ESPN Plus PPV Issues Are Pushing Viewers to Illegal Streams

The UFC 313 PPV event was another ESPN Plus pay-per-view disaster for the viewer.

Fans paid nearly $80 for UFC 313, only to face black screens, failed payments, and endless frustration.

As these problems pile up, frustrated viewers are ditching the official stream and turning to unverified alternatives that actually work. Could this push the UFC to finally rethink its partnership with ESPN?

UFC Fans Are Losing Faith in ESPN+

This isn’t just a one-time issue. ESPN+ has struggled with PPV reliability for years, yet UFC remains locked into a contract with the network through 2025. The five-year, $1.5 billion deal was extended to include pay-per-view events, but it has come at the cost of reliability.

When fans spend top dollar for a PPV, they expect seamless streaming—not blackouts, payment errors, and endless loading screens. For many, it’s becoming clear that ESPN+ isn’t up to the task, leading them to explore other ways to watch the fights.

Unverified Streams Are More Reliable

With ESPN+ proving unreliable, more fans are turning to unverified sports streaming websites and IPTV services. These platforms, while not officially sanctioned, often deliver a more stable experience than ESPN+.

Dana White has been vocal about cracking down on illegal streams, but when paying customers are left without a working broadcast, it’s hard to blame them for looking elsewhere to stream UFC events.

If the UFC and ESPN don’t fix these issues soon, more fans will abandon the official service in favor of more reliable alternatives.

We saw the same situation happen with Netflix during the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight. Millions of viewers experienced buffering and were disappointed.

Even Fighters Struggle to Watch Their Own Sport

Perhaps the biggest embarrassment of UFC 313 was that even fighters couldn’t access the event. Cody Durden tweeted, “I’m so disappointed. House full of people and we can’t order the fights. It’s not working for some reason.”

Marlon “Chito” Vera and Frankie Edgar also called out ESPN+ in real time.

Fans pointed out the irony, with one saying, “Seems like fighters should get an employee discount.” Another added, “Ask a refund to King Dana… As a UFC fighter, this should come free for life.”

Final Thoughts

The UFC may not control ESPN’s technical issues, but they are selling the product. If the partnership continues to fail fans, more viewers will turn to unverified streams.

With another pay-per-view disaster in the books, will UFC finally demand better service, or will fans be left dealing with the same problems for future UFC PPV events?

For more information on this story, refer to report from Essentially Sports.

We want to know your thoughts on this story. What do you think about ESPN Plus having all of these PPV issues? Let us know in the comment section below!

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