Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor is the obvious headliner of Saturday night (here’s how to watch that), but there are plenty of compelling fights on the UFC 229 preliminary cards, led by a battle between Top-5 featherweights Sergio Pettis and Jussier Formiga.
The first preliminary card (6:30 p.m. ET) can be watched online via UFC Fight Pass, which offers a free 7-day trial.
Then, the second preliminary card (8 p.m. ET) will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch all of those fights live (or DVR them) on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
Fox Sports 1 is included in the “Fubo Premier” bundle, which has 85-plus channels and is largely tailored towards sports fans. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch the preliminary fights live on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch the fights up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of live TV channels, including Fox Sports 1. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch the fights live on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Fox Sports 1 is included in the “Sling Blue” package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of both, and you can then watch the fights live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
Preview
Sergio Pettis, ranked second in the flyweight division, has won five of his last six fights, with only a unanimous decision loss against now-champion Henry Cejudo mixed in. Jussier Formiga, ranked fifth in the division, has won two in a row, most recently earning Performance of the Night with his submission of Ben Nguyen in February.
Both men will feel as though a win on Saturday night sets them up for a title shot.
There are some complications, though. Talks of Cejudo fighting bantamweight title holder TJ Dillashaw continue to heat up, and the fact that Cejudo has already defeated both Pettis and Formiga makes it difficult to give a potential flyweight title fight precedence over what would be a much more popular champion-vs-champion fight. Moreover, Demetrious Johnson, who dominated the division for six years before his narrow loss to Cejudo, is also much more likely to get a rematch whenever he returns from his knee injury.
But while this fight may not be of the title-eliminator variety, it’s still nonetheless important. A win for either man puts them right in the thick of the conversation and gives them some more ammo in their argument for a title shot.
Throw in the compelling contrast of styles–Pettis’ dangerous ability as a striker vs. Formiga’s excellence as a grappler–and you have what could very well be one of the best fights of the night.
The other fights on the Fox Sports 1 preliminary card: Vicente Luque vs Jalin Turner (welterweight), Aspen Ladd vs Tonya Evinger (women’s bantamweight) and Scott Holtzman vs Alan Patrick (lightweight).
The fights on Fight Pass card: Lina Lansberg vs Yana Kunitskaya (women’s bantamweight), Gray Maynard vs Nik Lentz (lightweight) and Ryan LaFlare vs Tony Martin (welterweight)
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UFC 229 Prelims Live Stream: How to Watch Online Without Cable