UFC 261 Usman vs. Masvidal: Start time, how to watch or stream online and full fight card – CNET

di Antonello CicciùICT
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Jorge Masvidal has shaped himself into one of the UFC’s biggest stars.

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC

With all the hullaballoo around Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren, UFC 261 has really snuck up on us, which is crazy because it might be one of the most stacked UFC cards in history with three UFC title fights.

At the top of the card, a rematch between current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal. 

Usman defeated Masvidal in their first encounter in what was a fairly one-sided battle. But, given the fact Masvidal took the fight on extremely short notice (and the fact Masvidal is probably the biggest draw in the division) this contest is still a compelling one. Masvidal showed flashes of a skillset that could trouble a wrestler like Usman. This fight could be a close one. Certainly much closer than in the first.

The co-main event is perhaps the most exciting. Weili Zhang is UFC’s first Chinese champion and her last fight — against Joanna Jędrzejczyk — wasn’t just the best women’s fight in MMA history, it might be the best fight ever, period. The thought of her facing off against former UFC strawweight champ Rose Namajunas is a salivating one. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is another fight of the year candidate. 

The third title fight pits one of the most dominant champions currently fighting in the UFC against one of its most notorious buzzsaws. Valentina Shevchenko has looked utterly indestructible at flyweight but in Jessica Andrade, she’s facing an ex-champion who will pressure and come forward no matter what. 

This will most likely be Shevchenko’s toughest title defence yet. 

How to watch UFC 261

This year the UFC entered into a new partnership with ESPN. That’s great news for the UFC and the expansion of the sport of MMA, but bad news for consumer choice. Especially if you’re one of the UFC fans who want to watch UFC live in the US.

In the US, if you want to know how to watch UFC 261, you’ll only find the fight night on PPV through ESPN Plus. The cost structure is a bit confusing, but here are the options to watch UFC on ESPN, according to ESPN’s site:

  • Existing yearly ESPN Plus subscribers can order the upcoming UFC fight for $70.
  • Existing monthly ESPN Plus subscribers will be able to either upgrade to an annual plan and buy UFC PPV for $85 or purchase the ability to watch the UFC event on PPV for $70 by itself.
  • New ESPN Plus subscribers can buy a bundle of one UFC PPV event (streaming in HD) and an ESPN Plus annual recurring subscription for $90. This is a decent deal. The previous bundle gave a saving of 25% but this new bundle is a 35% saving. The ESPN Plus annual ESPN subscription will auto-renew after one year, at the price of an ESPN Plus annual subscription at the time of auto-renewal.

You can do all of the above at the link below.

MMA fans in the UK can watch UFC 261 exclusively through BT Sport. There are more options if you live in Australia. You can watch UFC 261 through Main Event on Foxtel. You can also watch on the UFC website or using its app. You can even order using your PlayStation or using the UFC app on your Xbox.

Need more international viewing options? Try a VPN. See the best VPNs currently recommended by CNET editors.

Start time

The schedule is relatively normal for a UFC. One thing to note is the early prelims are starting 30 minutes earlier. This is a beefy card.

US

  • The main card starts April 24, 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).
  • The prelims start April 24, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
  • The early prelims start April 24, 5.45 p.m. ET (2.45 p.m. PT).

UK

  • The main card starts April 25, 3 a.m. GMT.
  • The prelims start April 25, 1 a.m. GMT.
  • The early prelims start April 24, 10.45 p.m. GMT.

Australia

  • The main card starts April 25, 12 noon AEDT.
  • The prelims start April 25, 10 a.m. AEDT.
  • The early prelims start April 25, 7.45 a.m. AEDT.

Full fight card

Normal disclaimer, given COVID-19 and the general chaos of UFC cards, this line-up could change at any time. We’ll keep this as current as possible.

Main Card

  • Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal
  • Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas
  • Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade
  • Uriah Hall vs. Chris Weidman
  • Anthony Smith vs. Jimmy Crute

Prelims

  • Alex Oliveira vs. Randy Brown
  • Dwight Grant vs. Stefan Sekulic
  • Karl Roberson vs. Brendan Allen
  • Patrick Sabatini vs. Tristan Connelly

Early prelims

  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Kevin Natividad
  • Kazula Vargas vs. Ronghzu
  • Aoriqileng vs. Jeffrey Molina
  • Na Liang vs. Ariane Carnelossi