Derrick Lewis and his post-fight interviews are the stuff of legend.
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
In the aftermath of a Conor McGregor fight, most UFC events tend to pale in comparison, but UFC 265 feels especially low key. Its main event, a heavyweight interim title bout between Derrick Lewis and Cyril Gane feels less like a legitimate title bout and more like a negotiating tactic on the UFC’s part.
After struggling to match the pay demands of current heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou and potential challenger Jon Jones, this is very much a fight that sends a message from the UFC: The heavyweight division will move on with or without you.
That said, this is still a compelling fight. Derrick Lewis is one of the UFC’s most recognisable stars and Cyril Gane is maybe the most technical striker in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Regardless of the reasons why the UFC set this fight up, it’s definitely going to be worth watching.
The remainder of the card features a few gems. A title fight between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena was unfortunately cancelled after Nunes tested positive for COVID-19, but Jose Aldo and Vicente Luque are both fighting on the undercard. Both always deliver high octane fights.
UFC 265 Start time
The UFC 265 main card starts at 10 p.m EDT (7 p.m. PDT) but here are all the details from multiple timezones.
US
The main card starts Aug 7, 10 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. PDT).The prelims start Aug 7, 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT).The early prelims start Aug 7, 6.15 p.m. EDT (3.15 p.m. PDT).
UK
The main card starts Aug 8, 3 a.m. BST.The prelims start Aug 8, 1 a.m. BST.The early prelims start Aug 7, 11.15 p.m. BST.
Australia
The main card starts Aug 8, 12 noon AEST.The prelims start Aug 8, 10 a.m. AEST.The early prelims start Aug 8, 8.15 a.m. AEST.
How to watch UFC 265
The UFC now has a partnership with ESPN. That’s great news for the UFC and the expansion of the sport of MMA, but bad news for consumer choice. Especially if you’re one of the UFC fans who want to watch UFC in the US.
In the US, if you want to know how to watch UFC 265, you’ll only find the fight night on PPV through ESPN Plus. The cost structure is a bit confusing, but here are the options to watch UFC on ESPN, according to ESPN’s site:
Existing yearly ESPN Plus subscribers can order the upcoming UFC fight for $70.
Existing monthly ESPN Plus subscribers will be able to either upgrade to an annual plan and buy UFC PPV for $85 or purchase the ability to watch the UFC event on PPV for $70 by itself.
New ESPN Plus subscribers can buy a bundle of one UFC PPV event (streaming in HD) and an ESPN Plus annual recurring subscription for $90. This is a decent deal. The previous bundle gave a saving of 25% but this new bundle is a 35% saving. The ESPN Plus annual ESPN subscription will auto-renew after one year, at the price of an ESPN Plus annual subscription at the time of auto-renewal.
You can do all of the above at the link below.
MMA fans in the UK can watch UFC 264 exclusively through BT Sport. There are more options if you live in Australia. You can watch UFC 264 through Main Event on Foxtel. You can also watch on the UFC website or using its app. You can even order using your PlayStation or using the UFC app on your Xbox.
Need more international viewing options? Try a VPN to change your IP address to access those US, UK or Australian options listed above. See the best VPNs currently recommended by CNET editors.
UFC 265 Fight card
As always, this fight card is subject to change. We’ll try and keep this as up-to-date as possible.
Main card
Derrick Lewis vs. Cyril GaneJose Aldo vs. Pedro MunhozMichael Chiesa vs. Vicente LuqueTecia Torres vs. Angela HillSong Yadong vs. Casey Kenney
Prelims
Bobby Green vs. Rafael Fiziev
Vince Morales vs. Drako Rodriguez
Alonzo Menifield vs. Ed Herman
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Jessica Penne
Early Prelims
Manel Kape vs. Ode Osbourne
Miles Johns vs. Anderson Dos Santos
Victoria Leonardo vs. Melissa Gato
Johnny Munoz vs. Jamey Simmons