ESPN+ PPV at 5 p.m. ET – Prelims on ESPNEWS, ESPN+ and SiriusXM Fight Nation at 3 p.m. ET – Early Prelims on ESPN+ and SiriusXM Fight Nation at 1 p.m. ET – ESPN+ available on ESPN.com and ESPN App for mobile and connected TV devices
UFC PPV returns to London this weekend with a trilogy fight for the welterweight title, UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3. The event will be live from the O2 Arena this Saturday, March 18 at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT, exclusively on ESPN+ PPV (English and Spanish). The Prelims will air on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ (English & Spanish) at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT. Early Prelims will air on ESPN+ (English & Spanish) at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Live coverage begins Saturday with a special UFC Live presented by DraftKings Sportsbook: Edwards vs. Usman Pre-Show at 12 p.m. ET on ABC.
SiriusXM subscribers will be able to listen to ESPN’s live coverage of the UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 Early Prelims and Prelims. Starting with this weekend’s UFC event, ESPN and SiriusXM have teamed up to give listeners nationwide access to ESPN’s live audio coverage of select UFC events including live UFC coverage of all UFC Fight Night events – from beginning-to-end –, the UFC PPV Early Prelims and Prelims, and Dana White’s Contender Series events. The coverage will be available on SiriusXM Fight Nation (channel 156), SiriusXM’s dedicated combat sports channel.
In the main event, UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards (20-3) goes home to make his first title defense in an epic rematch against former champ Kamaru Usman (20-2). Edwards, who is on an 11-fight unbeaten streak, won the title by knocking out Usman in the fifth round of their UFC 278 event last August. A former champion on the UFC reality series The Ultimate Fighter, Usman comes in focused on avenging his sole UFC defeat at the hands of his next opponent. He had beaten Edwards previously in a non-title fight back in 2015.
In the co-main, No. 3 contender Justin Gaethje (23-4) faces off against No. 6 ranked Rafael Fiziev (12-1) in a lightweight battle. Gaethje aims to get his name back in title contention with a big win in London while Fiziev, who is on a six-fight win streak, is coming off a ‘Performance of the Night’ knockout of former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos last September.
In the PPV portion of the card, local favorite Gunnar Nelson (18-5) makes his second straight London start against Bryan Barberena (18-9) in an all-action welterweight fight. Coming off a more than two-year hiatus, Nelson returned to action last March and collected an unanimous decision win over Takashi Sato. Barberena aims for a comeback and regain the success he had last year.
Jon Anik will call the action alongside former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping and UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division Champion Daniel Cormier.
ESPN’s Live UFC Audio Coverage to Air on SiriusXM
ESPN and SiriusXM have teamed up to give listeners nationwide access to ESPN’s live audio coverage of select UFC events on SiriusXM Fight Nation (channel 156), SiriusXM’s dedicated combat sports channel. Listeners tuning into SiriusXM Fight Nation will hear the live call from the UFC audio on ESPN networks, giving them access to the excitement of the UFC on the SiriusXM radios in their cars or anywhere they go with the SXM App.
As part of the agreement, SiriusXM subscribers can hear the English-language, live UFC audio broadcast of all UFC Fight Night events – from beginning-to-end –, the UFC PPV Early Prelims and Prelims, and Dana White’s Contender Series events.
“We are constantly looking for new ways to give fans more access to our content,” said Matt Kenny, vice president of programming and acquisitions, ESPN. “SiriusXM’s expansive reach will help us bring the excitement of UFC to a broader audience and provide additional ways for these very passionate fans to stay connected to the action.”
“We’ve built SiriusXM Fight Nation to be a daily destination for fight fans to get the latest MMA news and talk about the sport’s biggest matchups,” said Eric Spitz, VP of Sports Programming, SiriusXM. “ESPN’s live UFC coverage is a tremendous addition to the channel and we’re thrilled to give our subscribers access to so many great events, starting this Saturday with UFC 286.”
Coverage begins this Saturday, March 18 live from London with the UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 Early Prelims at 1 p.m. ET and the Prelims at 3 p.m. ET. Fans can purchase UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 exclusively on ESPN+, separate streaming subscription required. In the PPV main event, UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards (20-3) goes home to make his first title defense in an epic rematch against former champ Kamaru Usman (20-2). ESPN+ is available on ESPN.com and the ESPN App for mobile and connected TV devices.
SiriusXM Fight Nation (channel 156) is available to subscribers nationwide in their car and on the SXM App. The channel features a lineup of exclusive MMA focused shows including Won’t Back Down Radio with Chris Weidman, hosted by the former UFC Middleweight Champion, Unlocking the Cage with Jimmy Smith, and MMA Today, hosted by RJ Clifford, Ryan McKinnell and current and former UFC fighters Anthony Smith, Angela Hill and Din Thomas. Click here for more on the programming and personalities featured on SiriusXM Fight Nation.