UFC 278 Usman vs. Edwards: Start Time, How to Watch Online, Everything to Know
This weekend, UFC 278 features a title fight I’ve been chasing for years: a well-deserved rematch between current pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards.
These two faced each other very early in their UFC career, back in 2015, now both have risen to the top of their division and can face off a second time. In the first contest, Usman largely wrestled a very green Edwards to a unanimous decision, but both have improved dramatically since then. Usman has emerged as one of the greatest UFC fighters to ever grace the octagon, but Edwards has also had a great run. He hasn’t lost a single fight since the Usman contest and is currently riding a ridiculous 10-fight win streak.
Many believe that Edwards is the biggest welterweight threat to Usman right now. I agree. Edwards is about as versatile a fighter as there is on the UFC roster. I’m curious how this plays out. I expect a close fight.
UFC 278’s main card is strong. We have the return of former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold battling meme king Paulo Costa. I’m particularly looking forward to Jose Aldo against Merab Dvalishvili. Aldo has arguably the best takedown defense in the UFC story. I can’t wait to see him in Dvalishvili against a new generation wrestler.
Here’s everything you need to know…
UFC 278 start time
The UFC 278 main card begins July 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT). Here are all the details from multiple time zones.
US
- The main map begins August 20 at 10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM PT).
- Prelims begin August 20 at 8pm ET (5pm PT).
- Early prelims begin August 20 at 6:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT).
United Kingdom
- The main map begins on August 21st at 3am BST.
- The preliminary rounds begin on August 21 at 1am BST.
- The early prelims begin on August 20th at 11pm BST.
Australia
- The main card begins August 21 at 12pm AEDT.
- Prelims begin August 21 at 10am AEDT.
- Early prelims begin August 21 at 8:00 a.m. AEDT.
How to watch UFC 278
The UFC now has a partnership with ESPN. This is great news for the UFC and the expansion of MMA, but bad news for consumer choice. Especially if you are one of the UFC fans who want to watch UFC in USA.
If you want to know how to watch UFC 278 in the US, you can find fight night only on pay-per-view via ESPN Plus. The cost structure is a little confusing, but here are the options for watching UFC on ESPN, according to the ESPN website:
- Existing annual ESPN Plus subscribers can order the upcoming UFC card for $75.
- New ESPN Plus subscribers can purchase a bundle of a UFC PPV event (streaming in HD) and an annual recurring ESPN Plus subscription for $100. This is a decent deal. The annual ESPN Plus subscription for ESPN will auto-renew after one year at the price of an annual ESPN Plus subscription at the time of auto-renewal.
You can do all of this from the link below.
MMA fans in the UK can watch UFC 278 exclusively through BT Sport.
There are more options when you live in Australia. You can watch UFC 278 via Main Event on Foxtel. You can also stream through Kayo for AU$55. You can even order using your PlayStation or the UFC app on your Xbox.
Need more international viewing options? Try a VPN to change your IP address and access the US, UK, or Australia options listed above. Check out the best VPNs recommended by CNET editors.
Full battle map
These cards are subject to change. We will endeavor to keep things as up to date as possible. I expect at least one of the fights currently scheduled on the main map will be moved 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
front matter
- Leonardo Santos vs Jared Gordon
- Wu Yanan vs Lucie Pudilova
- Sean Woodson vs. Luis Saldana
Early Heats
- AJ Fletcher vs. Ange Loosa
- Amir Albazi versus Francisco Figueiredo
- Aoriqileng vs Jay Perrin
- Daniel Da Silva vs Victor Altamirano