Why You Can Trust CNET UFC 274 is stacked with two title fights.
Charles Oliveira has arguably the greatest jiu jitsu in the MMA right now.
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.
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.
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.
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:
You can do all of the above at the link below.
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 watch on the UFC website or using its app. 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.
As always these cards are subject to change. We'll endeavour to keep things as up to date as possible.