Getty
A heavyweight showdown between Francis Ngannou and veteran Cain Velasquez headlines a compelling slate of UFC fights at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix on Sunday.
The first preliminary card (5:30 p.m. ET) will be exclusively on ESPN+, while the second set of prelims (7 p.m. ET) and the main card (9 p.m. ET) will both be on ESPN. Here’s a rundown on how to watch a live stream of all the action:
How to Watch UFC Phoenix Early Prelims Online
While the first set of prelims won’t be on regular cable TV anywhere in the US, you can watch a live stream of those fights on your computer, phone, or streaming device via ESPN+, the new digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage to dozens of sporting events, including UFC, every week.
You can start a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch a live stream of Renan Barao vs Luke Sanders and all the early prelim fights on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
How to Watch UFC Phoenix Prelims & Main Card Online
Both of these cards are on the regular ESPN channel, which can be watched online a variety of different ways:
No cable subscription or log-in required
PlayStation Vue offers four different channel packages, all of which include ESPN.
You can start a free 5-day trial right here (you don’t need to have a PlayStation console to sign up or watch), and you can then watch a live stream of the fights on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.
If you can’t watch live, PlayStation Vue comes included with cloud DVR.
No cable subscription or log-in required
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including ESPN.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the fights on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other 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).
No cable subscription or log-in required
ESPN is included in the “Sling Orange” channel bundle.
You can start a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the fights on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other 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.
ESPN Platforms
Cable subscription or log-in required
Additionally, you can watch a live stream of the fights on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the ESPN app.
You’ll need to log in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can still sign up for one of the above options and then use your PlayStation Vue, Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on the ESPN digital platforms.
UFC Phoenix 2019 Preview
Following a pair of losses to then-heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis that significantly cooled the hype around him, Ngannou bounced back in a much-needed way against Curtis Blaydes in November, earning Performance of the Night with a first-round KO within the first minute.
“I’ve been through two losses, which wasn’t easy for me,” the 32-year-old said. “I was struggling to come back from that and then this win came out and made me feel good. I think knocking out Curtis Blaydes as I did in China just showed some people that they were wrong. I’m not done yet. I’m just on my way to start.”
Velasquez, meanwhile, will fight for the first time since his win over Travis Browne at UFC 200. When the former heavyweight champ steps into the Octagon on Sunday night, it’ll put an end to an absence that lasted 953 days.
“It was all positive,” Velasquez said about his time off. “The time that I was away was something that I cherished. It’s very rare that somebody gets to step away from what they do for work and be at home and be with their family.”
Though they’re coming from different places, both competitors have similar goals in their need to prove themselves. For Ngannou, he’s looking to continue to erase the memories of those ugly losses at the start of 2018. For Velasquez, he needs to show he’s still one of the best after such a lengthy absence.
“Ultimately it (the goal) is being the best; it’s being the UFC heavyweight champion,” Velasquez said. “That was one goal I had in my life to achieve, and being able to achieve it was great. And now looking forward, I’m always looking to be number one, always looking to beat everybody, to beat the best guy in front of me. I think that’s always just a part of me, so I’m gonna continue to do that.”
It’s unclear if this is a true title eliminator. Ngannou may get a shot at Daniel Cormier if he puts in another Perfomance of the Night-esque showing, whereas Velasquez may need to win another one before he gets another chance at the belt. Nevertheless, so much on the line for each fighter, this is worthy and compelling main event.
Here are the other fights on the main card (ESPN): James Vick vs Paul Felder, Cortney Casey vs Cynthia Calvillo, Alex Caceres vs Kron Gracie, Vicente Luque vs Bryan Barberena and Andre Fili vs Myles Jury.
The second preliminary card (ESPN): Jimmie Rivera vs Aljamain Sterling, Benito Lopez vs Manny Bermudez, Ashlee Evans-Smith vs Andrea Lee and Scott Holtzman vs Nik Lentz.
And the early preliminary card (ESPN+): Jessica Penne vs Jodie Esquibel, Renan Barao vs Luke Sanders and Aleksandra Albu vs Emily Whitmire.
Comments
UFC Phoenix 2019 Live Stream: How to Watch Online Without Cable