Live on ESPN PPV (click here!) – Prelims on ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET – Early Prelims on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET
UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira, featuring two hotly anticipated championships, will be live from Madison Square Garden, in New York this Saturday, November 12 at 10:00p.m. ET, exclusively on ESPN+ PPV (English and Spanish).
The Prelims will air on ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ (English & Spanish) at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Early Prelims will air on ESPN+ (English & Spanish) at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT. Live coverage begins on Friday with UFC Live presented by DraftKings Sportsbook: Adesanya vs. Pereira at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, providing fans with exclusive insights and views heading into Fight Night.
In the main event, reining middleweight king Israel Adesanya (23-1) defends his title against Brazilian knockout artist No. 4 Alex Pereira (6-1). Adesanya will now put his undisputed 185-pound title on the line for the sixth time fighting Pereira, a former kickboxing rival who defeated Adesanya in that sport twice—one of those wins by knockout.
The co-main championship doubleheader kicks off in the strawweight division as surging two-time champion Carla Esparza (20-6) defends her crown against striking phenom No. 2 Zhang Weili (22-3), China’s first and only champion in UFC history.
The PPV portion of the event will also feature the greatly anticipated lightweight showdown between fan-favorite No. 2 Dustin Poirier (28-7) and No. 5 Michael Chandler (23-7), who has delivered action-packed bouts since entering the UFC last year. Also on the card, former UFC lightweight champion and future Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar (23-10), taking on his final career battle before retiring from MMA, faces rising bantamweight talent, Chris Gutierrez (18-3). Edgar is arguably one of the most respected fighters of the past two decades.
Jon Anik will call the action alongside Joe Rogan and former two-division Champion and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier. Megan Olivi will handle reporting duties. All coverage in Spanish will be handled by Troy Santiago, Victor Davila, and Alexa Grasso.
Programming (All times ET)
| Fri., 11/11
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12 noon | ESPN+ | UFC 281 Pre-Show Live presented by DraftKings Sportsbook: Adesanya vs. Pereira
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| 4 p.m. | ESPN App/@ESPN YouTube | UFC 281 Ceremonial Weigh-In: Adesanya vs. Pereira | |
| 4:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | UFC 281 Live presented by DraftKings Sportsbook: Adesanya vs. Pereira | |
| Sat., 11/12 | 6 p.m. | ESPN+ (English & Spanish) | UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira (Early Prelims) |
| 8 p.m. | ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ (simulcast, English & Spanish) | UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira Presented by Modelo (Prelims) | |
| 10 p.m. | ESPN+ PPV (English & Spanish) |
UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira (Main Card) |
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| 1 a.m.* | ESPN+ | UFC 281 Post Show presented by DraftKings Sportsbook: Adesanya vs. Pereira |
*Immediately following Main Event.
Main Card and Prelims (All times ET)
| 10 p.m. | Main | Israel Adesanya (C) vs. Alex Pereira | UFC Middleweight Championship |
| Co-Main | Carla Esparza (C) vs. Zhang Weili | UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship | |
| Undercard | Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler | ||
| Undercard | Frankie Edgar vs. Chris Gutierrez | ||
| Undercard | Dan Hooker vs. Claudio Puelles | ||
| 8 p.m. | Feature | Brad Riddell vs. Renato Moicano | |
| Undercard | Dominick Reyes vs. Ryan Spann | ||
| Undercard | Erin Blanchfield vs. Molly McCann | ||
| Undercard | Andre Petroski vs. Wellington Turman | ||
| 6 p.m. | Feature | Matt Frevola vs. Ottman Azaitar | |
| Undercard | Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez | ||
| Undercard | Michael Trizano vs. SeungWoo Choi | ||
| Undercard | Julio Arce vs. Montel Jackson | ||
| Undercard | Carlos Ulberg vs. Nicolae Negumereanu |