UFC returns June 28 with dual-event day, 2:30 a.m. ET start time

After taking the week off this week, the UFC returns on June 28 with a dual-event day – one that starts at 2:30 a.m. ET (11:30 p.m. PT).

UFC Fight Fight Night 43 takes place at Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The entire card streams on UFC Fight Pass starting at 2:30 a.m. ET.

UFC Fight Night 43 features a middleweight headliner between Nate Marquardt (32-13-2 MMA, 10-6 UFC) and James Te Huna (16-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC). Additionally, heavyweights Soa Palelei (21-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and Jared Rosholt (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) clash in the co-headliner.

UFC Fight Night 44, meanwhile, kicks off later that day at 8 p.m. ET. The event, the bulk of which airs on FOX Sports 1 following a lone prelim on UFC Fight Pass, takes place at San Antonio’s AT&T Center.

In the headliner, featherweight contenders Cub Swanson (20-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Jeremy Stephens (23-9 MMA, 10-8 UFC) look to solidify top-contender status. The co-main event features welterweights Kelvin Gastelum (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) vs. Nicholas Musoke (12-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

UFC Fight Night 43 and UFC Fight Night 44 mark the second dual-event day in UFC history. As part of its expansion efforts this year, the organization hosted the first one on May 31 with UFC Fight Night 41 in Berlin and the TUF Brazil 3 Finale in Sao Paulo.

The full UFC Fight Night 43 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 5 a.m. ET)

• Nate Marquardt vs. James Te Huna
• Soa Palelei vs. Jared Rosholt
• Hatsu Hioki vs. Charles Oliveira
• Robert Whittaker vs. Mike Rhodes

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 2:30 a.m. ET)

• Dashon Johnson vs. Jake Matthews
• Roldan Sangcha-an vs. Richie Vaculik
• Vik Grujic vs. Chris Indich
• Claudio Henrique da Silva vs. Neil Magny
• Ian Entwistle vs. Daniel Hooker
• Sean O’Connell vs. Gian Villante

The full UFC Fight Night 44 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (FOX Sports 1, 10 p.m. ET)

• Cub Swanson vs. Jeremy Stephens
• Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nicholas Musoke
• Andrew Craig vs. Cezar Ferreira
• Hacran Dias vs. Ricardo Lamas
• Clint Hester vs. Antonio Braga Neto
• Bryan Barberena vs. Joe Ellenberger

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)

• Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Colton Smith
• Johnny Bedford vs. Cody Gibson
• Andy Enz vs. Marcelo Guimaraes
• Ryan Benoit vs. Ray Borg

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 7:30 p.m. ET)

• Anthony Hamilton vs. Oleksiy Oliynyk

For more on UFC Fight Night 43 and UFC Fight Night 44, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Cub Swanson)