Getty UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Kamaru Usman will put his welterweight title on the line against Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 261 on Saturday in Jacksonville, FL. The event will feature two other title fights: Zhang Weili will look to defend her strawweight strap against Rose Namajunas, and Valentina Shevchenko will seek a defense of her flyweight belt against Jéssica Andrade.
If you’re looking to watch Usman vs Masvidal 2 and all of the UFC 261 fights on your Roku, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, smart TV or any other streaming device, you can do so through the ESPN app after you’ve purchased the PPV.
Here’s everything you need to know to buy UFC 261 and watch on different devices:
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How to Buy UFC 261 If You Don’t Have ESPN+
If you don’t have ESPN+, you can get a special bundle deal that includes a one-year subscription to ESPN+ ($59.99 value) and the UFC 261 PPV ($69.99 value) for $89.98, which works out to over 30 percent savings:
Or, if you want to purchase them separately, you can first subscribe to a month of ESPN+ right here ($5.99 for ESPN+, or $13.99 for a bundle of ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+), then follow the below directions for existing ESPN+ subscribers.
However, with the amount of UFC (and other sports) content on ESPN+, most MMA fans are probably going to keep ESPN+ long-term, meaning the value of the bundle is the better way to go if you don’t already have ESPN+.
How to Buy UFC 261 If You Already Have ESPN+
Current ESPN+ subscribers can order the UFC 261 PPV by itself for $69.99 right here:
Or, if you only have a monthly subscription (and don’t have the Disney+ bundle), you can still get the special bundle that includes a year of ESPN+ and the UFC 261 PPV. The only difference is that instead of starting a new ESPN+ subscription, you’ll just extend your current subscription by a year and get the UFC 261 PPV for a total of $89.98:
Where to Watch UFC 261
Once you’re signed up for ESPN+ and you’ve ordered the PPV, you can watch UFC 261 on your computer via ESPN.com, or you can watch on the ESPN app on any of the following compatible connected-to-TV streaming devices. You can click on the device for more information about how to watch:
Roku or Roku TV
Amazon Fire Stick or Fire TV
Apple TV
Chromecast
PlayStation 4 or 5
Xbox One or Series X/S
iPhone or iPad
Android phone or tablet
Samsung Smart TV
Oculus Go
For all of those options, you’ll need to sign in with your ESPN+ account to watch early prelims (ESPN+), prelims (ESPN+) and the main card (ESPN+ PPV).
UFC 261 Preview
Usman (18-1 MMA, 13-0 UFC) edged Masvidal (35-14 MMA, 14-8 UFC) via unanimous decision in Abu Dhabi in July for his second defense of the welterweight strap. “The Nigerian Nightmare” claimed a third defense in February, punching out George Burns in the third round in Las Vegas.
The 33-year-old opted against appearing on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter in favor of a quick turnaround for a rematch with Masvidal.
“It’s what I was feeling at the time,” Usman recently told MMA Junkie. “I’m just at this point in my career where yeah, we were offered to do The Ultimate Fighter and things like that, but I just had to be honest and come to terms with myself. I’m not getting any younger. Things don’t feel the same from when I was 23 years old, so I have to be real with myself. After that last fight, I feel like I didn’t completely get my fix for as hard as I trained for that fight, as much as I put into that fight mentally.
“Just like I felt after the first fight with Masvidal, I just didn’t feel like I got my fix. I was like, ‘You know what? I’m healthy, I’m not getting any younger, why not?’ Because the one thing I can’t get back is time. Why waste this much time filming a show that I don’t end up fighting towards the end of the year.”
Masvidal, now 36, agreed to last year’s scrap with Usman just a week ahead of time; he stepped in for Burns — who’d tested positive for COVID-19 — and had to drop about 20 pounds to make the 170-pound limit.
“[The weight cut] wasn’t fun,” Masvidal said Monday, according to ESPN. “It was a lot of weight.
“I was 35 at the time. As you get older, the weight [cut] just sucks, you know? The last three pounds took longer than the first 17. Just trying to get those last three pounds out was a headache and a half. I don’t have to do that now for this fight. As I stand right now, I’m nine pounds away from the weight class, just ready to rock and roll.”
UFC 261 Card
Main Card
Kamaru Usman (champion) vs Jorge Masvidal, welterweight
Zhang Weili (champion) vs Rose Namajunas, women’s strawweight
Valentina Shevchenko (champion) vs Jéssica Andrade, women’s flyweight
Uriah Hall vs Chris Weidman, middleweight
Anthony Smith vs Jimmy Crute, light heavyweight
Preliminary Card
Alex Oliveira vs Randy Brown, welterweight
Dwight Grant vs Stefan Sekulić, welterweight
Karl Roberson vs Brendan Allen, middleweight
Patrick Sabatini vs Tristan Connelly, featherweight
Early Preliminary Card
Danaa Batgerel vs Kevin Natividad, bantamweight
Kazula Vargas vs Rong Zhu, lightweight
Qileng Aori vs Jeffrey Molina, flyweight
Na Liang vs Ariane Carnelossi, women’s strawweight