When is UFC 280? Abu Dhabi fight date, special start time

One of the biggest UFC PPV events of the year takes place this Saturday at a special start time in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The promotion had always planned a ‘blockbuster’ event for its return to the United Arab Emirates and has certainly delivered on its promise with a fantastic fight card featuring two title fights and many other exciting bouts.

Because the fights will take place in Abu Dhabi, the UFC 280 event will air at a special time in the United States. The eight-fight preliminary card will begin at 10:00 am ET / 7:00 am PT. The PPV main card will begin later at 2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT and air exclusively on ESPN+ PPV.

The UFC 280 main event is a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between former champion Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. Makhachev earns his shot at the title following a ten-fight win streak in the promotion. Oliveira has now won 11 consecutive fights but was stripped of the title after missing the championship weight limit at UFC 274. The former champ holds records for most submission wins (16) and most finishes (19) in the promotion’s history.

In the co-main event, former champion TJ Dillashaw will get another shot at the UFC Bantamweight Championship following his successful return against Cory Sandhagen last year. He’ll challenge Aljamain Sterling, who defended his title against Petr Yan at UFC 273.

Notice: The only way to watch the UFC 280 PPV this weekend in the United States is by ordering the official ESPN+ PPV here.

Yan, too, is fighting at UFC 280 and will feature on the PPV main card when he faces Sean O’Malley in a bantamweight bout. See the full UFC 280 fight card below, including the start times for the main card and preliminary card.