Even diehard MMA fans have said they can’t pay the $75 it costs to watch every UFC pay-per-view event online in the U.S. That’s not including the $6.99 monthly ESPN+ subscription it takes to stream. By using a VPN, you can watch all UFC pay-per-view events for about $20 per month instead. Here’s how: It all goes down at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, with the main card starting around 10 PM (EST). The flyweight division will also be set ablaze as No. 1 Brandon Moreno and No. 2-ranked Kai Kara-France square off again for the interim belt as the co-main event. But even the most hardcore MMA junkies have said they can’t afford to pay the $75 each UFC pay-per-view event costs. To live stream events in the United States, you’ll need a $6.99 monthly ESPN+ subscription to boot. But international markets are different. By using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), fight fans can access UFC Fight Pass in Japan, which includes all pay-per-view events with a monthly subscription. We’ll show you how to do just that in the quick guide below. Want to watch for free? We’ve rounded up some of those streams, too.
How to Live Stream UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes 2 for $20
MMA fans in the Japanese market get a much better deal than those in other countries. You can get a UFC Fight Pass subscription for about $20 in Japan, which includes all PPV main events. Since broadcasters and streaming companies cut different licensing deals around the globe, they impose geo-blocks based on your computer or mobile device’s IP address. However, if you’re not physically located in Japan, you can make websites think you are by using a VPN. When you connect to a VPN’s network, it changes your IP address and routes your internet connection through a server in the country of your choice. In this case, you can make it seem like you’re accessing the web from Japan. Follow the steps listed below to set up a VPN and watch UFC 277 at a massive discount.
Step-by-step guide: Watch UFC 277 Peña vs. Nunes 2 at a huge discount
Where Can I Watch UFC 277?
UFC has become a global phenomenon, and many broadcasters carry events without pay-per-view fees. Generally, you won’t be able to set up accounts with just a VPN and your home payment method for these, but some channels and streams that carry UFC events in different countries are listed below. If you have a subscription to one of these providers, just match the VPN server to the country to access your account.
Where Can I Watch the UFC Fight Tonight for Free?
Unfortunately, there’s no way to legally watch UFC pay-per-view events for free. At least, not that we know of (feel free to leave a comment if you do). Many sports fans use VPNs for the sole purpose of searching out free streams of their favorite events. We don’t recommend this, because oftentimes you’ll end up on domains that aren’t secure, have invasive pop-up trackers or host illegal content. But VPNs offer certain protections against these downsides. In addition to swapping your true IP address for an anonymous one (masking your true location), good VPNs also encrypt your internet traffic. This means that no one — not even your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or hackers — can make sense of the websites you visited, and the content you viewed or downloaded. The best VPN providers have also proven that they keep no logs of users’ activities. Be aware that the sites listed below can link you to illegal streams or unsecured domains. No rogue sports streamer should access them without a VPN.
ROJADIRECTA
ROJADIRECTA is a simple, no-frills site that often has the latest streams for UFC bouts and boxing matches, though it generally focuses on soccer. Various kinds of links are provided for almost every event, such as Flash or AceStreams links. This way, users can choose what works best for their device. The usual conditions that come with external links also apply to ROJADIRECTA. Some of the links may not work at all, or drop during streaming, while others may be in a language you don’t understand. From what we’ve seen, the success rate of streams listed on ROJADIRECTA is better than that of other competitors.
BuffStreams
Long-time sports streaming renegades are probably familiar with Buffstreams. It covers almost every sport. You’ll be able to find the evening’s UFC fights, boxing matches, and other combat sports here in standard definition for free. HD streaming is available, but you’ll usually be prompted to create an account to begin the stream. Whether or not users want to go down that road is up to them.
Cricfree
While Cricfree is a site that specializes in cricket streams — as the name implies — it also offers up streams of the latest UFC events, boxing matches, and most combat sports. The website may not look like much, but it seems to do a good job of managing links and making sure streams actually work. Since this site provides links that are hosted elsewhere, you’ll run into invasive pop-up ads as well as geo-restricted sources. Of course, external links could also mean unsecured domains and copyright infringement as well.
Can I Use a Free VPN to Watch UFC?
For a variety of reasons, the answer is no. You can’t — and most definitely should not — use a free VPN to watch UFC events. Here’s why:
Server location: For starters, free VPNs (or services using a “freemium” business model) have limited server locations. To watch all UFC pay-per-view fights for $20 a month, you’ll need a service with servers in Japan. Which most don’t have. Server obfuscation: While most premium VPNs have excellent obfuscated servers (servers that hide the fact that you’re using a VPN in order to bypass website blocks), in our tests, ExpressVPN is the only service that was able to access UFC Fight Pass Japan without being flagged. Free platforms often lack the resources to bypass even the simplest VPN blocks. Record logs and privacy: Users who opt for free sports streaming sites can often land on insecure web domains, illegally hosted live streams or pages with invasive trackers. Many free VPNs promote themselves as “no-logs” providers with advanced encryption and security protocols, although they’re anything but. ExpressVPN is one of the few services that made our list of proven, truly no-log VPNs.
UFC 277 Odds: What to Expect
Back at UFC 269 in Dec. 2021, “The Venezuelan Vixen” Julianna Peña shocked the MMA world by working over dominating bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes, “The Lioness.” The two really locked horns in the second round, and while both traded massive blows, Nunes seemed to tire out first. Peña finished off the champion by bringing her to the ground, forcing a tap out submission with a rear-naked choke. A little surprisingly, DraftKings Sportsbook has Nunes as a -275 favorite going into Saturday’s rematch. Whether that’s due to Nunes testing positive for COVID-19 before their first bout, or this is Peña’s first title defense is up for debate. Regardless, all eyes will be on Saturday’s main event to see if the upset was a fluke or the beginning of a new era in women’s MMA. While the women’s division is driving the chatter, the men’s flyweight division is also set to explode in the co-main event. No. 1 Brandon Moreno and No. 2-ranked Kai Kara-France square off in another incendiary rematch to decide the interim title holder. Reigning flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo is currently nursing a finger injury while the top-ranked prize fighters duke it out. On the undercard, No. 4 Alexandre Pantoja and No. 6 Alex Perez will see who can work their way up the flyweight ranks, while fan favorites Derrick Lewis and Sergei Pavlovich will slug it out in the heavyweight division. The heavily-favorited Magomed Ankalaev will try to continue his long-running undefeated UFC streak with a matchup against Anthony Smith in a light heavyweight bout.
UFC 277 Main Card
Below is the main card for UFC 277 on Saturday, July 30, 2022. Ringwalks are expected to start at 10 PM (EST) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Preliminaries start around 8PM (EST). Odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook.