Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

UFC live stream: How to watch UFC from anywhere, legally

High-speed internet has made it easy and economical for millions of people to “cut the cord” and ditch traditional cable or satellite TV in favor of online streaming services. But due to regional broadcasting restrictions, sports fans had to wait a while longer to enjoy live and on-demand content. Movies and TV shows have been available on services like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video for about a decade now, and today’s 4K smart TVs even come with built-in internet connectivity and pre-loaded streaming apps — but only recently have broadcasters like ESPN done the same thing for live-action sports, including UFC live streams like the upcoming UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili and UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3.

The world’s biggest mixed martial arts fighting league has joined with ESPN to bring you all of your favorite UFC content in 2023, both online and on TV. Fox previously held exclusive broadcasting rights to UFC through 2018, but starting in 2019, the contract went to ESPN. ESPN rolled out its own premium streaming service called ESPN+ in the spring of 2018. This is great news for MMA fans, as the UFC’s tight relationship with ESPN now makes it easy to stream UFC fights online. Although some fight cards are broadcast on ESPN’s TV channel and UFC Fight Pass, ESPN+ is the only venue for watching UFC PPVs online, including the UFC 286 live stream. This means that for the foreseeable future, all Ultimate Fighting Championship content is airing only on this network, and if you’re looking for the best way to watch every UFC live stream online, ESPN+ is what you need.

Related Videos

Watch the UFC live stream on ESPN Plus

The ESPN+ logo on a black background.

You don’t need to sign up for an expensive live TV streaming package to watch UFC live streams; all you need is ESPN+ for streaming UFC fights and pay-per-view events such as UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3. It also offers a mountain of other sports content beyond MMA, such as college basketball, La Liga soccer, and PGA Golf. You can simply sign up for a monthly or yearly subscription and you’re good to go. Despite the price creeping up over the years, it’s still a solid value at just $10 per month or $100 per year. Ahead of pay-per-view showings, new subscribers can take advantage of a bundle deal that offers a year’s worth of ESPN+ along with the upcoming UFC 286 PPV package for $125– a nice $55 discount off the price of purchasing them separately. You can use ESPN+ with virtually all modern smart TVs, streaming devices (including smartphones and tablets), computer web browsers, and PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles.

Watch the UFC live stream on Hulu with Live TV

Hulu app icon on Roku.
Phil Nickinson/Digital Trends

Hulu offers ESPN+ as part of its $70-per-month Live TV plan, which now includes Disney+ as well. Along with Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+, Hulu with Live TV also gets you more than 85 live TV channels, so it’s a great all-in-one streaming bundle for cord-cutters. You can also add premium channels like HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz, for an extra fee. If all you want are the streaming apps and don’t care about live TV channels, then a more economical choice might be which comes with basic ad-supported Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+ for $13 per month. Since both of these options include ESPN+, you can watch all UFC fights with either one, including pay-per-view events like UFC 286.

Watch the UFC live stream from abroad with a VPN

NordVPN running on a MacBook Pro.

For MMA fans living abroad, watching UFC live streams can be a challenge due to the limitations created by regional broadcasting rights. However, with the help of a virtual private network, it’s not only possible but very easy to bypass these restrictions and access ESPN+ from anywhere in the world. By connecting to a VPN server located in the United States, you can mask your IP address and appear as though you’re accessing the content from within the U.S. NordVPN is our favorite of the best VPN services for streaming, as it offers high-speed connections and a large network of servers in the U.S. and around the world. With NordVPN, you can enjoy seamless streaming of UFC live events on ESPN+ without having to worry about geographical restrictions. It’s cheap too: You can get NordVPN for as little as $4.20 per month if you sign up for the two-year plan.

Editors' Recommendations

F1 live stream: Watch Formula 1 online for free
F1 2021 racers on track.

Looking to watch Formula 1 racing online? You've got a few ways to do it, but with the 74th World Championship officially underway, now's the time to find a streaming service that will let you tune into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live stream and the rest of the F1 races for the 2023 season. Whether you're planning to watch the action unfold on a smart TV or streaming stick or you want to be able to catch all the action on your mobile device when you're on the go, we've got everything you need to know right here. Read on to learn how to watch Formula 1 online, how much it will cost you, whether there's a free F1 live stream, and what you can look forward to seeing during the 74th F1 World Championship.
Watch the free F1 live stream

The 274th F1 World Championship is being aired for free in Austria and and Luxembourg. This is great news for those in the countries, but not so great for residents traveling abroad who want to watch the action unfold live in their local language -- especially when it's free-to-watch at home. It's only fitting that an Austrian currently in the United States would want to watch the race in Austrian and not English, right? This is completely safe (and legal) to do with a VPN.

Read more
UFC 286 live stream: Can you watch Edwards vs Usman for free?
Promotional poster for UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards.

In a short while, Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards will step into the octagon for their trilogy bout at the O2 Arena in London, England, with Usman looking to reclaim the UFC Welterweight Championship belt from Edwards following their last face-off at UFC 278 where her suffered his first defeat in the league. If you're looking to tune in to this championship showdown, then there's only one official service, and that's ESPN+. Yes, that means there's no (legal) free UFC 286 live stream. But don't worry, there might be a way for you to save money on a virtual ticket to the event.
Watch the UFC 286 live stream on ESPN Plus

MMA fans looking to watch UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 will have to tune in to ESPN+, the exclusive broadcaster of UFC pay-per-view events in the U.S. Following a recent price increase, an ESPN+ subscription will set you back $10 per month or $100 per year, while UFC pay-per-view events come at an additional cost of $80 per year. It's sadly getting more and more expensive to be a UFC fan; however, ESPN+ always offers a one-time bundle deal ahead of UFC PPVs that gets you a one-year subscription and access to UFC 286 for $125. This sign-up offer saves you $55 on the price of  purchasing the subscription and pay-per-view separately. If you're a new subscriber planning to catch the fight, now's the time to take advantage of this discount so you can watch UFC 286 online tonight and save some cash. Existing subscribers will have to pony up the $80 to access the UFC 286 live stream, though.

Read more
Atletico Madrid vs Valencia Live Stream: How to watch for free
A soccer field.

Later today, Atletico Madrid and Valencia CF will go head-to-head at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in what is sure to be a great match. Atletico Madrid secure a win in its last match, as did Valencia CF so it will be interesting to see where this goes. If you're as excited as us to watch the game, you're surely looking for a way to watch the event online, maybe even for free. Well, we have some good news, as we've compiled a list of the best places to watch the action unfold live, and have even found a free Atletico Madrid vs Valencia live stream.

Watch the Atletico Madrid vs Valencia Live Stream on FuboTV

Read more