What channel is UFC 261 on tonight? How to watch, buy Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal 2 on pay-per-view

Zac Al-Khateeb

What channel is UFC 261 on tonight? How to watch, buy Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal 2 on pay-per-view image

Kamara Usman has unfinished business with Jorge Masdival at UFC 261.

The three-time defending UFC welterweight champion has dominated the division, beating every challenger he has faced. So instead of taking on newcomers, he is simply coming round again to face fighters whom he has already beaten. The same is true for Masdival, who lost via unanimous decision to the Nigerian fighter at UFC 251 in July 2020.

Masdival claims he didn't train to fight Usman in their previous bout, working instead to cut the requisite 20 pounds to make weight after just six day's notice (which Usman has denied several times). Masdival has had plenty of time to prepare in the rematch, however: Usman will be his first opponent since suffering the loss last year.

MORE: Sign up to watch the UFC 261 PPV, exclusively on ESPN+

The same can't be said for Usman, who scored a third-round TKO victory to defend his belt again against Gilbert Burns at UFC 258. Should Usman beat Masdival again, he likely will take on Colby Covington, who gave him potentially the toughest fight of his career. Usman ended up beating Covington with a fifth-round TKO at UFC 245.

But that's looking ahead to the future. Here's what you need to know about Usman and Masdival's rematch at UFC 261:

What channel is UFC 261?

  • Early prelims: ESPN2/ESPN+
  • Prelims: ESPN/ESPN+
  • Main card: ESPN+ (pay-per-view)

The main card of UFC 261 will air exclusively on ESPN+, with early prelims starting the show on ESPN2 and moving to ESPN for the prelims.

In Canada, the early prelims are on UFC Fight Pass, the prelims are on TSN, and the PPV main event is on BELL, Rogers, Shaw, SaskTel, Videotron, Telus, Eastlink and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.

What time does Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal 2 start?

  • Early prelims: 6 p.m. ET
  • Prelims: 8 p.m. ET
  • Main card: 10 p.m. ET

The early prelims and preliminaries are expected to start at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET, respectively. Following that, the main card is expected to begin at roughly 10 p.m. ET, meaning Usman and Masvidal should make their ring walks at around midnight.

Start times for prelims and main card are as follows (all times Eastern):

How much does UFC 261 cost on PPV?

  • Date: Saturday, April 24
  • Network: ESPN+

The main card will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+, meaning you need an ESPN+ subscription to catch the fight. Here is pricing for the fight for both new and current subscribers:

  • For current yearly subscribers, the price is $69.99 on the ESPN+ app.
  • Current monthly subscribers can get UFC 261 and an upgraded bundle at a discounted rate of $84.99. They can also purchase the event itself for $69.99.
  • New subscribers will be able to pick up a yearly recurring subscription and the PPV for $89.98, which is a savings of over 30 percent.

Click here to learn about the different pricing and bundling options with the ESPN+ platform.

UFC 261 fight card

Early prelims

  • Danaa Batgeral vs. Kevin Natividad, bantamweights
  • Kazula Vargas vs. Rongzhu, lightweights
  • Aoriqileng vs. Jeffrey Molina, flyweights
  • Liang Na vs. Ariane Carnelossi, women's strawweights

Prelims

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

Main card

  • Kamaru Usman (c) vs. Jorge Masvidal, UFC welterweight championship fight
  • Zhang Weili (c) vs. Rose namajunas, UFC women's strawweight championship fight
  • Valentina Shevchenko (c) vs. Jessica Andrade, UFC women's flyweight championship fight
  • Uriah Hall vs. Chris Weidman, middleweights
  • Anthony Smith vs. Jim Crute, light heavyweights

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.