UFC 288 live stream: how to watch Sterling vs Cejudo – start time, odds, full card

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The old alpha returns from exile to dethrone the new king

Watch UFC 288 live stream
(Image credit: Getty Images / Mike Roach)

Watch a UFC 288 live stream

You can watch the UFC 288 mixed martial arts on ESPN Plus for $79.99 with a PPV pass. In the UK, Sterling vs Cejudo is not a PPV and will be part of the regular BT Sport subscription. It's the usual Kayo Sports PPV in Australia. Full details on how to watch a UFC 288 live stream online and on TV where you are just below.

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Date: Saturday, May 6 2023
Start time (main card): 10pm ET / 7pm PT / 3am BST / 12m AEST
TV channel: BT Sport 1 (UK)
Live stream: Kayo Sports PPV (AU) | ESPN Plus PPV (US) | BT Sport (UK)

UFC 288 live stream: preview and prediction

In 2020, Henry Cejudo bowed out of the UFC as the bantamweight champion. Now, on Cinco de Mayo weekend, the Mexican-American returns to the Octagon to reclaim the belt that now hangs off Aljamain Sterling's shoulder.

It's an irresistible narrative: the old alpha coming out of the wilderness to dethrone the new king, and though Sterling would probably rather be fighting anybody else at UFC 288, the truth is that he needs Cejudo. 

Despite ruling the division for nearly two years, the Funk Master is yet to score the statement victory that truly stamps his name on it. He beat Petr Yan by disqualification and split decision, before that farcical beatdown of a badly hampered T.J. Dillashaw in October. 

It's perhaps little wonder that Cejudo fancies his chances, even after three years podcasting and coaching.

By some quirk of fate, Sterling is the same age now that Triple C was when he first stepped away, and with the New Yorker teasing a potential move to the featherweight division, this fight could serve to finally legitimize him as a great bantamweight champion.

The main card starts at 10pm ET / 3am BST. The Sterling vs Cejudo cagewalks are expected at around 1am ET / 6am BST. Follow our guide below as we explain how to watch a UFC 288 live stream, so you can catch Sterling vs Cejudo and the rest in the Octagon, from anywhere.

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UFC 288 live stream: watch Sterling vs Cejudo in the US without cable

See UFC 288 exclusively on ESPN+ PPV

See UFC 288 exclusively on ESPN+ PPV
Exclusive US coverage can be found on UFC on ESPN Plus. The main card starts at 10pm ET / 7pm PT, with Sterling and Cejudo expected to enter the Octagon some time from 1am ET / 10pm PT – depending on the duration of the other fights.

There are three options on cost, which depend on whether you already subscribe to the service.

1. Existing ESPN Plus subscribers

If you already subscribe to ESPN Plus, then it's very straightforward. It's a classic pay-per-view scenario, and you'll need to spend $79.99 to watch UFC 288.

2. UFC 288 + ESPN Plus

If you don't yet subscribe to ESPN Plus, you can take advantage of the value offer. You'll need to go for the UFC Bundle, costing you $124.98. That gets you both the UFC 288 PPV and a year-long subscription to ESPN+ that would normally cost $99.99 alone.

3. UFC 288 + Disney Plus/ESPN Plus/ Hulu bundle

Your final option is to buy access to UFC 288 and with it, get one month of access to the Disney Plus Bundle. So, that's 30 days of everything on Disney Plus - Marvel, Pixar, The Simpsons, Star Wars, etc - the full catalog of live sports and documentaries on ESPN+, and the hundreds of box sets and films on Hulu. It's $92.98. That's $79.99 for the PPV and $12.99 for the Disney Bundle.

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UFC 288 live stream with the Disney Plus bundle

UFC 288 and one month of the Disney Bundle $92.98

UFC 288 and one month of the Disney Bundle $92.98
Get UFC 288 plus a month of sports and entertainment with the Disney Bundle. So, that's your UFC 288 PPV plus a month's access to ESPN+, Hulu and Disney Plus streaming services. It's $12.99 per month (with ads) thereafter if you'd like to continue. No contract. Cancel at any time.

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UFC 288 live stream without a PPV in Europe

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As we say, you're kind of stuck if you're in the US. It's PPV or bust. Not so in Europe! Instead, it's sports streaming specialist DAZN that has the rights to the UFC 288 live stream.

So if you're a UFC fan in any of Austria, Italy, Germany or Spain, then get yourself over to the DAZN website.

Depending on your region, DAZN offers Serie A and La Liga football, NFL and a whole host of other top rank live sporting content.

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How to watch Sterling vs Cejudo: live stream UFC 288 in the UK

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BT Sport has exclusive broadcast rights to UFC events in the UK right now.

The great news is that UFC 288 is not a PPV event, so all you need is a standard BT Sport subscription or BT Sport pass.

Just be warned that live coverage kicks off at 1am BST on Saturday night/Sunday morning on BT Sport 1, and the main card action is set to start at 3am. 

Don't forget that you can now get BT Sport without a big commitment thanks to a BT Sport Monthly Pass. It costs £29.99 and gets you all of BT Sport's goodies - including Premier League football and Premiership rugby - for a whole month.

The broadcaster's coverage of UFC is also available via the BT Sport app and on its website, so you can live stream UFC on most devices these days.

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Sterling vs Cejudo: live stream UFC 288 in Canada

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There are a host of pay-per-view providers offering a UFC 288 live stream in Canada.

You can head to the likes of Shaw, Bell, Rogers, SaskTel, Videotron, Telus, Eastlink or YouTube. It's also available on the UFC Fight Pass PPV.

Tune into the main card from 10pm ET / 7pm PT on Saturday night. Sterling vs Cejudo is expected to start at around 1am ET / 10pm PT.

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UFC 288 live stream: how to watch Sterling vs Cejudo online in Australia

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As per usual, you'll find UFC 288 and Sterling vs Cejudo available on PPV in Australia, setting you back AU$59.95.

The main card is set to kick off at 12pm AEST on Sunday morning. Sterling and Cejudo are expected to make their way toward the Octagon at around 3pm.

So to watch the fight, you'll need to sign up via the Foxtel site or Kayo Sports Main Event. You can live stream the whole event via your web browser and devices like Android, iOS, Samsung TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Telstra TV and Chromecast.

You can also catch all the prelims and the main card using UFC Fight Pass.

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Sterling vs Cejudo live stream: how to watch UFC 288 in New Zealand

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Sky Arena is offering UFC fans in New Zealand a Sterling vs Cejudo live stream - with the PPV priced at NZ$39.95 for all the main card action.

You'll want to make sure you're watching from at least the 2pm NZST main card start time on Sunday to catch all the action. 

The headline Sterling vs Cejudo fight is expected any time from around 5pm, depending on how the rest of the card plays out.

Who is Aljamain Sterling?

Aged 33 and No.6 in the UFC's men's pound-for-pound rankings, Aljamain Sterling is the reigning UFC Bantamweight champion.

He made his UFC debut in 2014, catching the eye with a victory over Cody Gibson, and he's won 14 of 17 fights altogether. 

His most impressive showing came against Cory Sandhagen, and in his next fight he would take the division belt off Petr Yan, who had won the vacant title after Henry Cejudo's sudden retirement months earlier.

Who is Henry Cejudo?

An Olympic gold medalist and former two-weight UFC champion, Henry Cejudo packed it all in while he was on top, and now he's back to see if he's still got that magic touch.

After winning the UFC Flyweight title and successfully defending it, he stepped up to bantamweight and won the vacant belt in his first fight in the division. He then successfully defended it against Dominick Cruz, becoming just the second fighter to defend titles in two different weight classes.

However, he then threw the bantamweight division into chaos with his abrupt retirement, and there hasn't been a truly dominant champion at 135lb since.

Sterling vs Cejudo: who is favorite to win?

If there are question marks over Sterling's place at the top of the bantamweight division, in particular that latest defence of the title, it must be remembered that Cejudo only defended the belt once.

There's no doubt that he's one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, but at the age of 36, and having spent such a long time out of the Octagon, you might think that Sterling would be the favorite.

However, the UFC's official betting partner DraftKings has the veteran as the -115 favorite, with Sterling at -105. 

Sterling vs Cejudo: recent results

Sterling last fought in October 2022, scoring an extremely one-sided victory over T.J. Dillashaw, who entered the fight with a shoulder injury, and dislocated it in the first round.

It's been almost three years since Cejudo last entered the Octagon, the second-round victory over Dominick Cruz via technical knockout in May 2020 being his most recent fight.

UFC 288 full card and highlights

Beyond the much anticipated headline match, UFC 288's co-main event sees Belal Muhammad, riding a four-fight winning streak and a nine-fight unbeaten streak, face up to the grappler Gilbert Burns, who has started this year like he means business, putting together back-to-back victories in no time at all.

Main card
Aljamain Sterling (c) vs Henry Cejudo – Bantamweight title fight
Belal Muhammad vs Gilbert Burns – Welterweight
Jéssica Andrade vs Yan Xiaonan – Women's Strawweight
Kron Gracie vs Charles Jourdain – Featherweight

Prelim card
Drew Dober vs Matt Frevola – Lightweight
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Devin Clark – Light Heavyweight
Khaos Williams vs Rolando Bedoya – Welterweight
Marina Rodriguez vs Virna Jandiroba – Women's Strawweight

Early prelims
Braxton Smith vs Parker Porter – Heavyweight
Phil Hawes vs Ikram Aliskerov – Middleweight
Rafael Estevam vs Zhalgas Zhumagulov – Flyweight
Joseph Holmes vs Claudio Ribeiro – Middleweight
Daniel Santos vs Johnny Muñoz Jr. – Bantamweight

Aatif Sulleyman
Aatif Sulleyman

Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.