For MMA fans, watching UFC fights without a cable subscription has become much easier as many streaming services will give you live broadcasts of UFC Fight Night events. Services like DIRECTV STREAM, Sling TV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV, all offer ESPN as a part of their channel lineup. So you get to stream ESPN UFC broadcasts with these options as well.
But when it comes to pay-per-view UFC, ESPN+ is the exclusive and go-to destination as highlighted in our ESPN+ review. This makes ESPN+ the best streaming service to watch UFC events overall.
And in this post, we show you how you can stream UFC on ESPN+. Let’s get started.
Watching UFC on ESPN+
ESPN+ has a single plan that comes with access to tons of live and on-demand UFC programming. This includes exclusive Fight Night events and ESPN Plus originals, as well as on-demand access to the most legendary fights from the UFC archives. Learn more about the plan in our ESPN Plus pricing guide.
Besides UFC Fight Nights, pay-per-view UFC events are also available on ESPN+ at an additional rate. New subscribers even have the option to bundle their annual plan with one PPV event,
For hardcore MMA fans, the service has a bunch of additional UFC content, including exclusive originals and studio shows such as Ariel & The Bad Guy, Detail with Daniel Cormier, and UFC Destined. And through Dana White’s Contender Series, you get to witness some of the best up-and-coming MMA fighters as they battle for a UFC contract.
You can also binge on Fight Island: Declassified, the four-part docuseries that chronicles the journey of Dana White and the UFC as they put together one of the most epic sporting events. ESPN Plus even gives you access to the entire 30 for 30 library, which features some of the most iconic names in UFC history and highlights their stories through titles like Be Water, Chuck & Tito, LANCE, Long Gone Summer, and more.
The best part is you can bundle your subscription with Disney+ and Hulu and open up an even more expansive library of content. This bundle will set you back by $12.99/mo. and gives you access to the entire on-demand library from Disney Plus and Hulu. And you still get to watch live UFC on ESPN Plus, so it’s a win-win. Learn more about this option in our Disney Plus + ESPN Plus + Hulu bundle review.
How to Watch the UFC Online Live
The ESPN+ layout is pretty straightforward and easy to navigate. Aside from a few minor variations due to screen size, it’s also consistent across most devices. On the web browser and on the streaming device apps, you’ll find the menu bar at the top of the screen.
So you’ll have the option to access the featured content and originals from this section. And the “Browse” button from this menu bar will let you browse through available programming by sport and league.
On mobile devices, the app spreads out the menu buttons at the top and bottom parts of the screen. You’ll find the search button and the settings at the top of the screen. And from the bottom menu bar, you can access the available streaming titles, home screen, and scores.
Here’s how you can navigate through these sections and watch UFC on ESPN Plus:
Step One: Open the ESPN Plus app on any compatible device or the official ESPN Plus website on your desktop browser. Then log in using your credentials.
Step Two: On your home screen, you can instantly see the featured titles and programming. If you’re looking for live UFC events to watch, go through the suggested program posters that have a “Live” label at the bottom. Or you can browse through shows and originals as well as top videos to find some UFC content to watch. If you find something you like, just click on it to start streaming.
Step Three: The UFC PPV events are available under the “Top Upcoming Events” within the “ESPN+” tab. To purchase it, click on the event card and choose “Buy Now.” Once the event goes live, you can click on the same card to start streaming.
Step Four: To speed up your search, click on the “Browse” button. On mobile apps, you can find this button on the “Watch” screen. The “Browse” screen lets you filter available programming by sport and league. So click on “UFC” to display all the available UFC titles and select the event you want to watch.
Step Five: If you’re watching from the web browser or the mobile app, you can also look for events that are live now or upcoming. Click on the “Schedule & Replays” button to access the TV guide from the web browser. If you’re using the mobile app, tap on the calendar icon at the top of the screen to access the guide.
Select the “Live Now” option to browse through currently airing events and the “Upcoming” button to look at upcoming ones. From here, open the “All Sports” drop-down menu and select “MMA” to display UFC events that are currently live or airing soon. Choose any “Live Now” programming to start streaming.
Step Six: If you already know exactly what you want to watch, use the search button to look for the programming. Select it from the search results to begin streaming.
Note that the actual steps might vary slightly depending on which device you’re using.
What devices is ESPN Plus compatible with?
You’ll want to make sure that your device supports ESPN Plus, so here’s a breakdown of the compatible devices:
- Amazon Fire tablets
- Amazon Fire TV devices
- Android phones and tablets (running OS 5.0 and above)
- Android TVs (select models)
- Apple TV devices (3rd gen and above)
- iOS devices (running on iOS 11.x or higher)
- PlayStations 4
- Roku devices
- Samsung connected TVs
- Xbox One
The final cut
Besides live UFC fights and on-demand programming, ESPN Plus also comes with extensive access to other sports leagues, including the NFL and more. This makes it one of the best streaming services for sports fans.
Unfortunately, ESPN Plus no longer offers a free trial, however, when you sign up for ESPN+, you can check and see if there are any promotions before deciding if the service is a good fit for you.