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UFC 263 Preview: The Return Of Nate Diaz & 2 Title Fights Tonight

UFC 263 takes place tonight, live from the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Two title fights headline the card, as Middleweight champ Israel Adesanya returns to the 185 division to defend the crown against Marvin Vettori. In the co-main event, Delveson Figueiredo puts his Flyweight title on the line in a re-match with Brandon Moreno. The third headlining fight will feature the return of Nate Diaz, as he takes on Leon Edwards. That fight will be the first non-main or non-title fight scheduled for five rounds in UFC history. You can see the hype video for UFC 263 down below.

Top To Bottom, UFC 263 Will Be One Of The Best Cards Of The Year

Adesanya enters the cage tonight after an unsuccessful bid to become the Light Heavyweight champion earlier this year. That was his first MMA loss and is looking to get back on the winning track. He beat Vettori before in 2018, though some, including Vettori, believe he won that fight. He has been on a tear since, and it will be interesting to see how Stylebender handles him. Also at UFC 263, a rematch of the best Flyweight fight of all time. Figueiredo and Moreno fought the distance at UFC in December, and a majority draw was the decision that night. Tonight the two fighters hope to leave no doubt who the king of the Flyweights really is. All eyes will be on Diaz however. This is his first fight since 2019 when he lost to Jorge Masvidal due to a doctor's stoppage. He has a tall task, as Edwards rides in on a nine-fight win streak, and looking for this to be the signature win of his career and finally get that elusive title shot.

UFC 263: Two Title Fights And The Return Of Nate Diaz Tonight
UFC 263. Credit UFC

Here is the full fight card for UFC 263. It all starts with early prelims at 6 PM EST, followed by the main prelims at 8 PM EST and the main card at 10 PM EST, all on ESPN+.

Main Card – 10:00 pm ET on ESPN+ PPV

  • 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 – 8:00 pm ET on ESPN+

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

Early Prelims – 6:00 pm ET on ESPN+

  • 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
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Jeremy KonradAbout Jeremy Konrad

Jeremy Konrad has written about collectibles and film for almost ten years. He has a deep and vast knowledge of both. He resides in Ohio with his family.
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