Author: Dan Hiergesell

Leon Edwards is hoping to capture the biggest win of his MMA career later tonight (Sat., June 12, 2021) at UFC 263 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, when the talented welterweight contender meets the unflappable Nate Diaz in a five-round, non-title fight.

Edwards, who is coming off a no contest against Belal Muhammad this past March, is currently riding an eight-fight win streak. While “Rocky” wasn’t able to cash in on a title shot against current 170-pound champion Kamaru Usman he still locked down a massive fight with one of the biggest names in the sport. Diaz hasn’t fought since Nov. 2019 but that doesn’t take away from his popularity and capabilities inside of the Octagon.

“He’s one of the biggest names in the UFC at the moment,” Edwards told UFC.com. “For me to go out there and take him out would put me right where I need to be, which is fighting for the world title. That’s my focus, going out there, putting my best foot forward, performing to the best of my abilities and getting the victory.”

While Edwards is a massive favorite to defeat Diaz and push his current win streak to nine there’s no such thing as a sure thing in the sport of MMA. After all, Diaz is one of the most experienced fighters on the UFC roster today and a savvy veteran who is dangerous wherever the fight goes. If Edwards doesn’t pay close attention to every detail he could find himself in serious trouble in the later frames of the five-round fight.

“I think with a person like Nate, he’s going to bring the best out of you,” said Edwards. “He’s right there in front of you, you don’t have to go looking for him, and you know what he’s going to bring to the table. He’s been doing it now for his whole career, his patterns are the same. This is going to be a guy that brings the best out of me, and I cannot wait to show that to the world.”

If Edwards is able to decisively beat Diaz this weekend in Arizona then he puts himself in a great position to fight for the UFC welterweight title next. No. 1-ranked contender Colby Covington may get the first crack at Usman, but “Rocky” would be right behind him. It would be a dream come true for Edwards to fight for the UFC title and try to avenge his previous loss to Usman.

“It would be amazing to go back and defeat the guy who defeated me five years ago,” Edwards explained. “To win the belt off him would just be an extra bonus. It would be good to go back and capture the world title from Kamaru.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 263 fight card right HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

One of the biggest fight cards of the year will go down later this evening (Sat., June 12, 2021) as UFC 263 unfolds live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

In the main event, undisputed UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will put his title on the line in a rematch with streaking contender Marvin Vettori. Adesanya is coming off his first professional loss in a failed attempt to defeat UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, but “Last Stylebender” is still going for his third-straight defense at 185 pounds. Vettori will look to cash in on his first ever UFC title shot.

The co-headliner will feature a title fight reboot between UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. The two flyweights fought to a majority draw in their last meeting back at UFC 256, which proved to be one of the best title fights in division history. Either man could come out on top this weekend in Arizona and for that this is one of the most exciting fights on the entire card.

Rounding out the top of the UFC 263 PPV main card will be a five-round war between welterweight contender Leon Edwards and a returning Nat Diaz. This will be Diaz’s first action since losing to Jorge Masvidal for the “BMF” title back in Nov. 2019. Diaz requested that this fight be five rounds of action and UFC happily obliged. For Edwards, this is the fight he’s been waiting for to push him over the edge at 170 pounds and secure him his well-earned UFC title shot.

Heading into tonight’s festivities the promotion has released the cold open montage for UFC 263’s PPV main card. You can catch the full video above courtesy of UFC. If you needed any more reasons to order tonight’s PPV card this video preview narrated by Ron Perlman might just do it.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 263 fight card right HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

It all goes down later tonight (Sat., June 12, 2021) at UFC 263 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, as Israel Adesanya defends his UFC middleweight title against Marvin Vettori in the main event.

In addition to the middleweight rematch, reigning UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo will put his 125-pound title on the line in a rematch with Brandon Moreno, Nate Diaz will make his anticipated Octagon return against streaking welterweight contender Leon Edwards, and Brazilian legend Demian Maia will lock horns with veteran Belal Muhammad in main card action.

Take a look below at UFC 263’s complete fight card line up and start times:

Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)
10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT

Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno
Leon Edwards vs. Nate Diaz
Demian Maia vs. Belal Muhammad
Paul Craig vs. Jamahal Hill

‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN/ESPN+)
8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT

Drew Dober vs. Brad Riddell
Eryk Anders vs. Darren Stewart
Lauren Murphy vs. Joanne Calderwood
Movsar Evloev vs. Hakeem Dawodu

Early ‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN+/Fight Pass)
6:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. PT

Pannie Kianzad vs. Alexis Davis
Matt Frevola vs. Terrance McKinney
Chase Hooper vs. Steven Peterson
Fares Ziam vs. Luigi Vendramini
Carlos Felipe vs. Jake Collier

Online

• UFC 263: “Adesanya vs. Vettori 2” PPV main card can be viewed via the ESPN+ streaming app.
• Subscriptions cost $5.99 per month. The UFC 263 PPV will cost $69.99 for current subscribers.
• UFC 263: “Adesanya vs. Vettori 2” undercard “Prelims” can be viewed via ESPN+ as well.

Television

• UFC 263: “Adesanya vs. Vettori 2” undercard “Prelims” can be viewed via ESPN. Check your local providers or click for instant access to ESPN.
• UFC 263: “Adesanya vs. Vettori 2” can also be streamed via Xbox One, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, and ChromeCast.

Tablet/Mobile

• UFC 263: “Adesanya vs. Vettori 2” PPV main card and undercard “Prelims” can be viewed via ESPN+ streaming app through Google Play and iTunes stores.

Bars

• Stay home, be safe. But if you really, really need to go out and watch UFC 263 there is a list of bars near you airing “Adesanya vs. Vettori 2” right here.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 263 fight card right HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

We are just hours away from fight time and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has dropped the final episode of UFC 263 “Embedded.”

UFC 263, which goes down later tonight (Sat., June 12, 2021) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, will feature a main event rematch between current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and streaking contender Marvin Vettori. A flyweight rematch between current UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo and top contender Brandon Moreno will serve as the co-main event, while a five-round welterweight clash between Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz also takes place.

In advance to this weekend’s massive PPV event, the promotion has released the latest and greatest installment of UFC 263 “Embedded,” which can be seen in the above video player. This time around the behind-the-scenes action features final weight cuts, ceremonial staredowns, and a heated exchange between “Last Stylebender” and “Italian Dream.”

From the official YouTube description:

Champ Israel Adesanya enjoys the pre-fight mind-games. Leon Edwards rolls off the pounds; Brandon Moreno sweats them out. The athletes make weight Friday morning and face off for fans that afternoon.

If you missed Episodes 1-5 of UFC 263 “Embedded” click here, here, here, here, and here.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 263 fight card right HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

Former NBA star Lamar Odom and former popstar singer Aaron Carter threw down inside the boxing ring last night (Fri., June 11, 2021) live on FITE from inside Showboat in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Why did a 6’10” retired basketball player fight the brother of a Backstreet Boy? Nobody really knows, but it happened. Consider it a poor man’s version of Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul, minus all the fighting skills.

Luckily, Odom did what he was supposed to do and walloped the 6’0” Carter early into the second round. Odom unloaded a barrage of strikes as Carter stumbled around the ring. Special guest referee, former UFC champion Chuck Liddell, briefly stopped the action to check on Carter. The fight eventually continued and Odom put the finishing touches on the one-sided beatdown.

Check out the highlights below:

Nate Diaz is one of the most popular fighters in the sport today and rightfully so. The UFC veteran has a tremendous fight IQ, never backs down from an opponent, and has the skills to finish fights on the feet or the ground. Not to mention his trash talk, infamous Stockton slaps, and publicized marijuana advocacy.

Heading into Diaz’s welterweight clash with Leon Edwards tomorrow night (Sat., June 12, 2021) at UFC 263 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, the promotion has put together a video package featuring Diaz’s UFC journey. From his days on “The Ultimate Fighter” to his infamous submission win over Conor McGregor, Diaz has turned in quite the career.

Check out the full video breakdown from Diaz himself in the above player, courtesy of UFC.

If Diaz is able to pull off the upset and snap Edwards’ eight-fight win streak this weekend at UFC 263 it will add another chapter to his storied career. A victory for Diaz will also set him up for another massive fight next, which could come in the form of a welterweight title shot.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 263 fight card right HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.