How to watch UFC 251: Live stream Usman vs. Masvidal, TV channel, card and results

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UFC 251 date and time

The UFC 251 main card starts at 10 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Pacific | 3 a.m. GMT) today, July 11.
UFC 251 main prelims are now under way, having started at 8 p.m. Early prelims began at 6. Results, as we get them, are below.

Fight night is filled with decisions, as UFC 251 live stream is through the early prelims, in the main prelims, with the main card coming in less than an hour. It's like none that we've ever seen before, taking place at UFC: Fight Island -- and we've got results below.

Yes, what once seemed like a joke, and then a cancelled attempt at craziness, is now reality, in Abu Dhabi. At the top of the card we've got the welterweight championship match with Kamaru Usman defending his title against third-ranked Jorge Masvidal -- and I'm hearing good reasons why either could win.

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Masvidal's a threat to take the title because of his explosive KO capability, but can he be expected to fight at the level we expect when he took this booking on six days notice?!

Usman's the more-prepared fighter of the two, and has that innate ability to just slow a match down to his own pace and grind it out to a win. This should be a fantastic fight.

And from what we've heard, UFC is doing bloodsport in the age of COVID correctly, not only testing talent when they fly to the island, but several times after arrival. All in all, 3,300 tests are expected to be performed.

After the 630-person crew of athletes, staffers and fellow workers arrive on the island, they're entering a Safe Zone they cannot leave, which has checkpoints to stop the public from entering. No, it's not Mortal Kombat, it's UFC 251.

Here's everything you need to know to watch UFC 251 live streams online:

How to live stream UFC 251 from anywhere

If you're traveling outside the country (don't try to get into Fight Island, that won't work out), you don't need to miss UFC 251 live or try and watch it with some dodgy stream. With a virtual private network, or VPN, can help you connect to your desired streaming service through a U.S. server and watch the fights as if you were at home.

We've evaluated many VPN services, and the best VPN top pick is ExpressVPN. It meets the VPN needs of the vast majority of users, offering outstanding compatibility with most devices and impressive connection speeds.

Where to live stream UFC 251 in the US

You're gonna need ESPN Plus to watch UFC 251 live streams, because you're not gonna go without the main card, are you? Prelims are live on both ESPN and ESPN+, so those with ESPN can get a glimpse of Fight Island for themselves.

Oh, and the early prelims, listed below are only on UFC Fight Pass.

While UFC 251 live streams cost $64.99 (on top of ESPN Plus), new subscribers and those on current monthly plans can get UFC 251 at a discounted rate — with over 30% savings — via the $84.98 annual plan + UFC 251 offer.

UFC 251 Early Prelim fights start at 6 p.m. on UFC FightPass, which is $9.99 per month. Then, the higher-up set of prelim fights that start at 8 p.m. Eastern are on both ESPN Plus and ESPN, and the latter is available on most major cable TV replacement services, including Sling TV, YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV.

How to watch UFC 251 in the U.K.

Those staying up extra late -- until 3 a.m.! -- in the UK will watch UFC 251 live on UFC Fight Pass and BT Sport. The BT Sport Monthly Pass costs £25 per month and will get you access to UFC 251, as well as Premier League fixtures.

Just a heads up, though, it's not available via a web browser, but through apps on Now TV devices, PlayStations, Xbox, Apple TV and some Smart TVs.

How to watch UFC 251 Fight Island in Canada

Our neighbors in the great white north will watch the early prelims on UFC Fight Pass, while the prelims are on TSN and RDS. UFC 251's main card is available on various providers, including BELL and Rogers.

UFC 251 card and results

Early prelims (6 pm Eastern) on UFC Fight Pass

Marcin Tybura beat Maxim Grishin [heavyweight] via round 3 decision
Raulian Paiva beat Zhalgas Zhumagulov [flyeight] - via round 3 decision
Karol Rosa beat Vanessa Melo [bantamweight] via round 3 decision
Davey Grant beat Martin Day [bantamweight] - via 3rd round KO

Prelims (8 pm Eastern) on ESPN and ESPN Plus

Volkan Oezdemir vs Jiri Prochazka [light heavyweight]
Elizeu Dos Santos beat Muslim Salikhov [welterweight] via round 3 decision
Makwan Amirkhani beat Danny Henry [featherweight] via R1 submission
Leonardo Santos vs Roman Bogatov [lightweight]

Main Card (10 p.m. Eastern):

Kamaru Usman (champ) vs Jorge Masvidal (#3) [welterweight title bout]
Alexander Volkanovski (champ) vs Max Holloway (#1) [featherweight title bout]
Petr Yan (#3) vs Jose Aldo (#6) [bantamweight]
Jessica Andrade (#1) vs Rose Namajunas (#2) [strawweight]
Amanda Ribas (#14) vs Paige Vanzant [flyweight]

Henry was a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.