How to watch UFC 251: UFC's 'Fight Island' starts this weekend with 3 championship matches

• UFC 251 will stream live through ESPN+ on Saturday, July 11.
• The prelims start at 8 p.m. ET, and the main card is set to begin at 10 p.m. ET.
• A trio of title fights headline the night's match card — Kamaru Usman will defend the welterweight championship against Jorge Masvidal; and Alexander Volkanovski will face Max Holloway in a featherweight championship rematch.
• UFC 251 is the first in a series of four UFC events that UFC president Dana White has dubbed "Fight Island."

Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will face 2019 Fighter of the Year Jorge Masvidal, and Max Holloway will attempt to reclaim the featherweight championship in a rematch against Alexander Volkanovski in the headlining matches of this Saturday's UFC 251 pay-per-view event.

UFC 251 will be the organization's first event outside the United States since March 14, held on a private resort in Abu Dhabi that UFC president Dana White has dubbed "Fight Island." Securing the private Yas Island allows UFC's international fighters to circumvent travel restrictions implemented by the United States and other countries amid the coronavirus pandemic. A total of four UFC events are scheduled to take place on Fight Island through July 25.

Usman will enter the ring for his second title defense with a 15-fight win streak. Usman has been undefeated in UFC since winning The Ultimate Fighter 21 in 2015; his first title defense ended in a TKO after Usman broke the jaw of top-ranked welterweight Colby Covington at UFC 245.

Masvidal was the 2019 Fighter of the Year, recording the fastest knockout in UFC history with a five second victory over Ben Askrin at UFC 239. Masvidal replaced top-ranked welterweight Gilbert Burns in the main event of UFC 251 with just six days notice after Burns tested positive for COVID-19.

Masvidal's coach, Mike Brown, has also tested positive for COVID-19, leaving him unable to work Masvidal's corner during UFC 251. Masvidal tested negative on the same day as Brown before flying to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi for Saturday's fight.

Fans will not be in attendance for UFC 251 or any of the other events due to the pandemic. UFC has implemented at least 18 different safety precautions for staff, including advanced medical screenings, temperature checks, and social distancing guidelines.

Updated on 7/10/2020 by Steven Cohen: Added links to our roundup detailing all of the UFC events scheduled to take place on Fight Island.

Here's the match schedule for UFC 251: Usman vs Masvidal

Early Prelims — 6 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. PT only on UFC Fight Pass

• Martin Day versus Davey Grant [Bantamweight]
• Karol Rosa versus Vanessa Melo [Women's Bantamweight]
• Raulian Paiva versus Zhalgas Zhumagulov [Flyweight]
• Marcin Tybura versus Maxim Grishin [Heavyweight]

Prelims — 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT on ESPN+ and ESPN

• Volkan Oezdemir versus Jiri Prochazka [Light Heavyweight]
• Elizeu Dos Santos versus Muslim Salikhov [Welterweight]
• Makwan Amirkhani versus Danny Henry [Featherweight]
• Leonardo Santos versus Roman Bogatov [Lightweight]

Main Card — 10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. PT only on ESPN+ for $64.99

• Amanda Ribas versus Paige Vanzant [Women's Flyweight]
• Jessica Andrade versus Rose Namajunas [Women's Strawweight]
• Peter Yan versus Jose Aldo [Bantamweight Title Match]
• Alexander Volkanovski versus Max Holloway [Featherweight Title Match]
• Kamaru Usman versus Jorge Masvidal [Welterweight Title Match]

How to watch UFC 251

UFC 251 is separated into three portions: the early prelims, the prelims, and the main card.

The early prelims are only available to UFC Fight Pass subscribers, while the prelims will air on ESPN+ and the ESPN cable channel. The main card, meanwhile, is an ESPN+ exclusive pay-per-view event. This means that you have to subscribe to the ESPN+ sports-streaming service before you're able to purchase the PPV fight.

An ESPN+ membership costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. The UFC 251 PPV event costs $64.99 for ESPN+ subscribers.

You can access the ESPN+ app on all major mobile and connected TV devices, including Amazon Fire, Apple, Android, Chromecast, PS4, Xbox One, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, and more.

Ways to save on the UFC 251 pay-per-view price

If you plan on signing up for ESPN+ to watch UFC 251, you can take advantage of a special discounted package.

New subscribers can purchase a year-long ESPN+ membership with access to UFC 251 included for a total of $84.98. That's over 25% off the standard price. Following your first year of service, ESPN+ will then renew for the regular annual price of $49.99.