X
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

UFC 274 Oliveira Vs. Gaethje: Start Time, How to Watch or Stream Online

UFC 274 is stacked with two title fights.

Mark Serrels Editorial Director
Mark Serrels is an award-winning Senior Editorial Director focused on all things culture. He covers TV, movies, anime, video games and whatever weird things are happening on the internet. He especially likes to write about the hardships of being a parent in the age of memes, Minecraft and Fortnite. Definitely don't follow him on Twitter.
See full bio
Mark Serrels
4 min read
gettyimages-1358525573

Charles Oliveira has arguably the greatest jiu jitsu in the MMA right now.

 Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

The UFC has been light on superstar driven cards recently -- it's been a while since we've seen a draw of McGregor or Diaz proportions enter the cage. But the quality of the cards has been second to none. UFC 274 is no exception. This time round we've got two compelling title fights ahead of us, and an undercard stacked with nostalgic fights.

SEE AT ESPN PLUS

In the main event we have newly minted UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira facing off against Justin Gaethje. Oliveira beat the odds to defeat Dustin Poirier in a back and forth fight back in December. His jiu jitsu is maybe the best in the UFC across all weight divisions, but the real story has been his developing ability to win big fights on the feet.

He's fighting against human sledgehammer Justin Gaethje, a legendary slugger who's never been in a boring fight. Gaethje always drags great fighters into career shortening brawls. I have no idea how this one plays out.  I will say that Justin Gaethje has slightly annoyed me by calling Oliveira a "coward" for submitting in previous fights. Just urgh. 

UFC strawweight queen Rose Namajunas also returns, defending her title against a tricky challenger in Carla Esparza. 

Esparza actually defeated Namajunas years ago in an Ultimate Fighter finale years ago. Since then Namajunas has evolved into one of the most well-rounded female fighters of all time. Can't wait to see if those improvements will transfer into this rematch. I suspect they will. That being said, Esparza's wrestling has been known to grind slick strikers into dust. 

The remainder of the main card features some genuinely crowd pleasing match ups from long-in-the-tooth fighters on their way out. Former champs like Shogun Rua and Tony Ferguson are competing. Donald Cerrone and Joe Lauzon are fighting one another as well. Hard to believe those two have never faced off in their storied UFC careers.

This card is gonna be good.

UFC 274 Start time

The UFC 274 main card starts at 10 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. PDT) on May. 7. Here are all the details from multiple time zones.

US

  • The main card starts May. 7, 10 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. PDT).
  • The prelims start May. 7, 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT).
  • The early prelims start May. 7, 5.30 p.m. EDT (3 p.m. PDT).

UK

  • The main card starts May. 8, 3 a.m. GMT.
  • The prelims start May. 8, 1 a.m. GMT.
  • The early prelims start May. 7, 10.30 p.m. GMT

Australia

  • The main card starts May. 8, 12 p.m AEDT.
  • The prelims start May. 8, 10 a.m. AEDT.
  • The early prelims start May. 8, 7.30 a.m. AEDT

How to watch UFC 274

The UFC now has a partnership with ESPN. That's great news for the UFC and the expansion of the sport of MMA, but bad news for consumer choice. Especially, if you're one of the UFC fans who want to watch UFC in the US.

In the US, if you want to know how to watch UFC 274, you'll only find the fight night on PPV through ESPN Plus. The cost structure is a bit confusing, but here are the options to watch UFC on ESPN, according to ESPN's site:

  • Existing yearly ESPN Plus subscribers can order the upcoming UFC card for $75
  • New ESPN Plus subscribers can buy a bundle of one UFC PPV event (streaming in HD) and an ESPN Plus annual recurring subscription for $100. This is a decent deal. The ESPN Plus annual ESPN subscription will auto-renew after one year, at the price of an ESPN Plus annual subscription at the time of auto-renewal.

You can do all of the above at the link below.

SEE AT ESPN PLUS

MMA fans in the UK can watch UFC 274 exclusively through BT Sport. There are more options if you live in Australia. You can watch UFC 274 through Main Event on Foxtel. You can also . You can even order using your PlayStation or using the UFC app on your Xbox.

Need more international viewing options? Try a VPN to change your IP address to access those US, UK or Australian options listed above. See the best VPNs currently recommended by CNET editors.

Full fight card

As always these cards are subject to change. We'll endeavour to keep things as up to date as possible.

Main card

  • Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje
  • Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza
  • Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson
  • Mauricio Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux
  • Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon

Prelims

  • Andre Fialho vs. Cameron Vancamp
  • Randy Brown vs. Khaos Williams
  • Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont
  • Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell
  • Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
  • Francisco Trinaldo vs. Danny Roberts

Early Prelims

  • Tracy Cortez vs. Melissa Gatto
  • Kleydson Rodrigues vs. C.J. Vergara
  • Ariane Carnelossi vs. Loopy Godinez
  • Journey Newson vs. Fernie Garcia