Today is February 4th and beginning at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET live from Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada is UFC 143: Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz. The event is headlined by a interim UFC welterweight championship between former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz and former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit. This bout is scheduled for five, five-minute rounds.
The co-main event is a heavyweight tilt between ‘Big Country’ Roy Nelson and former Strikeforce heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum. Also on tonight’s card is a welterweight bout between former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion Josh Koscheck and Mike Pierce.
The Facebook card starts at 7:00 p.m. ET and the FX portion of the card begins at 8 p.m. ET. Tonight’s pay-per-view kicks off at 10 p.m. ET. MMA Fighting has compiled a full list of ways you can watch this event no matter your viewing preference. So, let’s breakdown our options based on each portion of the card.
Walkout Shirts: Nick Diaz | Carlos Condit | Roy Nelson
Online
For today’s preliminary card, viewing is separated into two sections. The first two bouts will air for free on the UFC’s Facebook page. That portion of the fight card begins at 7:00 p.m. ET. Simply “Like” the UFC’s Facebook page and you’ll be able to watch those two fights for free. As for the other part of the preliminary card, those fights will air on FX beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
UStream is available for those who enjoy their service. This applies to the main card only. The video streaming service allows users to purchase their pay-per-view via the UStream platform at a cost of $44.99. If you’ve used this service before and can speak to the quality of the experience, please leave a comment.
Yahoo! also provides a good online alternative. Go to the dedicated UFC 143 page at Yahoo.com and purchase the pay-per-view. I’ve personally used this service and it’s fantastic.
The option to go to UFC.TV, purchase and view this event there exists as well. The UFC has a dedicated page on how to watch their pay-per-view events. I’ve never personally used that service, but others seem to enjoy it. Last, but certainly not least, for those who own a Roku set-top box you can view the pay-per-view portion of the card for UFC events live.
Mobile
If you’re one of the iPhone or iPad users among us, you may buy the fight by using the UFC app from the iTunes app store. The app costs $.99 while the pay-per-view is still standard price. UFC also launched an Android app made by Neulion, but the fight price is the same as if you purchased the pay-per-view for television.
On Pay-Per-View/Television
Whether your cable provider is DirecTV, Comcast, Cox or any other major cable company, you should have the ability to order tonight’s fights. If you’re not, please list the name of the company in the comments. A comprehensive list of cable providers who carry these events can be found here.
The price for UFC pay-per-view events is generally constant. However, I’ve been told of fee increases by cable providers. For standard definition, $44.99 is what you’ll typically pay. High definition, by contrast, costs $54.99. Others who are non-DirecTV customers say the price of UFC HD pay-per-views have risen to $60. If this has happened to you, please leave us a note.
Beginning at 9 p.m. ET, FX will air at least four scheduled fights from the preliminary card. As a standard reminder, it is possible the two fights previously streamed on Facebook will air on the FX broadcast.
At A Bar
The UFC provides a comprehensive, searchable database of bars carrying pay-per-view events. It’s organized by physical location. Simply go to bars.ufc.com. From there you can enter your zip code to find supporting bars carrying tonight’s fights that are geographically closest to you. The results will even pull up the bar’s number so you can call to ensure they’re carrying the event as well as inquire about specials or a cover charge.
Here’s the fight card laid out by distribution platform, time and segment:
Main card (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET):
Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit
Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum
Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce
Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen
Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks
Preliminary card (FX, 8 p.m. ET):
Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway
Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa
Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope
Matt Riddle vs. Henry Martinez
Preliminary card (Facebook, 7 p.m. ET):
Dan Stittgen vs. Stephen Thompson
Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper
For more on today’s weigh-in results, follow Luke Thomas (@SBNLukeThomas) and MMA Fighting (@MMANation) on Twitter.