Jon Jones, the UFC’s light heavyweight champion, is a big betting favorite vs. Thiago Santos, and there’s a good reason for that. He won his title last December with a third-round TKO of Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 and then defended it with a dominant decision versus Anthony Smith in UFC 235. Now, Jones faces Santos in Saturday’s main event of UFC 239 in a fight you can live stream on ESPN+, and it could be one heck of a showdown.
Santos, though, has reason to hope. He’s won three-straight by knockout, and it seems possible he could catch Jones (24-1) by surprise (especially considering Jones has talked about feeling concerned about being “too comfortable”). If Santos (21-6) is mentally strong enough to be aggressive and pressure Jones, there’s a chance he could have success.
Elsewhere on the card, two-division UFC champ Amanda Nunes—the conqueror of Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Miesha Tate—will face Holly Holm, and if Nunes defends her bantamweight title, she could make a legitimate claim that she’s the best women’s UFC fighter in history. Meanwhile, the undefeated Ben Askren will face the tough Jorge Masvidal, who said he wanted to “torture him for 14 minutes and 50 seconds before I stop him.”
UFC 239: Jones vs. Santos
- When: Saturday, July 6
- Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
- Streaming: ESPN+
UFC 239: How to watch Jon Jones vs. Thiago Santos
Thanks to a massive seven-year deal, ESPN+ is now the only way to watch UFC 239 (and all subsequent UFC PPVs). Aside from ESPN+ becoming your one-stop shop for UFC, the OTT service also offers the UFC PPVs for $5 less than you’re used to paying. Here’s how it breaks down:
UFC 239 cost:
- $59.99 for the Main Event PPV
- $79.99 for the Main Event PPV and 1 year of ESPN+
In other words, you can buy UFC 239 for just $59.99, but if you spend $20 more, you’ll get one year of ESPN+ for free. That’s a $50 value, and if you’re a big-time UFC fan, that’s a great deal. Along with plenty of exclusive live events (see below), you’ll be able to watch 20 UFC Fight Night events every year with ESPN+.
If you don’t currently subscribe to ESPN+, you can purchase UFC 239 from your desktop or smartphone here. If you already subscribe, you can easily buy the PPV from the ESPN app by simply clicking on the event in the ESPN+ tab.
One thing to remember: Only the UFC 239 main event will be featured on ESPN+ (full schedule and watch guide below):
- Jon Jones vs. Thiago Santos
- Amanda Nunes vs. Holly Holm
- Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren
- Jan Blachowicz vs. Luke Rockhold
- Diego Sanchez vs. Michael Chiesa
What is ESPN+?
Devices: Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku players and TV, Oculus Go, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Samsung smart TVs, and iOS and Android devices
ESPN+ is ESPN’s new subscription service. It works as an extension of the ESPN app you probably already have downloaded. Ever notice the live events, articles, or series tagged with a gold “E+” in the corner of the app? Those are the ones locked behind the ESPN+ paywall. We’re talking about literally thousands of events per year, including the aforementioned 20 UFC Fight Nights per year and a bunch of exclusive Top Rank boxing events. You’ll also get all of the best 30 for 30 episodes, daily MLB action, every out-of-market MLS game, and international soccer, and more college sports than you’ll know what to do with. ESPN+ is also starting to ramp up its original series as well. It’s best known for Kobe Bryant’s Detail, but there are three shows that will be of interest to MMA fans: UFC Destined, Ariel & the Bad Guy, and Dana White’s Contender Series. Your ESPN+ subscription also gives you fewer ads across the ESPN network. TL;DR: It’s a great deal and essential for sports fans of all stripes.
UFC 239 live stream: ESPN prelims
As a reminder: Your ESPN+ subscription will not allow you to watch the ESPN prelims for free. You’ll still need a cable or live TV subscription. But here are the matches you’ll be able to watch on ESPN:
- Gilbert Melendez vs. Arnold Allen
- Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera
- Claudia Gadelha vs. Randa Markos
- Alejandro Perez vs. Song Yadong
If you don’t already have a way to watch ESPN online, every major live TV streaming service carries the channel, and all of them offer at least a one-week free trial to get started. And once you download the ESPN app and punch in your credentials, you can watch the prelims and the main event from one convenient location.
1) Sling TV
- Cost: $25-$40 per month (after a free 7-day trial)
- Devices: Amazon Fire TVs, Android Fire Stick, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, and iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV channels
- Cost: $44.95 per month (after a free 7-day trial)
- Devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
3) YouTube TV
- Cost: $49.99 per month (after a free 7-day trial)
- Devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
- YouTube TV channels
- Cost: $44.99-$79.99 per month (after a free 7-day trial)
- Devices: PlayStation 3 and 4, Roku, Amazon Fire, Google Chromecast, Kodi, iOS and Android devices
- PlayStation Vue channels
UFC 239 live stream: Fight Pass prelims
For the die-hards out there, UFC’s Fight Pass carries the early prelims, which start at 6:15pm ET. Here’s the full Fight Pass lineup:
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Jack Marshman
- Ismail Naurdiev vs. Chance Rencountre
- Julia Avila vs. Melissa Gatto
UFC Fight Pass launched in 2014. The service hosts the undercard bouts of every UFC PPV, but it’s also where you’ll find the smaller, more local UFC events that aren’t picked up by ESPN. The app is incredibly versatile. You can download it via Apple TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung smart TVs, LG smart TVs, and iOS and Android devices.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAweDEaRio0
UFC 239 schedule
All times ET.
UFC 239 PPV Main Card | 10pm on ESPN+
- Jon Jones vs. Thiago Santos
- Amanda Nunes vs. Holly Holm
- Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren
- Jan Blachowicz vs. Luke Rockhold
- Diego Sanchez vs. Michael Chiesa
UFC 239 Preliminary Card | 8pm on ESPN
- Gilbert Melendez vs. Arnold Allen
- Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera
- Claudia Gadelha vs. Randa Markos
- Alejandro Perez vs. Song Yadong
UFC 239 Early Prelims | 6:15pm on UFC Fight Pass
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Jack Marshman
- Ismail Naurdiev vs. Chance Rencountre
- Julia Avila vs. Melissa Gatto
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