This weekend, two MMA titans will duke it out at UFC 229 to decide the Lightweight Championship. In one corner: Conor “the Notorious” McGregor. In the other: Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov. Only one man can have the belt. Here’s how to watch the fight live, online and free in Australia.
UFC 229: Why You Need To Get Excited
On Sunday 7, the biggest draw in mixed martial arts will square off against one of the sport’s most fearsome wrestlers in what is tipped to be the most viewed UFC event of all time. There are a few reasons to be excited about the face off.
For starters, it will be McGregor’s first time in the octagon in more than two years following a highly lucrative excursion into professional boxing. Plus, Khabib and McGregor hate each other. Yeah, we realise the promoters always say that, but this time there seems to be genuine animosity between the two, culminating in an infamous bus brawl for which McGregor narrowly escaped jail time.
Following last week’s chaotic press conference, UFC president Dana White declared that the two fighters “hate each other worse than I’ve ever seen.” A typically overconfident McGregor has vowed to take his time with Khabib: “I’m going to pick him apart and bully him in there and absolutely maul him.”
In addition to the headline event, the main card also includes Tony Ferguson vs Anthony Pettis, Ovince Saint Preux vs Dominick Reyes, Derrick Lewis vs Alexander Volkov and Michelle Waterson vs. Felice Herrig.
Khabib Vs McGregor: What time does the fight start in Australia?
The headlining lightweight title bout between Khabib and McGregor is expected to commence at approximately 2.30pm AEST on Sunday 7 October. If you want to watch the whole thing, the preliminary card will kick off at 11am.
Where is the Khabib Vs McGregor fight being held?
The fight will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
How much does UFC 229 cost?
There are several ways to watch Khabib Vs McGregor in the comfort of your own home, but all the legal options cost money. Depending on the service and type of subscription you plump for, you could be looking at anywhere between $49.95 and just under $100.
If you’re a die-hard UFC fan, the most cost effective option is to grab a 6-month Fight Pass Bundle which is currently selling at half-price for $98.46.
With that said, there are a few ways to watch the fight without paying anything – some naughty, some legit – which you can find further down below.
How to watch UFC 229 / Khabib Vs McGregor on TV
The Khabib Vs McGregor fight will be shown on the Pay-Per-View channel Main Event. Paying customers will be able to follow the action on their large screen TVs via the Foxtel app or Optus TV.
You can also watch the fight directly through your PlayStation 4 console. Simply click on the ad display in the Movie & TV section or type ‘UFC229′ in the search bar. Once pre-ordered, you will be able to view the fight in HD through the PlayStation 4 Live Events app. (If you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you can also get an additional 10% off the event. This brings the total to a slightly more palatable $49.95.)
How to watch UFC 229 / Khabib Vs McGregor online
If you don’t have access to a smart TV, the aforementioned Pay-Per-View options can be accessed on a computer or tablet. You can also purchase the fight on UFC TV.
How to watch Khabib Vs McGregor at the pub
You can rest assured that sports venues around the country will be showing UFC 229 on the biggest commercial TV screens that money can buy. Here are all the bars and pubs that will be showing Khabib Vs McGregor live. (Type in your postcode to find the closest venue to your location.). For maximum mayhem, choose an Irish pub!
How To watch UFC 229 / Khabib Vs McGregor if you’re stuck at work
The Foxtel Now, Main Event and UFC TV pay-per-views can all be accessed on laptops, tablets or smartphones. Bring some headphones and pretend to look busy!
How to watch UFC 229 / Khabib Vs McGregor for free
The only legal way to watch Khabib Vs McGregor without paying is to head down the pub (see above.) With that said, Australia is a nation of ex-convicts… and convicts find a way.
One option is to trawl the internet on October 7 for a cheeky broadcast on Facebook Live. This is precisely what happened during the Anthony Mundine Vs Danny Green pay-per-view boxing match last year. Darren Sharpe, a mechanic from Brisbane, ended up getting 112,000 viewers piggybacking off his Facebook Live stream of the fight.
Needless to say, Foxtel was not amused, but it did not pursue the matter legally. Sharpe was eventually forced to issue a public apology for breaking copyright law, but that was all he copped. Meanwhile, none of the people who watched the stream were punished in any way.
Just be aware that this is a pretty risky way to watch the fight – if a Facebook Live stream does appear, it will be of the handheld, bootleg variety and the broadcast could be shut down at any second. Also, it’s clearly an extremely dodgy thing to partake in. (For those interested, you can read up on the legalities of Facebook Live event streaming here.)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.