May’s big UFC pay-per-view event is happening tonight. For the main event, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo is stepping back into the Octagon for the first time in nearly three years to challenge Aljamain Sterling for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. This pay-per-view event will air in the U.S. exclusively on ESPN+, so if you want to watch the UFC 288 live stream this evening, we have everything you need to know right here. There’s also an easy and secure way to watch UFC 288 online if you’re an ESPN+ subscriber but currently traveling or living abroad.
Watch the UFC 288 live stream on ESPN Plus
UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo is a numbered event, and you probably know what that means: it’s a pay-per-view. The UFC typically runs one of these numbered pay-per-view shows per month. In the U.S., the exclusive broadcaster of UFC fights and PPV events is ESPN+, a premium streaming service launched by ESPN in 2018. ESPN+ currently costs $10 per month or $100 per year, while your pay-per-view ticket will cost you $80. It’s not cheap to be a UFC fan, but a one-time bundle offer lets new ESPN+ subscribers grab a one-year membership and the UFC 288 PPV for just $125 (a $55 discount).
The UFC always saves the juiciest fights for its pay-per-view events, and for UFC 288, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo (16-2) is coming out of retirement and entering the Octagon for the first time in nearly three years. The UFC saw fit to give Cejudo a title shot for his comeback, and he’ll be going up against reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (22-3). Sterling won the championship under controversial circumstances (the former champ, Petr Yan, lost via disqualification due to an illegal knee) but has successfully defended his title twice since then. The betting odds are roughly even between Cejudo and Sterling.
Watch the UFC 288 live stream from abroad with a VPN
Streaming services, and live entertainment in particular, tend to be restricted by regional broadcasting restrictions. This is especially true for live sports, including UFC fights and pay-per-views. That means that even if you’re an ESPN+ subscriber, you may not be able to access the UFC 288 live stream online if you’re outside of the U.S. Those living or traveling abroad have an easy workaround to this: a virtual private network, or VPN. The best VPN services can encrypt your connection and route your online traffic through remote servers, “spoofing” your location and making it appear as if you’re in another country. Our favorite pick for this is NordVPN, as it’s fast, reliable, and affordable. Sign up, connect to a NordVPN server in the U.S., and you’re ready to log into ESPN+ and watch UFC 288. You can sign up for NordVPN for as little as $3.30 per month if you opt for the two-year subscription plan.
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