the 26-11 fighter out of Houston will face a challenger from Rogerio de Lima, the Sao Paulo, Brazil-based fighter with a 21-9-1 record.

Prelims

Welterweight bout: Gabriel Bonfim (170) vs. Trevin Giles (170)

The undefeated Bonfim (14-0) from Brasilia, Brazil, puts his perfect record on the line against Houston's Giles (16-4).

Middleweight bout: Roman Kopylov (185) vs. Claudio Ribeiro (185.5)

Two international rising stars face off as Kopylov (10-2, fighting out of Bachatsky, Kemerovo, Russia) goes up against Ribeiro (11-3, fighting out of Jundiai, Sao Paulo, Brazil).

Welterweight bout: Jake Matthews (170) vs. Darrius Flowers (170.5)

Flowers (12-5-1) makes his debut in the UFC after earning a contract for his first-round win over Amiran Gogoladze on season six of Dana White's Contender Series.

Originally scheduled to debut in February, Flowrs withdrew from the fight because of a United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspension. He'll now get his chance at Matthews, a UFC veteran with an 18-6 record whose initial opponent Miguel Baeza withdrew for unknown reasons.

Early prelims

Flyweight bout: CJ Vergara (125.5) vs. Vinicius Salvador (128.5)

Salvador will forfeit 20% of his pursue to Vergara after weighting in over the 126-pound limit, but the fight will go on between the Brazilian fighter with a 14-5 record and Vergara, who has an 11-4-1 record fighting out of San Antonio.

Welterweight bout: Matthew Semelsberger (169.5) vs. Uros Medic (170.5)

Two more rising challengers collide when the third-year fighter "Semi the Jedi" (11-5) clashes with Medic (8-1) after initially being scheduled to fight Canada's Yohan Lainesse, who withdrew due to illness.

Women's flyweight bout: Miranda Maverick (125.5) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (125)

Cachoeira (12-4, fighting out of Bangu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) was originally scheduled to fight Scotland's Joanne Wood, but will instead face Maverick (11-5) following a withdrawal for visa reasons.

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