Undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov grew up surrounded by peril. Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, his native Dagestan was a hotbed of Islamic insurgency, violent sectarianism, and political terrorism so chaotic the BBC once called it the “most dangerous place in Europe.” Nurmagomedov—who will face Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 242 in a match that you can live stream—and impoverished young men like him were constant targets for radicalization by religious sects looking for soldiers. So to offer these kids an escape, Nurmagomedov’s father (a former wrestling champion for the USSR) opened a wrestling school, where his second son trained from the time he was a baby.
Khabib learned to crawl on wrestling mats.
Since making his mixed martial arts debut at 20 years old, Nurmagomedov (27-0) has used his gifts as a wrestler to smother, demoralize, and suck the will out of the best fighters in the world. In 2013, he all but ruined Abel Trujillo by taking him down a UFC record 21 times in 15 minutes. During his extended beating of Michael Johnson in 2016, Nurmagomedov calmly advised his opponent to quit even as he pounded him into dust. And last year Nurmagomedov broke the spirit of Conor McGregor, the most spirited superstar MMA has ever known, wearing him down before choking him into submission.
Nurmagomedov does this to everyone: hot prospects, established contenders, future champions, even once-in-a-generation cultural phenomena. He snuffs them out, wears on them, drains them of hope and ambition.
So what do you do when you have to fight someone like that? Someone who has been training since he was born? Who only knows how to fight? Who won’t even allow himself the occasional tender relief of a movie because, as he once said, movies “make your heart weak?” Who wrestled an actual living bear when he was 9 years old? How do you solve a problem like Nurmagomedov?
On Saturday, this will be the riddle facing Poirier (20-5). Poirier, who earned the opportunity to fight for the lightweight belt by winning the interim championship in April, also came up hard in his own way. He remembers growing up on the “rougher side” of Lafayette, Louisiana, having to move homes with his mother and grandmother and occasionally living off food stamps. But coming up hard in America and coming up hard in Dagestan are two very different things. Poirier simply can’t compete with Nurmagomedov when it comes to forging relentlessness out of desolate circumstance. If he hopes to win this Saturday, he will have to rely on different qualities.
When faced with a colossal challenge like Nurmagomedov or Jon Jones or Amanda Nunes, the smart fighter will look to what he has that his opponent doesn’t, no matter what that might be. And what Poirier has that Nurmagomedov doesn’t is losses. He’s been done wrong psychologically and humiliated physically by an ascendant McGregor, knocked out by Johnson, undone by Chan Sung Jung, and outworked by Cub Swanson. Yet here he is: standing above them all. Poirier evolves. He learns lessons. He recovers from disappointment. He overcame Eddie Alvarez’s rough takedowns and Justin Gaethje’s horrendous leg kicks and Max Holloway’s relentless boxing attacks, and today, after eight long years, he’s a UFC champion. Damaged, but still he plays the piccolo.
On paper, a fight between Nurmagomedov and Poirier looks like a classic striker vs. grappler matchup, but it’s really a contest of wills, a war between one man who dominates and another who perseveres, between perfection and stubborn optimism.
Here’s everything you need to know to live stream Nurmagomedov vs. Poirier.
UFC 242: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier
- When: Saturday, Sept. 7 at 2pm ET
- Where: The Arena, Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
- Streaming: ESPN+
UFC 242: How to watch Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier
Thanks to an unprecedented seven-year deal, ESPN+ is now the only way to watch UFC 242 (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 used to pay. Here’s how it breaks down:
UFC 242 cost:
In other words, you can buy UFC 242 for just $59.99, but if you spend $20 more, you’ll also receive one year of ESPN+ for free. That’s a $50 value, and if you’re a big UFC fan, that’s a great deal. Along with plenty of exclusive live events (see below), you can also watch 20 UFC Fight Night events every year with ESPN+.
If you don’t currently subscribe to ESPN+, you can purchase UFC 242 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 242 main event card will be featured on ESPN+, and you will have to pay the $59.99 PPV fee (full schedule and watch guide below). Here’s the main event card:
- Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier
- Edson Barboza vs. Paul Felder
- Islam Makhachev vs. Davi Ramos
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
- Mairbek Taisumov vs. Diego Ferreria
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 OTT subscription service. It works as an extension of the ESPN app that you probably already have on your mobile device. Ever notice the live events, articles, or series tagged with a gold “E+” in the corner of the app? Those are the ones that are locked behind the ESPN+ paywall. It’s literally thousands of events per year, including the aforementioned 20 UFC Fight Nights 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, international soccer, and more college sports than you’ll know what to do with.
ESPN+ is also ramping 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 just about every sports fan.
UFC 242 live stream: FX prelims
Just in case you need a reminder: Your ESPN+ subscription will not allow you to watch the card’s prelims for free. You’ll still need a cable or live TV subscription to watch it on the FX network beginning at noon ET. Here are the matches you’ll be able to watch on FX:
- Joanne Calderwood vs. Andrea Lee
- Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Lerone Murphy
- Liana Jojua vs. Sarah Moras
- Ottman Azaitar vs. Teemu Packalen
If you don’t already have a way to watch FX online, every major live TV streaming service carries the channel, and all of them offer at least a one-week free trial before you have to start paying.
1) Sling TV
- Cost: $25-$40 per month (40% off first month)
- 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
- Hulu with Live TV channels
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 242 live stream: Fight Pass early prelims
For the die-hard fans out there, UFC’s Fight Pass carries the early prelims, which start at 10am ET. Here’s the full Fight Pass lineup:
- Belal Muhammad vs. Takashi Sato
- Nordine Taleb vs. Muslim Salikhov
- Omari Akhmedov vs. Zak Cummings
- Don Madge vs. Farez Ziam
UFC Fight Pass launched in 2014. The service hosts the undercard bouts of every UFC PPV, and 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.
UFC 242 schedule
All times ET.
UFC 242 PPV Main Card | 2pm on ESPN+
- Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier
- Edson Barboza vs. Paul Felder
- Island Makhachev vs. Davi Ramos
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
- Mairbek Taisumov vs. Diego Ferreria
UFC 242 Preliminary Card | noon on FX
- Joanne Calderwood vs. Andrea Lee
- Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Lerone Murphy
- Liana Jojua vs. Sarah Moras
- Ottman Azaitar vs. Teemu Packalen
UFC 242 Early Prelims | 10am on UFC Fight Pass
- Belal Muhammad vs. Takashi Sato
- Nordine Taleb vs. Muslim Salikhov
- Omari Akhmedov vs. Zak Cummings
- Don Madge vs. Farez Ziam
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