UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier III has Heavyweight Championship and Legacy on the Line, exclusively on ESPN+, ESPN and ESPN Deportes

• UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier III headlined by trilogy tiebreaker between, arguably, the top two heavyweights in UFC history
• Main Card at 10 p.m. ET, Exclusively on ESPN+ PPV; Prelims at 7 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes
• Pre-fight coverage throughout the week highlighted by UFC Live: Miocic vs Cormier III Pre-Show on ABC, Saturday at 1 p.m. ET
• Celebrities and Fighters Clash in EA SPORTS UFC 4 Virtual Fight Card Friday
• Pop Smoke’s “Shake the Room” at heart of UFC 252 promotional soundtrack
• To subscribe or purchase PPV, visit ESPNPlus.com/ufc
• ESPN+ available on ESPN.com and ESPN App for mobile and connected TV devices

UFC 252: Miocic vs Cormier III streams exclusively on ESPN+ PPV this Saturday, August 15 at 10 p.m. ET, when the heavyweight championship, and the legacy as – arguably – the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time, are on the line. Saturday’s main event will, once again, see heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic (19-3) defending his title against former two-division champ Daniel Cormier (22-2, 1 NC). Cormier ended Miocic’s record run of three straight heavyweight title defenses in their first meeting in 2018, and Miocic regained the title from Cormier last year at UFC 241. The winner of the trilogy grudge match will have a strong claim as UFC’s greatest heavyweight of all time.

In the co-main, unbeaten and no. 14-ranked UFC bantamweight “Suga” Sean O’Malley (12-0) will try to continue his run up the 135-pound ranks against Ecuadorian battler “Chito” Marlon Vera (15-6-1), who enters the Octagon having won five of his last six bouts. Since breaking into UFC in 2017, O’Malley has quickly become a fan favorite. Saturday will mark his third fight of 2020 already – having dispatched both Jose Quiñónez and former WEC bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland with first round knockouts in March and June, respectively. Vera is coming off his only loss since 2018, a controversial decision defeat to no. 13-ranked Song Yadong in May.

Elsewhere on the main card, the no. 5- and no.6-ranked heavyweights also face each other, as former UFC champion Junior Dos Santos (21-7) and Jairzinho Rozenstruik (10-1) face off in the Octagon – with each looking to establish a possible path back into championship contention. Illustrating the depth of the heavyweight competition behind Miocic and Cormier, Dos Santos enters the fight having beaten no.4 Derrick Lewis last year, but losing since then to both no. 2-ranked Francis Ngannou and no. 3-ranked Curtis Blaydes. Meanwhile, Rozenstruik will look to get back on a rising track in the heavyweight rankings, following his first-ever defeat – a 20-second knockout loss to Ngannou in May.

Saturday’s coverage begins at 1 p.m., with a one-hour UFC Live: Miocic vs Cormier III Pre-Show, live on ABC. Live coverage continues at 7 p.m., with the prelims on ESPN, ESPN Deportes (Spanish), and ESPN+ (English and Spanish). On Friday, UFC Live will air on ESPN2 at 7 p.m., providing fans with exclusive insights and views on the biggest stories heading into UFC 252.

Celebrities and Fighters Clash in EA SPORTS UFC 4 Virtual Fight Card (Fri. @7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
=1remOn Friday, EA SPORTS will host the EA SPORTS UFC Virtual Card to commemorate the worldwide launch of EA SPORTS UFC 4. The event will be live on ESPN2 and feature stars ranging from Marvel and The Wire actor Idris Elba, Heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, popular Twitch streamer Lirik, WWE’s favorite sisters, the Bella Twins, food enthusiast and rapper Action Bronson, comedian Hannibal Buress, former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, UFC 4 cover star Jorge Masvidal and more. Fight fans can tune in for the event beginning at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2, the ESPN App or the official UFC YouTube or Twitch channels. The event will be hosted by ESPN’s Mike Greenberg and Dianna Russini.

Pop Smoke’s “Shake the Room” drives UFC 252: Miocic vs Cormier III Promo
=1remIn the buildup to UFC 252: Miocic vs Cormier III, ESPN released a new promotional spot, set to recording artist Pop Smoke’s “Shake the Room” featuring Quavo. Just like every fighter has their entrance music, every UFC event does too. The late rapper’s music reflects the relentlessness and energy it takes to battle in the Octagon, making it especially relevant to this trilogy. Watch it here

UFC 252: Miocic vs Cormier III content on ESPN+:

• Unlocking Victory: UFC 252 – as Cormier and Miocic prepare to face off for their heavyweight legacies, Dominick Cruz, Angela Hill, Gilbert Melendez and Hyder Amil examine the keys to victory for both fighters.
• UFC 252: Embedded – in the buildup to UFC 252, viewers are taken behind the scenes with Miocic and Cormier as they train and prepare for the final fight in their trilogy. episode 1, episode 2
• ALSO WATCH: Best of UFC on ESPN+

ESPN.com:

• Daniel Cormier, in a first-person essay, talks about his storied career on the eve of what is expected to be his final fight.
• UFC 252: The inside story of Stipe Miocic’s ’I found it’ moment vs. Daniel Cormier
• 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 UFC 252: Miocic vs Cormier III PPV.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the 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 to reach 8.5 million subscribers and offers fans thousands of live events, original programming not available on ESPN’s TV networks, as well as premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, college sports (including football, basketball and nearly a dozen other sports from 20 conferences), hundreds of MLB and NHL games, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, Bundesliga, FA Cup, MLS, Copa Del Rey, EFL Championship, Carabao Cup, Eredivisie), PGA Tour Golf, 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 $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.