UFC 251: Usman vs Masvidal from UFC FIGHT ISLAND on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi Exclusively on ESPN+, ESPN and ESPN Deportes

UFC 251: Usman vs Masvidal streams exclusively on ESPN+ PPV this Saturday, July 11, at 10 p.m. ET, when the Octagon travels to Yas Island, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. UFC 251: Usman vs Masvidal will feature three championship bouts and kicks off a series of four events from UFC FIGHT ISLAND. UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, in his second title defense, faces No. 3-ranked contender and baddest in the sport, Jorge Masvidal, in the main event. The co-main will feature a rematch between featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski against former division champion and No. 1 contender Max Holloway.

Saturday’s coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET, with a live one-hour UFC Live: Usman vs. Masvidal Pre-Show on ABC. Live coverage continues at 6 p.m. ET, with the prelims on ESPN, ESPN Deportes (Spanish), and ESPN+ (English, Spanish). On Friday, UFC Live will air on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET, providing fans with exclusive insights and views on the biggest stories heading into UFC 251.

Usman (16-1-0), who has been unbeaten for over seven years, enters the Octagon for his second title defense, following a dominant win over rival and former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington. He captured the welterweight title March of last year after defeating Tyron Woodley by unanimous decision in the UFC 235 co-main event.

Masvidal (35-13-0), considered one of the best in the sport, will challenge for the UFC title for the first time in his career, stepping in on short notice to replace No. 1 contender Gilbert Burns, who tested positive for COVID-19. The Miami native had a spectacular year in 2019, with stunning wins against Nate Diaz at UFC 244, and Ben Askren at UFC 239, where he defeated Askren by scoring the fastest KO in UFC history with a flying knee, along with a KO victory over former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till in the main event of UFC London.

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (21-1-0), defending his belt, squares off against former division king Max Holloway (21-5-0), who will attempt to regain his throne in a rematch of their battle at UFC 245. In the third title fight of the night, a new UFC bantamweight champion will be crowned when Petr Yan (14-1-0), who is coming off a knockout win over UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber at UFC 245, faces former two-time UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (28-6-0) for the UFC bantamweight title vacated by Henry Cejudo following his retirement at UFC 249.

UFC 251 on ESPN+: Usman vs. Masvidal Content

• Unlocking Victory: UFC 251. Former UFC and WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and former WEC and Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez break down the first matchup between Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas; available on ESPN+
• UFC 251: Embedded, UFC’s all-access series, follows fighters on the pay-per-view card throughout fight week and will have a new post daily on ESPN+
• Extensive week-long coverage highlighted by a live one-hour UFC 251 Pre-Show on ABC at 2 p.m. ET

Watch:

• Best of UFC on ESPN+

ESPN.com:

• UFC 251: Why Alexander Volkanovski’s title defense may hinge on MMA’s latest fad
• Marc Raimondi: From the White House to the Raptors, the road to Max Holloway, Inc.
• Brett Okamoto: The inspirational story of Kamaru Usman’s relationship with his father, Muhammed Usman. (Out Thursday)
• MMA Fightcenter: live statistics and fighter profile cards
• UFC on ESPN: Complete schedule

Social: @ESPNMMA Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Fans can sign-up for ESPN+ at any time at ESPNPlus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App and purchase the UFC 251 PPV.

UFC 251 on ESPN+: Usman vs Masvidal Programming 

(All times ET) 

Fri., 7/10

9 a.m. -- UFC 251 Weigh-In Show: Usman vs. Masvidal (ESPN+)
12 p.m. -- UFC 251 Pre-Show: Usman vs. Masvidal (ESPN+)

8 p.m. -- UFC Live: Usman vs. Masvidal (ESPN

Sat., 7/11

2 p.m. -- UFC Live: Usman vs. Masvidal Pre-Show  (ABC)
6 p.m. -- UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal (Prelims) ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ (English and Spanish)
10 p.m. -- UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal (Main Card) ESPN+ PPV (English and Spanish)

1 a.m. -- UFC 251 Post Show: Usman vs. Masvidal ESPN+

Full UFC 251: Usman vs Masvidal fight card

About UFC®

UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 318 million fans and 102 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly one billion TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 65 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the leading direct-to-consumer sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown quickly to 7.9 million subscribers, offering fans thousands of live events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, thousands of college sports events (including football and basketball) from more than a dozen sports at 20 conferences, hundreds of MLB and NHL games, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, Bundesliga - beginning in 2020, EFL Championship and Carabao Cup, Eredivisie), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, exclusive ESPN+ Original series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films._

Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) through the ESPN App, (on mobile and connected devices), ESPN.com or ESPNplus.com. It is also available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported), and ESPN+ — all for just $12.99/month

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise, features more than 50 assets – nine U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.