UFC Fight Pass Review – Is It Worth The Money?

When it comes to watching the UFC, one of the best ways to do so is with the UFC Fight Pass. This is a monthly subscription based service that offers certain UFC live events, as well as a massive back catalogue of past fights. Having said this, there’s actually a lot more going on with Fight Pass and it really is incredibly deep in terms of content. This will be discussed more in depth later on. In short though, if you’re serious about MMA then the UFC Fight Pass is a very tempting offer and is something that all serious MMA fans may want to consider.

Like many online subscription streaming services, UFC Fight Pass is no different. Here, it the menu is easy to navigate and use. In this sense, it is kind of similar to the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime, albeit it is tailored towards fighting fans. UFC Fight Pass is also available to stream on tablets and smart phones.

What is on the UFC Fight Pass?

In terms of the UFC, all prelims can be streamed on live events. The prelims are the earlier fights on a card that have lesser known fighters. Usually, these will last between one and two hours and you can watch some good up and coming fighters in these bouts. However, the main event fighters (usually around 5 fights) are not streamed on UFC Fight Pass. Instead, you would have to buy the individual PPV for that.

As mentioned earlier though, if you think it’s just UFC events then you are wildly mistaken – as it turns out there’s an array of other live promotions. These include:

• Pancrase (A Japanese form of MMA that uses a ring and has slightly different rules to the UFC)
• Cage Warriors (A British promotion that has featured the likes of Conor McGregor and Anderson Silva when they were younger)
• Invicta FC (A US promotion that is dedicated to women’s MMA)
• Various other promotions such as Cage Fury, TKO, Titan FC, Island Fights and many more

Please note, that the above mentioned are all MMA events. The UFC Fight Pass actually has a lot more to offer in terms of specialist promotions too that are based on standalone martial arts. These include:

• Karate Combat (A Karate fight tournament, commentated by Bas Rutten)
• Muay Thai Grand Prix
• Quintet (A Japanese grappling promotion that is run by Kazushi Sakuraba)
• Polaris (A BJJ event that is hosted in the UK)
• Lethwei world championships
• Salita Boxing
• EBI (Another grappling/BJJ promotion)

In other words, there’s an array of live events that are covered on the UFC Fight Pass. From MMA to specialist martial arts, everything is covered here and it works out that there’s something going on at least once a week, if not more.

What else does the UFC Fight Pass include in terms of its library?

Perhaps the most impressive feature of the UFC Fight Pass is the library it has from past events. In fact, it boasts over 20,000 fights across various promotions. Many of these include past UFC events too – meaning roughly 1-2 months after a UFC PPV has aired, they go on the Fight Pass for free. This means you can watch historic events featuring the likes of GSP, Khabib and many others over the years. If you’re also that interested, you can also watch the iconic earlier days of the UFC starting from UFC 1.

It’s not just re-runs of old UFC fights though either, the above mentioned promotions also show their past events on the Fight Pass as well as now-defunct organizations too. For example, the cult Japanese MMA promotion PRIDE has its entire back catalogue on Fight Pass, as does Strikeforce and even Shooto which goes back a few years. As a result, you can always find something to watch and entertain you. Not only this but almost year on year, the Fight Pass adds more content and buys up more archives which further adds to the library.

Lastly, the UFC Fight Pass also includes a couple of ‘reality’ style MMA shows, such as Dana White’s Lookin For A Fight and the Ultimate Fighter series. If drama is your thing and you’re interested in the backstory of fighters then this may also have some appeal to you.

How Much Does UFC Fight Pass Cost?

The UFC Fight Pass costs a total of $9.99 per month, or $95.99 for a years subscription. This is, if the Fight Pass is purchased as a one off fee which means a saving of around $15. This price differs from country to country though and some places may be slightly more expensive or cheaper. For those wondering, ESPN+ does not include Fight Pass, and you would have to buy them separately if you wanted both of them. For most people, looking at the cost is usually the deciding factor as to whether you would buy the subscription or not. In this regard, it is truly up to you and your financial situation.

Is UFC Fight Pass available in my country?

This is a good question, and for most people the answer is yes. Since its creation, UFC Fight Pass is available in over 200 countries which covers most areas and places. The best way to find out though is to go on the site in your country. You will be automatically redirected to your countries version and from there you can see how things work.

One thing to mention too is that in some countries, certain fights may not be available to watch. Although this number is incredibly small, it’s something worth mentioning. The reason for this is that certain regions have certain rights. For instance, in one country a specific broadcaster could own the rights to a Tito Ortiz fight for example. Having said this, for 99% of the time this is not an issue.

Are there any rivals to UFC Fight Pass?

The answer to this is no, not really. Firstly, the UFC is the biggest organization in MMA with lots of money. Secondly, it has used this to buy the rights to build a huge fight library, but also to expand into other areas such as exclusive boxing, BJJ, Muay Thai and other martial arts. In short, very few other promotions have such punching power when it comes to owning fight content.

Sometimes, you may get niche companies such as Flograppling that shows certain BJJ events, or similar equivalents for different martial arts. However, for fighting – there really is no competition in terms of sheer content.