[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiIlguJ4I6I&w=560&h=315]
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 253 live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Although a pair of bouts have been transformed into
150-pound catchweights, the weigh-ins for UFC
253 are official and the championship bouts are set. The
Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to “Fight Island” for
its latest pay-per-view. UFC
253 is headlined by a middleweight title tilt as champion
Israel
Adesanya takes on rival Paulo
Henrique Costa. The co-headliner will also put gold on the
line, where the promotion will see a new light heavyweight king
crowned.
While his last fight against Yoel Romero
was a dud, Adesanya (19-0) will look to put on an exciting bout in
his second title defense. Adesanya’s incredible rise to stardom saw
him knockout Robert
Whittaker and win clear decisions over Kelvin
Gastelum and Anderson
Silva along the way. “The Last Stylebender” had no issue making
championship weight and officially stepped on the scales at 184
pounds.
Also undefeated is Costa, who has racked up 13 victories in his
mixed martial arts career. The Brazilian most recently won a
decision over Romero and knocked out Uriah Hall
and Johny
Hendricks. The 29-year-old looks prepared for his first title
shot and weighed 185 pounds on the dot.
Fighting for the vacant light heavyweight title is Dominick
Reyes and Jan
Blachowicz. Reyes (12-1) is coming off a disputed unanimous
decision loss to Jon Jones, who
vacated the belt in order to move to heavyweight. Blachowicz
(26-8), on the other hand, is riding a three-fight win streak
having knocked out Corey
Anderson and Luke
Rockhold while picking up a split nod over Ronaldo
Souza. Both fighters weighed 205 pounds on the button.
Two fighters did miss weight ahead of this event: Zubaira
Tukhugov (150)*, who came in four pounds heavy for his
featherweight match with Hakeem
Dawodu. Ludovit
Klein also hit the scale at 150 pounds for his 145-pound tilt
against Shane Young.
Both men have been fined percentages of their purses and the bouts
will proceed as scheduled.
The UFC 253 early prelims will air on both UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+
beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. Action will then move to ESPN+
and ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and the main card airs
exclusively on ESPN+ pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
UFC 253 Weigh-in Results:
Israel
Adesanya (184) vs. Paulo
Henrique Costa (185)
Dominick
Reyes (205) vs. Jan
Blachowicz (205)
Kai
Kara-France (126) vs. Brandon
Royval (126)
Ketlen
Vieira (136) vs. Sijara
Eubanks (136)
Hakeem
Dawodu (145) vs. Zubaira
Tukhugov (150)*
Brad
Riddell (156) vs. Alex
da Silva Coelho (156)
Diego
Sanchez (170) vs. Jake
Matthews (170)
Ludovit
Klein (150)** vs. Shane Young
(146)
William
Knight (205) vs. Aleksa
Camur (206)
Jeff
Hughes (258) vs.
Juan Francisco Espino Dieppa (255)
Khadis
Ibragimov (206) vs. Danilo
Marques (206)
* Tukhugov missed weight by four pounds and has been fined a
percentage of his purse.
** Klein missed weight by four pounds and has been fined a
percentage of his purse.
