UFC moves Noche card early to avoid Garcia-Benn boxing clash

The UFC is shifting its Noche event to a morning start time to avoid overlapping with the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn boxing card on Mexican Independence Day weekend.

According to MMA Mania, the promotion announced that Noche UFC on Sept. 12 will begin its prelims at 1 p.m. ET, with the main card following at 5 p.m. ET. That puts the first fight at 10 a.m. local time in Glendale, Arizona, where the card takes place at Desert Diamond Arena. The unusual scheduling clears the evening for Zuffa Boxing's Garcia-Benn superfight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Why UFC gave boxing priority on Mexican Independence Day weekend

Both events stream on Paramount Plus, which reportedly did not want viewer overlap between the two promotions. UFC CEO Dana White now juggles dual duties across both companies — he led the Garcia-Benn press conference in New York on Saturday before flying to Oklahoma City for UFC Fight Night the same evening.

The card will feature returns from former Mexican flyweight champions Brandon Moreno and Alexa Grasso, though the main event has not been announced. MMA Mania noted the irony that Noche UFC, which translates to UFC Night, will run in the morning rather than prime time. Last year White prioritized Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford over the UFC's Mexican Independence Day offering.

The Noche UFC main event is expected to be revealed later this week, with the full card streaming exclusively on Paramount Plus beginning at 1 p.m. ET on Sept. 12.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Noche UFC? More like Mañana UFC as fights moved early to avoid Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn event