UFC 194 lineup set – with Faber, Waterson, Torres, Lee, Makdessi, McGee on prelims

How deep is next month’s “UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor” lineup? Deep enough that a number of familiar names, including former title challenger Urijah Faber and ex-Invicta FC champ Michelle Waterson, are on the preliminary card.

UFC 194 takes place Dec. 12 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Two title fights co-headline the show. In the main event, featherweight champion Jose Aldo (25-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who’s ranked No. 1 in the NOS Energy Drink MMA featherweight rankings, looks to unify the title when he meets interim champ and No. 2-ranked Conor McGregor (18-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC). And in the co-main event, middleweight champ and No. 1-ranked Chris Weidman (13-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) takes on No. 2-ranked Luke Rockhold (14-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) to determine the sport’s No. 1 185-pounder.

Rounding out the main card are No. 3 middleweight Ronaldo Souza (22-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) vs. No. 4 Yoel Romero (10-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC), No. 10 welterweight Demian Maia (21-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) vs. No. 15 Gunnar Nelson (14-1-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), and No. 6 featherweight Max Holloway (14-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) vs. No. 12 Jeremy Stephens (24-11 MMA, 11-10 UFC).

In the featured prelim, No. 5 bantamweight Faber (32-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) takes on Frankie Saenz (11-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC), which is preceded by a strawweight bout between No. 12 Tecia Torres (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and honorable mention Waterson (13-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC).

Despite rumors of Aldo possibly pulling out of the event, UFC President Dana White recently said the longtime Brazilian champ is good to go. He also said the event will do a staggering $9 million gate.

The full UFC 194 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

• Champ Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor – for featherweight title
• Champ Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold – for middleweight title
• Yoel Romero vs. Ronaldo Souza
• Demian Maia vs. Gunnar Nelson
• Max Holloway vs. Jeremy Stephens

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

• Urijah Faber vs. Frankie Saenz
• Tecia Torres vs. Michelle Waterson
• Warlley Alves vs. Colby Covington
• Kevin Lee vs. Leonardo Santos

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

• Magomed Mustafaev vs. Joe Proctor
• John Makdessi vs. Yancy Medeiros
• Marcio Alexandre Jr. vs. Court McGee

For more on UFC 194, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.