Dubbed as “The promotion’s most ticketed event in the history of MMA,” UFC 243 is coming to the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on October 5th, 2019. The main event will feature Robert Whittaker as he tries to unify the UFC middleweight titles when he takes on Israel Adesanya. This will mark the second time Marvel Stadium hosts a UFC event ever since UFC 193. But a lot has changed since then. You don’t even have to go to the arena to watch the fight, just stream it online. How? Well then, here’s how you can watch UFC 243: Down Under live anywhere.
How to Stream UFC 243 Live
UFC 243 – Global Streaming Rights
UFC is famous all around the world. Millions of people tune in and watch PPV events live thanks to the wide variety of broadcasting partners that make this possible. UFC is available on a global scale using different methods. However, each one of the UFC broadcasters is restricted to their own country of origin.
You see, streaming services rely on your IP address to determine your location. If you’re not within their area of coverage, you’ll be blocked almost instantly. For example, I live in the United Kingdom.
And yes, I know that BT Sports has the rights in my regions, but still, I’m not paying that extra PPV fee on top of my subscription to get the match. I’d rather get another subscription and expand my streaming options. So, that’s why I decided to sign up for ESPN+.
Well, it didn’t go the way I expected at first; the channel blocked me. Well, since I’m in the UK, I have a British IP address. ESPN+ requires a US IP address to operate, which brings me to this geo-error message I got:
“ESPN+ is not available in your country due to content rights issues.”
I’m pretty sure you went through the same thing. That’s why I’ve provided you with the best solution to the problem. In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about bypassing regional restrictions. But for now, here are the official broadcasters of UFC 243 around the world:
- UFC Fight Pass(Global)
- Main Event (Australia)
- OSN (Middle East)
- UFC Arabia (Middle East)
- TSN (Canada) (Prelims Only)
UFC 243: Global Streaming, Cheaper Prices, Blackouts-Free
Millions around the world tune in every month to see what the UFC has in stores in terms of MMA action. Well, the promotion doesn’t disappoint at all. The Marvel Stadium’s 50,000+ are full, which leaves online streaming as the only option for fans who could not make it.
Geo-blocking is a mechanism streaming services use to protect their broadcasting rights. That’s why they restrict access to their content to a specific country. However, there’s a way to bypass that, a Virtual Private Network.
A VPN is an internet tool that helps users spoof their online location and appear to be browsing the web from a different gateway city of their choosing. That, of course, is based on the server they connect to. That way, you may seem as if you’re browsing the web where the channel has broadcasting rights, giving you full access to its content in the process.
Aside from that, a VPN is a security tool that protects your data with the latest military-grade encryptions. That’s not all. It also hides your original IP address and avoids any monitoring attempts by your ISP or government.
But when it comes to UFC, a VPN has a lot more to offer other than giving you the ability to stream restricted channels. Let’s take a look.
UFC Fight Pass – Blackout-Free
It’s all in your location. Some of you are used to watch their favorite UFC PPV via their official streaming service, Fight Pass. But what about those who live in a country where a major cable provider is present?
The problem here is that if there’s a cable provider that has the rights to UFC events, UFC Fight Pass will be subject to blackouts.
Well, I learned that the hard way. As I mentioned, I’m a UK resident at the moment, and BT Sports own the right to show UFC fights. That’s why UFC Fight Pass is not operational in my region.
You can’t even purchase the event, let alone stream it. If you live in the UK, this is the error message you’ll be getting when you try to buy UFC 243 on Fight Pass:
“Due to broadcast restrictions, this video is not available within a UFC Fight Pass subscription or as a Pay-Per-View in your region. Please check your local TV listing for viewing information. This event is currently blocked out in your region.”
If you have no other choice than UFC Fight Pass, you can always use a VPN and change your current online location. All you have to do is connect to a server where no cable provider has the rights to UFC (the countries mentioned above), and you’re alright. For example, if you live in the UK, connect to a VPN server in France. 
Now that you have a French IP address, the blackout error message doesn’t exist anymore. You get the purchase button instead. Click on it, select your option, and stream UFC 243 live anywhere on Fight Pass using Apple TV, Smart TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Mac, Windows, Android, or iOS.
Same PPV, Much Cheaper Price
Did you know that your location doesn’t only dictate what you get online but how much you pay for the service also? Yeah, most of you are still in the dark, but the likes of UFC Fight Pass bill their customers based on their geographical location.
In other words, different IPs get different prices. Let me show you how this is done. I’m not going to take my country as an example since UFC Fight Pass is blacked out in the UK. So, I did the following:
- First, I connected to a VPN server in Sweden. The price was €29.99 for the PPV in HD, which is about 33.12 US dollars.
- After that, I connect to a Russian server. The price changed once the website read my Russian IP address. Now, UFC 243 costs руб 999, which is equivalent to $15.
- Let me give you another option. If you connect to a Greek server, the price would be at €37.19, which is $41.06.
There you have it. Now you can purchase the event wherever you are and at a lower price. Keep trying out servers; a better value will pop up eventually.
UFC Streaming Service – Geo-restricted No More
Now that you know what a VPN can do with your location, this part should be easy to do. As I mentioned, when you connect to a VPN server in a different country, your traffic will seem to be coming from that area. As a result, any streaming channel in the region will grant you full access to its content no matter where you physically are.
For example, if you connect to a US server, you’ll receive an American IP address. Consequently, the likes of ESPN+ will be accessible in your region, just like that. Let me show you how to pull this off:
- First, you need to subscribe to a VPN service. Make sure it has servers in your selected channel’s country. Personal recommendation: ExpressVPN.
- After that, download their VPN application from the provider’s official website. You can also get it from your device’s relative App Store.
- Run the VPN client and log in with your username and password.
- Connect to a server based on the channel you’ve selected:
- US server for ESPN+.
- UK server for BT Sport.
- Australian server for Main Event, etc…
- Visit the channel’s website or launch its dedicated app if available.
- Stream UFC 243 live wherever you may be.
Best VPN for UFC 243
Getting the right VPN for the task is not that easy. Most internet users subscribe to the first VPN service they lay eyes on, which is a pretty bad thing to do. You never know what the VPN’s real intentions are, especially since most of the users are attracted to providers that offer their services for free.
These are the most dangerous ones as you never know where their allegiance lies. First, they sell your data to sister companies in exchange for revenue. Although their servers are limited in terms of quality and quantity; What’s available has to be paid for one way or another, am I right?
How can a free service afford those (they cost a lot of money)? Simple, your private information. Don’t you wonder where all these ads are coming from? These services are considered harmless compared to those malicious ones that appear to be VPNs, while in reality, their hackers trying to harvest your data.
That’s why I recommend ExpressVPN – a well-known premium provider that puts customers’ privacy and security first. When you subscribe to this provider, you get the following features:
- Military-grade encryption.
- 3000 servers in 94 countries.
- A kill switch
- Split tunneling.
- Five concurrent connections.
- 30-days money-back guarantee.
- Smart DNS service.
- 24/7 live chat support.
In terms of privacy, a kill switch is very important. It cuts off your internet connection if a drop in your VPN Network suddenly occurs. Other than that, ExpressVPN doesn’t keep any logs of your browsing activities (Doesn’t claim, it actually doesn’t log). So, that’s why I’ve recommended this VPN. In case you’re looking for a different provider, check out the table below.
- 30-Day Money-back Guarantee
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Apps For All Your Devices
- 24/7 Live Support
UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya
The upcoming UFC 243 will take place on October 5th, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. It will feature the Australian Robert Whittaker as he takes on New Zealand’s Israel Adesanya for a chance to unify the Middleweight titles. So, you can tell that the stakes are pretty high inside the Marvel Stadium as the entire 50,000 seats are booked.
Adesanya is still undefeated, but does he have what it takes to beat Whittaker? According to Costa, Israel is not a good fighter, and he’s not worthy of being called champion. He thinks he’s a fake champion and a skinny clown — harsh words for the number 1 contender.
In case you didn’t know, Costa is next in line. So, he’ll be facing the winner of this epic bout later on in 2020. He requested his match to be in January, but eventually, it’s up to UFC to make a final decision.
I’ve kept you waiting for too long. Therefore, here’s the official fight card of UFC 243:
- Robert Whittaker (c) vs. Israel Adesanya
- Al Iaquinta vs. Dan Hooker
- Tai Tuivasa vs. Serghei Spivac
- Luke Jumeau vs. Dhiego Lima
- Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
- Nadia Kassem vs. Ji Yeon Kim
- Megan Anderson vs. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos
- Justin Tafa vs. Yorgan De Castro
- Jake Matthews vs. Rostam Akman
- Callan Potter vs. Maki Pitolo
- Khalid Taha vs. Bruno Gustavo Aparecido Da Silva
- Brad Riddell vs. Jamie Mullarkey
Watch UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya Anywhere – Final Thoughts
UFC 243 will be the fourth that the promotion has contested in Melbourne. But this time, there’s a huge change in the global streaming area. Now, everyone can watch UFC 243 and other fights using a VPN.
No matter where you are, connect to a server in the channel’s respective country, and stream UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya anywhere. If you have any questions, make sure to contact me in the comments below.
