Getty Volkan Oezdemir of Switzerland and Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic.
There are three title fights on the card at UFC 251, but the prelims from Fight Island will get things going on Saturday with some interesting matchups.
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The prelims start at 6 p.m. ET and can be watched on ESPN, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch all the prelim fights live on ESPN+:
Or, if you also plan on watching Usman vs Masvidal and the UFC 251 main card, you can get a special bundle that includes a year of ESPN+ ($49.99 value) and the UFC 250 PPV ($64.99 value) for $84.98, which works out to about 26 percent savings:
Once signed up, you can then watch all the UFC 251 fights on your computer via ESPN.com, or you can watch on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other compatible streaming device via the ESPN app.
For all of those options, you’ll need to sign in with your ESPN+ account to watch.
UFC 251 Prelims Preview
Before the main card gets underway, a strong set of prelims will set the stage on Fight Island at UFC 251. The featured matchup of the prelims will be Volkan Oezdemir vs. Jiri Prochazka.
Prochazka is making his UFC debut, coming over from RIZIN as a former light heavyweight champion.
“I don’t want to do something more for this fight,” he told UFC.com. “For me, it is very important, but every fight is a big moment for me. Every fight is important.”
Of Prochazka’s 26 wins, only one has gone to a decision. On top of that, he hasn’t lost since 2015. That being said, he’s not facing a cupcake in Oezdemir, a UFC veteran who has won his last two scraps. Prochazka is a slight underdog at +125.
“I think the UFC, a little bit, wants to prove how good I am and if I’m ready for this fighting level,” Prochazka said. “I think Volkan is a very good opponent, and this is a good chance for me to show I’m on this level. I want to show that I have the power and fight IQ to be the best.”
Another highly-anticipated prelim matchup comes between Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Muslim Salikhov. Both fighters have knockout potential, with with 26 knockouts in their combined 38 wins.
“Muslim Salikhov is an equally-skilled striker,” Zaleski told MMA Junkie. “He has a ton of stand-up experience. He’s a wushu sanda (Chinese kickboxing) champion, which is huge in China and Russia. I’m truly happy to be facing such a high-quality opponent. I have to push myself every day during my training camp, so I can give my best on fight night. I’ve studied him. I know where he’s good. I also see gaps I can explore. It’s going to be a war of styles – capoeira vs. kung fu.”
Here’s the full prelim card:
Preliminary Card
Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Jiri Prochazka
Welterweight: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Muslim Salikhov
Featherweight: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Dan Henry
Lightweight: Leonardo Santos vs. Roman Bogatov
Early Preliminary Card
Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura vs. Alexander Romanov
Flyweight: Raulian Paiva vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
Women’s Bantamweight Karol Rosa vs. Vanessa Melo
Bantamweight: Martin Day vs. Davey Gran
Once the prelims are over, a trio of title fights away to close out the night. Here’s what to look forward to on the packed main card.
Main Card
Welterweight Championship: Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal
Featherweight Championship: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway
Bantamweight Championship: Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo
Women’s Strawweight: Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
Women’s Flyweight: Amanda Ribas vs. Paige VanZant