In a few short hours, the highly anticipated Light Heavyweight title match up between Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol will go down from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s scheduled to stream both on DAZN and ESPN+, meaning most UFC fans can watch the match without spending any addition dollars.
For boxing fans, DAZN is often the streaming service of choice. However, it was widely believed that the undercard would be streamed free of additional charge for DAZN subscribers. On the morning of the event, fans are learning the hard way that the undercard — which features a handful of title fights — will cost an extra $19.99.
Veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael revealed the change online after confirming with a DAZN official. “#BeterbievBivol undercard is now $19.99 PPV in US/Canada,” Rafael wrote on X. “Though DAZN announced it wasn’t, created a graphic explaining it & specifically explained it to me in detail. For reasons they won’t say, it changed. I’ve had a terse back & forth with a DAZN official. I’m disgusted.”
#BeterbievBivol undercard is now $19.99 PPV in US/Canada though DAZN announced it wasn’t, created a graphic explaining it & specifically explained it to me in detail. For reasons they won’t say, it changed. I’ve had a terse back & forth with a DAZN official. I’m disgusted. pic.twitter.com/95CgiSG4E5
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) October 12, 2024
Unsurprisingly, fans are upset by the development and feel its hypocritical to DAZN’s original mission. Here’s a small sample of the reactions online:
“It takes a lot to kill lifelong boxing fans but DAZN finally wore me down. I cancelled and won’t come back. ESPN providing the main event on their app tells you how much more value they provide than the liars at DAZN.”
“Only way is to stop paying for it. Promoters and network ghouls will spin it like streaming is killing boxing, but the truth is if anyone is killing it, they are with this kind of bullshit. Time and again people have shown they’ll pay for what they think is worth paying for.”
“Wasn’t dazn supposed to revolutionize boxing by not having PPVs? they’re the worst of anyone now.”
“Most people are just going to watch the main event on ESPN+ and ignore the undercard. I’ve been paying a DAZN subscription and don’t think I’ve used it once in the past few months. Time to cancel this garbage.”
“Proper con artists, DAZN, fairplay.”
All told, it’s an odd scene when many will watch the main event for free — or at least, using subscriptions they already have regardless of the match — but are now being asked to pay for the undercard. The last-second nature of the swap isn’t going to win any fans, but it’s ultimately just a reminder of how expensive it can be to stay up-to-date on combat sports.
If the $19.99 is a dealbreaker for you, stay tuned here at MMAmania.com for any spectacular highlights from the undercard.
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