Ranking the fights at UFC 273

A championship prizefight makes a Saturday night feel special. And when there are two tussles for titles on the fight card, that doubles the big-event exhilaration. This weekend’s UFC 273 (Saturday, 10 p.m., on ESPN+ PPV) offers all that and more. The 13-fight event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, is packed with storylines and intrigue.

There’s the first top-10 test for a fast-rising star whose every performance thus far has been astoundingly dominant. Two former title challengers are on the card, not even counting the two bouts at the top of the bill. A couple of fights will feature prospects from ESPN’s ranking of the top 25 fighters under age 25. There also will be two multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champions and an Olympic medalist in wrestling who is undefeated in MMA.

Those are a lot of career accomplishments packed into one night. What are the names attached to them? You’ll find them in this ranking of Saturday’s fights, listed by entertainment value and degree to which it would be unwise to step away for refreshments.

1. Men’s bantamweight championship: Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Petr Yan (ic)

It is just the co-main event, but there’s something dizzying that elevates this matchup above all else on the dance card. How often do we see a champion as an underdog? Sure, it happens occasionally — just two months ago, the betting odds were stacked against Francis Ngannou for his fight against Ciryl Gane — but Sterling-Yan has the added lagniappe offering of being a rematch with a twist.