- The UFC has already scheduled three major Pay-Per-View events in 2021.
- Dana White recently claimed that he is now going after individuals watching UFC events for free online.
- Little information on the UFC’s illegal streaming crackdown plan has been revealed.
The UFC is one of the last few businesses that still utilizes a Pay-Per-View model. Of course, choosing to do so results in a large number of individuals around the world choosing to stream the fights online, rather than purchase them. Today, we’re going to try to better understand the UFC’s illegal streaming crackdown plan.
Even UFC President Dana White recognizes the promotion will never completely eliminate this activity. He seems determined to catch a few people in the act, though.
Here’s what we know about this situation!
The UFC Has Several Major PPV Events Set for 2021
It’s hard to believe, yet 2020 ended up being one of the best years in recent history for the UFC. The promotion shocked the world by hosting its first return event on May 9. That made the UFC the first major sports league to resume its operations after the shutdowns back in March.
Over the next seven months, fans were treated to many exciting fight cards. In total, the promotion put on eight different Pay-Per-View events between May and December. Several were major revenue earners for the promotion.
2021 is now shaping up to be a huge year for the UFC, too. As of now, the promotion already has three PPV fight cards scheduled to take place over the next three months. Each one is offering fans something special.
Obviously, the biggest is UFC 257 taking place on January 23. This card is set to feature a main event featuring Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Conor remains the biggest star in MMA and everyone is curious to see how he fares against the constantly-improving Poirier.
The other PPV fight cards are slated to be incredible, too. One will feature the highly-anticipated welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. The other is set to host the light-heavyweight super-fight between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya.
It’s a great time to be an MMA fan. Those looking to illegally stream these PPV fight cards might find themselves in trouble, though. Here’s what we know about this situation.
Dana White Comments More on the UFC’s Illegal Streaming Crackdown Plan
As we mentioned earlier, the UFC is one of the few major sports leagues to continue putting on Pay-Per-View events. For the big fights, this tends to be a highly profitable business for the UFC. Oftentimes, however, fans choose to stream the fights online rather than purchase them the way the UFC intends.
It’s been happening for more than a decade. This isn’t an issue that officials within the UFC can fix overnight. The company occasionally catches someone, yet most of the time this is done without any issue.
This practice might not last forever. Not long ago, UFC President Dana White told the media that the promotion had established a new way to crack down on streamers. He didn’t elaborate, and many felt this was simply a way to scare more individuals into purchasing fights rather than finding them online for free.
During an interview on Fight Island this week, White spoke more about the UFC’s illegal streaming crackdown plan. He claims the promotion expects to catch many people engaging in this activity.
“We’ve been one of the leagues that has been so proactive on piracy,” Dana said. “I love how cool and tough these guys act on social media because – let me tell you what, we’ve caught a lot of people. Let me tell you what they do: They cry. They cry, and they beg not to be prosecuted and all this other stuff,” said White before revealing the promotion recently overcame a big hurdle in its never-ending fight against illegal streaming. We just overcame a huge hurdle in the piracy world, and we’re going to catch some of these guys in 2021, and I look forward to the crying and the begging… We’ll see how tough they are when they get caught.”
Some feel White’s plan could have something to do with the recently-passed “Protecting Lawful Streaming Act.” This was a bipartisan bill that significantly increases the fines for those caught pirating material online. It’s not directed at individuals and instead is meant to target those distributing pirated material.
No one really knows what the UFC has planned. We’ll be sure to offer more information on this situation over the next few months!
What You Need to Know About UFC 257 on January 23
The next few months are going to be big for the sport of MMA. Fight fans have many incredible events to look forward to. That includes the three Pay-Per-View events that we listed earlier. Most are now getting ready to watch UFC 257 on January 23.
This card is taking place on Fight Island and will take place during the UFC’s regular schedule. The first prelim will begin at 3 pm. The PPV main card is slated to take place at 7 pm. The main event is likely to begin sometime around 10 pm.
Fans will be able to purchase this fight card live on Pay-Per-View through ESPN+. Many were disappointed to hear the UFC had once again risen the price of these shows. Instead of the normal $65.99, this event will cost an astounding $69.99.
Those looking to bet on the fights can head over to BetOnline. This popular US online sportsbook is offering some incredible odds on all of the bouts. Most are wagering on the main event between McGregor (-285) and Poirier (+245).
Many are also looking forward to the co-main event between Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler. The winner may find themselves fighting for the title next. Hooker comes into this fight as the -135 favorite. Chandler comes in as the +115 underdog.
Are you concerned about the UFC’s illegal streaming crackdown plan? Let us know in the comments section below!
