UFC 286 fight card: Who’s stepping into the Octagon tonight?

Promotional poster for UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards.

MMA fans are in for an explosive night of action today, as UFC 286 is bringing viewers a rare second pay-per-view event for the month of March. Edwards vs. Usman 3 has a star-studded fight card with a championship trilogy bout serving as the headliner. There are 15 matchups in total on deck, and with three fight cards to enjoy, viewers can look forward to roughly seven hours’ worth of bloody combat featuring some of the top mixed martial arts talent in the world. Whether you’re planning to tune into every single fight or you’re only looking forward to tuning into the UFC 286 live stream, read on to see the entire UFC 286 fight card.

We’re getting a rare treat this month in the form of a second UFC PPV. Typically, the world’s top MMA promotion only runs one such numbered pay-per-view event each month, with the other weeks featuring the weekly “Fight Night” events. It goes without saying that the best and biggest fights — specifically, the championship bouts — are reserved for pay-per-view shows like UFC 286, and the main card comprises the pay-per-view portion of these shows. For UFC 286, the main event is a trilogy bout between former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (20-2) and reigning champ Leon Edwards (20-3) for the title.

Usman won the UFC Welterweight Championship in March 2019 and held it until August of last year, where he lost his belt to Edwards at UFC 278. There, “Rocky” Edwards issued a devastating upset to The Nigerian Nightmare when he knocked Usman out with a fierce head kick. The two had already faced off once before in 2015, where Usman won, so UFC 286 marks their trilogy bout — and a high-stakes one, too, as the former champ seeks to avenge his first-ever UFC defeat.

Aside from the championship main event, the UFC 286 fight card boasts some pretty impressive names from all corners of the league. For the co-main event, former interim UFC Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje (24-4) will be facing off against Rafael Fiziev (12-1). Gaethje has challenged for the UFC Lightweight Championship twice, but was unsuccessful both times. If he wins today, he’ll be on track for a third title challenge, meaning he could soon face current champion Islam Makhachev. Other noteworthy talent on the UFC 286 fight card includes Jennifer Maia, who is facing Casey O’Neill, and Marvin Vettori, who will touch gloves with former training partner Roman Dolidze.

There are 15 matchups scheduled for today and you can check out the entire UFC 286 fight card below. Last-minute changes are not uncommon in the world of MMA, but this is who you can expect to see walking into the Octagon.

UFC 286 fight card

Main event (5 PM ET / 2 PM PT)

  • Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman
  • Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
  • Gunnar Nelson vs. Bryan Barberena
  • Jennifer Maia vs. Casey O’Neill
  • Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze

Prelims (3 PM ET / 12 PM PT)

  • Jack Shore vs. Makwan Amirkhani
  • Chris Duncan vs. Omar Morales
  • Sam Patterson vs. Yanal Ashmoz
  • Muhammad Mokaev vs. Jafel Filho

Early prelims (1 PM ET / 10 AM PT)

  • Lerone Murphy vs. Gabriel Santos
  • Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Dusko Todorovic
  • Malcolm Gordon vs. Jake Hadley
  • Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina
  • Jai Herbert vs. Ludovit Klein
  • Juliana Miller vs. Veronica Macedo

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