There will be two big main events on Saturday night from boxing and MMA, and cross-over fans will be able to watch both live.
Dana White initially talked smack about DAZN being “crazy” to put Canelo Alvarez vs Sergei Kovalev on the same night as UFC 244’s Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal, but apparently fans won’t really have to choose between the two sports’ headliners tonight.
The fights will be timed right, and DAZN has confirmed that Canelo vs Kovalev will only start after Diaz vs Masvidal ends, which is approximately at 1 a.m. ET.
“We saw Dana’s comments about staggering the start times, and we completely agreed,” Joe Markowski DAZN EVP of North America told MMA Fighting. “It’s a huge night for combat sports fans, and they should be able to see both main events live. It was an easy decision.”
DAZN also confirmed this on their website, stating that “The start time of the Canelo-Kovalev will also depend on the length of UFC 244. The Canelo-Kovalev fight won’t start until Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz is complete, giving fight fans the chance to see both main events.”
Alphabet soup titles of varying significance will be on the line in those two sports. The boxing main event will see Alvarez move up two weight classes to fight Kovalev for his WBO light heavyweight title, while the UFC will have Diaz and Masvidal fighting for a newly made “BMF” belt.
UFC’s main card will start at 10 p.m. ET and will be available as an ESPN+ PPV. The boxing main card, on the other hand, will stream on DAZN’s subscription service starting at 9 p.m. ET.
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