Overview

• Essex faces Portuguese influencer Joao “Numeiro” Barbosa at the AO Arena, with the crossover card headlined by Darren Till vs Luke Rockhold and featuring Tony Ferguson vs Salt Papi.
• The bout is scheduled for an estimated 9pm BST ring-walk, with the main undercard beginning at 7pm.
• The event streams worldwide on DAZN as a pay-per-view, with the opening two fights available free on DAZN’s YouTube channel.
• Numeiro enters with one prior bout on record, a loss to Kalin Simeonov, after leaning into the promotion with a weigh-in stunt featuring Essex’s face on his briefs.
• Essex has highlighted his preparation with a notable physique change and reiterated his confidence with a public vow to knock out his opponent.