NO MATTER if you’re a diehard UFC fan or just a casual viewer, figuring out how to watch the UFC for any specific event can be confusing. But there’s good news: Since the UFC’s sale to ESPN in 2019, the premier mixed martial arts organization has streamlined its events and content to a few select areas, and once you break them down, it’s not hard to start figuring out how to watch the best UFC fights online. So if you’re looking to watch upcoming fights, past fights, or even some of UFC’s award-winning original content, our guide to accessing all the UFC has to offer will get you there fast.
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Watch UFC Fight Nights for Free on ESPN+
ESPN holds exclusive streaming rights to Fight Night events via its streaming app, ESPN+. If you pay for an ESPN+ subscription, then you will typically be able to view UFC Fight Nights for free as part of your service. The UFC’s rights also extend to some of the league’s original programming, like its prospects series, called Dana White’s Contender Series. As far as subscription streaming services go, ESPN+ incredibly affordable when you bundle it with The Disney Bundle. This is a subscription service that gives you access to ESPN+, Disney+, and Hulu for $13.99. You can also choose to upgrade your The Disney Bundle and get Hulu with no ads, which would bring the monthly total to $19.99 per month.
WATCH THE UFC WITH THE DISNEY BUNDLE
It’s also worth mentioning you can pay for ESPN+ on its own for a monthly or annual plan. Recently, ESPN+ announced it was going to raise its prices to $9.99 per month and $99.99 annually. If you’re looking just for sports content and UFC, then this is still a good deal, as an ESPN+ subscription will open up viewing opportunities for variety of other live sports events including the NFL, Major League Soccer (MLS), MLB, NBA, NHL, and a host of other pro- and collegiate-level contests.
WATCH THE UFC ON ESPN+
Once your credit card info is in (sorry, no free trial), you can access programming from your mobile device via the ESPN+ app, as well as on your smart TV and other connected devices, including Apple, Android, and Amazon Fire devices, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Oculus Go.
Watch UFC Championship Fights on ESPN+
Championship fights are big-ticket events, and like MMA’s predecessor of boxing, they’re pay-per-view only. If you’re a cable subscriber, including DirectTV, you can sometimes order your fight directly through your provider (and oftentimes with a couple of taps of your finger on your remote). If you’re an ESPN+ member, simply log in to your account and pony up.
WATCH THE UFC WITH THE DISNEY BUNDLE
Pay-per-view one-time fees through ESPN+ for members are currently $75, though this fee has been raised several times since the Worldwide Sports Leader took over three years ago. If you’re a first time subscriber to ESPN+, we recommend waiting until a UFC PPV fight is coming up, as ESPN sometimes offers a promo deal where buying an annual subscription gets you the UFC fight for free.
WATCH THE UFC ON ESPN+
How to Watch UFC Prelim Fights
Preliminary fights (also called prelims) are typically the easiest to watch. Most of the time, prelims are aired live on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+. The UFC does this to help build up hype for upcoming PPV bouts (that air right after the prelims) and attract viewers to buy the PPV. Two popular streaming services that will give you the channels that usually cover UFC prelims are