The UFC are constantly putting on world class, entertaining fights. But over the years, there have been some absolute classics in their old events. What if you missed them? How can you watch old UFC fights from past events?
There are three ways you can legally watch old UFC fights:
- UFC Fight Pass
- UFC DVDs
- UFC YouTube channel
Be careful of any site offering free UFC content. All of the UFC’s content is their own intellectual property and is copyright-protected by law.
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Okay, but which is the best option, how much does each cost, and are there any limits to what you can watch? I have answered all these questions in this article.
3 Ways To Watch Old UFC Fights
The UFC’s popularity has grown since its humble beginnings. Many new fans are enjoying the match-ups week after week. But what if you want to go back and watch the old classics?
As I mentioned above, it’s best to stay away from any website offering dodgy downloads of UFC fights. So, to help you out, I’ve done a bit of research into the other ways you can watch.
Here’s what I found.
UFC Fight Pass
The UFC’s Fight Pass has been described as “Netflix for fight fans”. It is a subscription based streaming service provided by the UFC which gives access to thousands of hours of content, 24/7, 365 days a year, with every fight in UFC history, including the old classic UFC match-ups.
Cost of watching: The exact cost differs from country to country but is around $10 USD per month.
What you can watch: UFC Fight Pass offers a huge library of content which is being added to all the time. Including:
- Classic UFC match-ups
- Live UFC pay-per-view early prelims
- The Ultimate Fighter seasons
- Exclusive behind the scenes footage
Plus, exclusive content from other MMA, Boxing, Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu promotions, such as:
- Pride FC
- WEC
- Strike Force
- Invicta FC
- Plus many more
UFC Fight Pass is the option for the more serious fight fans out there.
UFC DVD’s
This option allows you to pick and choose which events you want to watch without having to commit to a monthly subscription. Pretty much all the classics are available on DVD, but more than just the fights themselves, the DVDs do a great job in explaining the back story which led up to each event.
Cost of watching: A quick search on Amazon shows you can grab a DVD for $10-20 USD. However, to get better value for money, you can grab a whole set for $30+ USD.
What you can watch: Amazon has a whole range of options from single pay-per-view events, to box sets and they even have complete seasons of The Ultimate Fighter.
UFC YouTube Channel
For the more casual MMA fans looking for a free option, there is the UFC’s YouTube channel.
Cost of watching: Free
What you can watch: Unfortunately, this option is very limited and is really just down to what the UFC choose to upload and you don’t get much of a choice. Generally speaking, they will only upload old fights that are relevant to their upcoming events.
For example, if Jon Jones has an upcoming fight, they may choose to upload one of his old victories in order to excite the fans into buying the up and coming pay-per-view.
The real benefit of subscribing to their channel though, are the Embedded series. These videos started out as casual behind the scenes videos called Dana’s Vlogs, but have since become their own mini-series that follow the lives of the athletes and documents the lead up to each event.
Another plus is the post-fight press conferences, which sees Dana White and each athlete give their breakdowns of how each fight and the event on the whole went down.
Although limited, the UFC YouTube channel is still a good free option for new fans to get started with.
5 Must Watch UFC fights
So, you now have three great options for watching old UFC fights, but which are the ones to watch?
In no particular order, here’s my top 5 must watch UFC fights to look out for:
UFC 165: Jones vs Gustafsson
This was a highly anticipated fight to see whether or not the new, up and coming, light-heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson, could take out the dominant champion in Jon Jones. A technical back-and-forth fight and an absolute classic which promised to finally answer the question of whether Jon Jones could defeat a challenger with the same reach as himself and one that pushed Jones further into deep water than we’d ever seen him before.
UFC 196: Diaz vs McGregor
After lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos broke his foot, the champ vs champ fight was off. Leaving McGregor without an opponent, but with many targets on his back. In steps the dangerous MMA and Jiu-Jitsu veteran Nate Diaz, and the fight was on. All the trash talk, all the beef was set to be settled at welterweight.
UFC 128: Rua vs Jones
After tearing through the light-heavyweight division, the dangerous rising star Jon Jones got his shot at UFC gold in a championship match against the Pride FC and UFC veteran, Mauricio Rua. At 23 years old, could Jon Jones shock the MMA community and defeat the veteran to become the youngest champion in UFC history?
The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 Finale: Bonnar vs Griffin
Voted 2005 fight of the year, TUF season 1 finale saw the iconic first TUF season come to a close with one of the most memorable and exciting match-ups between Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin. Dana White called the fight “the most important fight in UFC history” because at the time, it gained national acclaim and helped sky-rocket the UFC’s popularity.
UFC 166: Melendez vs Sanchez
Not the main event, but had all the fireworks and excitement of one. An instant classic, this was an action-packed, back-and-forth fight for the ages that had knockdowns, takedowns, submission attempts and everything in-between. After the fight, UFC commentator Joe Rogan called it “the most entertaining and wild fight” he’d ever seen.
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