The UFC returns to Fight Island for a championship doubleheader this weekend and we have all the details on how you can watch the highly anticipated Adesanya vs Costa match on TV or online.
The top of UFC 253’s Main Card will see Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya take on Paulo “The Eraser” Costa in a middleweight title bout. The current UFC middleweight champion, Adesanya is going into Saturday’s match with a 19 fight win streak after defeating Yoel Romero by decision in round 5 at UFC 248 back in March.
Costa on the other hand has a 12 fight win streak under his belt after he also defeated Romero by decision last August at UFC 241 in round 3. Will Costa be able to shake off the dust and defeat Adesanya to become the UFC’s new middleweight champion?
In the second title fight at UFC 253, Dominick “The Devastator” Reyes will go up against Jan Blachowicz in a light heavyweight bout. Reyes last fought in the Octagon back in February at UFC 247 where he lost to Jon Jones by decision in round 5.
Blachowicz meanwhile will be going into the light heavyweight title bout with a 3 fight win streak after defeating Rockhold and Souza last year and Anderson this year. In his match against Anderson at UFC Fight Night in February, Blachowicz won by knockout in round 1 with just over three minutes on the clock. Can Reyes rise to the occasion or will Blachowicz add another win to his streak?
Elsewhere on the card, Kai Kara France will go up against Brand Royval in a flyweight bout, Ketlen Vieira will take on Sijara Eubanks in a women’s bantamweight bout and Hakeem Dawodu will face off against Zubaira Tukhugov in a featherweight bout.
Whether you’re rooting for Adesanya, Costa or just want to tune in to see all the action at Fight Island this weekend, we’ll show you exactly how to watch UFC 253 from anywhere in the world.
UFC 253: Where and when?
UFC 253 will be held at the promotion’s Flash Forum arena on its Fight Island facility on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, September 26. The Early Prelims will kick off at 6pm ET / 3pm PT, the Prelims will follow after at 8pm ET / 5pm PT and the Main Card will start at 10pm ET / 7pm PT.
How to watch UFC 253 from anywhere
We have all the details on how you can watch UFC 253 in the U.S., Canada, UK and Australia further down in this guide. However, if you’re currently traveling or live in a country without an official broadcast option you won’t be able to watch Adesanya vs Costa.
That’s where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. They allow you to virtually change the IP address of your laptop, tablet or mobile to one that’s back in your home country which will let you watch as if you were back there.
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How to watch UFC 253 in the U.S.
As the UFC has entered into an exclusive agreement with ESPN until 2025, the network’s streaming service ESPN+ is the only place where you’ll be able to watch the UFC 253 PPV in the U.S. If you’re already an ESPN+ subscriber, you can purchase access to the PPV for $65 and this price is the same for both monthly and annual subscribers. However, if you haven’t signed up for ESPN+ yet, the network is running a promotion where you can get the UFC 253 PPV and an annual subscription to its streaming service for just $84.98. While this may seem expensive at first, an annual ESPN+ subscription normally costs $50 on its own.
How to watch ESPN+ on your TV, computer & more
If you have a cable subscription, you’ll be able to watch the Prelims at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT on ESPN2. However, you will need a subscription to UFC’s streaming service UFC Fight Pass to watch the Early Prelims and one to ESPN+ to watch the main card at 10pm ET / 7pm PT.
Not interested in signing up for an expensive cable package to watch the Prelims on ESPN2? Don’t worry as there are now a number of streaming services, all at different price points, which will give you access to the network so you can watch all the action before the Main Card online. We’ve listed a few of our favorites below to make things easier for you.
- Hulu with Live TV – $54.99 per month – As well as giving you access to ESPN, the service also includes its own Hulu Originals and supports a wide variety of streaming devices.
- Sling TV – $30 per month – In order to get access to ESPN, you’ll have to sign up for Sling TV’s Sling Orange package. The service also lets you watch on three screens simultaneously and record live TV with its Cloud DVR.
- YouTube TV – $65 per month – YouTube TV gives you access to ESPN as well as over 70 other TV channels and a free 14-day trial available.
- AT&T TV Now – $65 per month – AT&T TV Now may be more expensive than the competition but in addition to ESPN you also get access to HBO with your plan. The service allows you to watch over 45 live TV channels and you can also record up to 20 hours of content using its cloud DVR.
Live stream UFC 253 in Canada
Unlike in the U.S., Canadian UFC fans have plenty of options to watch this Saturday’s UFC 253 PPV Bell, Rogers, Shaw, SaskTel, Videotron, Telus , Eastlink and UFC Fight Pass will all show the Main Card at 10pm ET / 7pm PT for $64.99.
The Prelims will begin two hours earlier at 8pm ET / 5pm PT and you can watch them on either TSN or RDS. You can watch the Early Prelims in Canada at 6pm ET / 3pm PT on either UFC Fight Pass or TSN.
If you have a cable subscription, then ordering the PPV from your cable provider might be the easiest way to watch it. However, if you’ve already cut the cord, then UFC Fight Pass makes a great deal of sense as it will give you access to both the Early Prelims and the Main Card.
How to watch UFC 253 in the UK
As was the case with previous UFC events, UFC 253 will be available exclusively through BT Sport in the UK. If you’re already a BT Sport subscriber, you’ll be able to watch the Main Card for free beginning at 3am BST early Sunday morning. If this happens to be a bit too late for you don’t worry as the network has a spoiler-free replay page so you can watch the Main Card at your convenience. You can also stream UFC 253 on your smartphone using the BT Sport app and on your computer via the network’s website.
The Early Prelims will begin at 11:30pm BST and you can watch them on UFC Fight Pass while the Prelims will be shown on both UFC Fight Pass and BT Sport at 1am GMT.
Watch UFC 253 in Australia
Australian MMA fans have several options to watch UFC 253’s Main Card as it will be shown on Main Event ,Fetch TV and on UFC Fight Pass at 12pm AEST / 10am AWST on Sunday, September 27.
The PPV itself costs $54.95 but you will need a cable package with ESPN or a subscription to UFC Fight Pass to watch the Early Prelims at 8am AEST / 6am AWST and the Prelims at 10am AEST / 8am AWST.
UFC 253: The main card in full
Middleweight
- Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa
Light Heavyweight
- Dominick Reyes vs Jan Błachowicz
Flyweight
- Kai Kara-France vs Brandon Royval
Women’s Bantamweight
- Ketlen Vieira vs Sijara Eubanks
Featherweight
- Hakeem Dawodu vs Zubaira Tukhugov
