This weekend UFC 278 features a title fight I’ve been feinding after for years now: A well-earned rematch between current pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards.
These two faced off very early in their UFC careers, back in 2015, now both have risen to the top of their division and get to battle it out a second time. In the first contest Usman largely wrestled a very green Edwards to an unanimous decision, but both have improved dramatically since then. Usman has become one of the greatest UFC fighters to have ever graced the octagon, but Edwards has also had a great run. He hasn’t lost a single bout since the Usman contest and is currently riding a ludicrous 10 fight win streak.
Many believe Edwards represents the biggest welterweight threat to Usman at this time. I agree. Edwards is about as well-rounded a fighter as there is on the UFC roster. I’m interested to see how this one plays out. I’m expecting a close fight.
The UFC 278 main card is a strong one. We’ve got the return of former middleweight champ Luke Rockhold, who’s fighting meme king Paulo Costa. I’m especially looking forward to Jose Aldo against Merab Dvalishvili. Aldo arguably has the best takedown defence in UFC history. Can’t wait to see him against a new generation wrestler in Dvalishvili.
Here’s everything you need to know…
UFC 278 Start time
The UFC 278 main card starts at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on July 2. Here are all the details from multiple time zones.
US
- The main card starts Aug 20, 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).
- The prelims start Aug. 20, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
- The early prelims start Aug. 20, 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).
UK
- The main card starts Aug. 21, 3 a.m. BST.
- The prelims start Aug. 21, 1 a.m. BST.
- The early prelims start Aug. 20, 11 p.m. BST.
Australia
- The main card starts Aug. 21, 12 p.m. AEDT.
- The prelims start Aug. 21, 10 a.m. AEDT.
- The early prelims start Aug. 21, 8.00 a.m. AEDT.
How to watch UFC 278
The UFC now has a partnership with ESPN. That’s great news for the UFC and the expansion of the sport of MMA, but bad news for consumer choice. Especially if you’re one of the UFC fans who want to watch UFC in the US.
In the US, if you want to know how to watch UFC 278, you’ll only find the fight night on pay per view through ESPN Plus. The cost structure is a bit confusing, but here are the options to watch UFC on ESPN, according to ESPN’s site:
- Existing yearly ESPN Plus subscribers can order the upcoming UFC card for $75.
- New ESPN Plus subscribers can buy a bundle of one UFC PPV event (streaming in HD) and an ESPN Plus annual recurring subscription for $100. This is a decent deal. The ESPN Plus annual ESPN subscription will auto-renew after one year, at the price of an ESPN Plus annual subscription at the time of auto-renewal.
You can do all of the above at the link below.
MMA fans in the UK can watch UFC 278 exclusively through BT Sport.
There are more options if you live in Australia. You can watch UFC 278 through Main Event on Foxtel. You can also stream via Kayo for AU$55. You can even order using your PlayStation or using the UFC app on your Xbox.
Need more international viewing options? Try a VPN to change your IP address to access those US, UK or Australian options listed above. See the best VPNs recommended by CNET editors.
Full fight card
These cards are subject to change. We’ll endeavor to keep things as up-to-date as possible. I expect at least one of the fights currently scheduled on the main card to get moved down to the prelims.
Main card
- Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards
- Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold
- Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili
- Francisco Figueiredo vs. Amir Albazi
- Marcin Tybura vs. Alexander Romanov
- Tyson Pedro vs. Harry Hunsucker
Prelims
- Leonardo Santos vs. Jared Gordon
- Wu Yanan vs. Lucie Pudilova
- Sean Woodson vs. Luis Saldana
Early prelims
- A.J. Fletcher vs. Ange Loosa
- Amir Albazi vs. Francisco Figueiredo
- Aoriqileng vs. Jay Perrin
- Daniel Da Silva vs. Victor Altamirano