Want to watch gripping UFC live streams for free? Here’s how

Fight time is here! As UFC season comes, we are looking forward to some exciting new fights with top-tier fighters. Longtime fans are also anticipating what will come next for this intense season, and the hype is real!

But can you stream the upcoming events? Where can you watch these high tension matches for free? Are UFC live streams even possible? Let’s go over the history of the long-running sport, then see where you can watch it online on a budget. Onward!

So what is UFC?

The UFC, of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) company from Las Vegas. They produce & host various fights, which are televised & broadcast for millions to watch. According to their website, they have “revolutionized the fight business and today stands as a premium global sports brand, media content company and the largest Pay-Per-View (PPV) event provider in the world.”

How does it work? MMA professionals are brought to the Octagon, an eight-sided fighting ring (designed by Jason Cusson, who went on to be a production designer for many UFC events) where they duke it out. They fight during different “events”, facing off against each other in the ring.

When it first began, UFC truly made a difference in the realm of combat sports. UFC 1 was a game-changer, as its main fighter, Royce Gracie, introduced Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to the ring. Unfortunately, it lost money fast and was sold to Frank & Lorenzo Fertitta in 2001, when it was almost bankrupt. They quickly changed the UFC format, changing it from pay-per-view and bringing it first to cable, then reality TV.

From there, UFC grew & grew, going on Fox, then ESPN & ESPN+. That brought big growth to the program, and now, it’s one of the most popular broadcast fighting events in the world. So we’ve talked about UFC’s history. But what about UFC live streams? Let’s take a look.

Streaming UFC content

There are various ways to view UFC fights. The most obvious way is to view the bouts on ESPN or ESPN+, where you can stream them online. Platforms like Fubo & Hulu let you access those channels, which is excellent for the UFC megafans like us. But how about watching UFC live streams for free?

Well, UFC also has an official Twitch channel, where they’ve just started broadcasting videos over the last few months. A lot of their content is commentators reacting to the fights, or behind-the-scenes content, but it’s better than nothing. They also have various series on their official website under the “Watch” segment, such as FightLore & Year Of The Fighter, that spotlight their stars.

So that’s the official UFC live streams. But there’s another side to this we haven’t discussed yet. Let’s go into CrackStreams.

The strange world of CrackStreams

CrackStreams is a website. They broadcast themselves as a way to stream sports – all sports, but especially MMA ones – for free. A review of them by Trickut notes that they don’t offer the “highest-quality experience”, but are consistent when it comes to uploading stream links. Similar to NFL Reddit streams, they try to make sports accessible and easy to watch, while testing the bounds of legality.

And it might also be a dangerous way to watch sports. Numerous reviews we read reported that CrackStream websites have lots of popup ads, some of which can lead to viruses infecting your computer. That’s certainly not a good thing.

It’s important to know that CrackStream content is pirated from legal websites and posted online. And it’s definitely not legal, but for some, it’s the only way they can keep up with the hobby they like. The existence of these sites speaks to a flaw in the system and tells us that perhaps there should be easier, more legal ways for people to watch sports. They shouldn’t have to turn to virus-ridden websites.

So if you want to try watching UFC live streams, we strongly suggest you use a legal method. Perhaps there will be better ways in the future for people to watch sports. But until then, CrackStreams will thrive in the underbelly of the internet.

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We’re looking forward to seeing new UFC events. Tell us which fighters you’re excited to see! We’d love to hear from you.