UFC 253 COUNTDOWN SHOW, PRESS CONFERENCE, STRATEGY VIDEO & WEIGH-IN VIDEOS
- Main Card to Feature Undefeated Champion vs Undefeated Contender, Exclusively on ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET; Prelims at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes
- Two Championship Bouts — Adesanya vs. Costa and Reyes vs. Blachowicz
- To subscribe or purchase PPV, visit com/ufc
- ESPN+ available on ESPN.com and ESPN App for mobile and connected TV devices
UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa streams exclusively on ESPN+ PPV this Saturday, September 26 at 10 p.m. ET, when the Octagon returns to Yas Island, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. UFC FIGHT ISLAND kicks off with a middleweight championship fight and a battle for the vacant light heavyweight championship. The highly anticipated main event will feature undefeated vs undefeated in a title fight, when undefeated UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, faces undefeated and No. 2-ranked contender Paulo Costa. The co-main will feature the start of a new era for the light heavyweight division, as No. 1-ranked Dominick Reyes and No. 3-ranked Jan Blachowicz battle it out for the vacant light heavyweight championship.
Live coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET, with the prelims live on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes (Spanish), and ESPN+ (English, Spanish).
On Friday, UFC Live will air on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m. ET, providing fans with exclusive insights and views on the biggest stories heading into UFC 253.
Adesanya, the undefeated, undisputed king of the middleweight division, will put his title and unblemished record on the line for the second time this year, in a main event that has developed into the most anticipated grudge match of the year. Considered one of the best strikers in the history of MMA, he stunned the UFC community in October 2019 when he knocked out former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the second round of their fight at UFC 243. He made his first title defense March of this year against Cuban powerhouse and No. 5-ranked Yoel Romero at UFC 248, winning by unanimous decision. Costa, who has proven to be an unstoppable force in the crowded division, also enters the Octagon undefeated, making the main event just the second time in UFC history that two undefeated male athletes will face off for a title fight. The Brazilian contender is also coming off a win over Yoel Romero last August. Costa has won 12 of his 13 career fights by stoppage, nine of them in the first round.
In the co-main, the UFC’s light heavyweight division is about to have a new king as Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz face off for the light heavyweight titled vacated by Jon Jones. Reyes is 12-1, with his only loss coming in his most recent fight against Jon Jones, who long reigned atop the division. Reyes has had spectacular wins, including a first-round knockout victory over former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman last October. Blachowicz has won three straight fights, the most recent a first-round knockout of Corey Anderson in February.
Full Weigh-in results:
Main Card (10PM ET, PPV/ESPN+)
Middleweight title: Israel Adesanya (184) vs. Paulo Costa (185)
Light heavyweight title: Dominick Reyes (205) vs. Jan Blachowicz (205)
Flyweight: Kai Kara-France (126) vs. Brandon Royval (126)
Bantamweight: Ketlen Vieira (136) vs. Sijara Eubanks (136)
Featherweight: Hakeem Dawodu (145) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (150 lbs)*
Preliminary Card (8PM ET, ESPN2/ESPN+)
Lightweight: Brad Riddell (156) vs. Alex da Silva (156)
Welterweight: Diego Sanchez (170) vs. Jake Matthews (170)
Featherweight: Shane Young (146) vs. L’udovit Klein (150)**
Light heavyweight: William Knight (205) vs. Aleksa Camur (206)
Early Preliminary Card (7PM ET, ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass)
Heavyweight: Juan Espino (255) vs. Jeff Hughes (258)
Light heavyweight: Khadis Ibragimov (206) vs. Danilo Marques (206)
*Zubaira Tukhugov misses weight by 4 lbs.
** L’udovit Klein misses weight by 4 lbs.
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