UFC 288 live stream: How to watch Sterling vs. Cejudo online right now, match card, start time

(L, R) Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo will face off in the UFC 288 live stream main event
(Image credit: Giuseppe Cacace and Jeff Bottari / Getty Images)

It's time to watch the UFC 288 live stream online, which delivers a main event that's nearly too close for gamblers' comfort. A pair of UFC Bantamweight kings clash when Aljamain Sterling puts his championship on the line against Henry Cejudo.

UFC 288 time and date

Date and Time: UFC 288 is tomorrow (Saturday, May 6)
UFC 288 main card:
The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT / 3 a.m. BST / 2 p.m. AEDT
Early prelims begin four hours earlier, at 6 p.m. ET, main prelims are at 8 p.m. ET.
UFC 288 main event time: Ring-walks are estimated for 12 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. BST / 4 p.m. AEDT — but they could always go on earlier.
Watch in the US — ESPN Plus
Watch in the UK — BT Sport Box Office

Sterling's reign has been sneered at for a bit now, thanks to how he won the title via Petr Yan delivering an illegal knee to his face back in 2021. His follow-up win over Yan came one year later, and his victory off of TJ Dillashaw has the asterisks of beating an outmatched and injured foe. 

That said, Sterling's on an eight-fight win streak. He hasn't taken an L since 2018. Whom among us can claim that?

His opponent, that's who. LA's own Henry Cejudo may not have fought since 2020, but arrives with a 6-fight win streak dating back to 2017. Which is why we're not surprised that right now, DraftKings has the main nearly all even. Sterling (-105) is the slight favorite, and Cejudo (-115) is only slightly higher. You'd have to bet $105 to win $100 on Sterling, and $115 to win $100 for Cejudo.

And while Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush was supposed to co-main, Oliveira walked out with an injury. Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns have agreed to fill the slot a few weeks ago, and the former is unbeaten in is previous nine fights, while Burns enters as a respected grappler

Draftkings has Gilbert Burns (-140) as the slight favorite, and Belal Muhammad (+120) as the very slight underdog, so betting $100 on him nets you $120 if he wins.

Here's everything you need to know about UFC 288 live streams:

UFC 288 live streams: Get the PPV and a whole year of ESPN Plus

You're going to need ESPN Plus to watch UFC 288 live streams — and all the upcoming numbered UFC PPVs — so let's talk about the best deal to make this happen. 

You can get UFC 288 plus a year of ESPN Plus for $124.98, which is savings of $55 (ESPN Plus costs $99.99 per year and UFC 288 costs $79.99). This is one way to avoid that $5 price hike for UFC PPVs, which used to cost $74.99, at least for this fight.

The main prelim fights are only on ESPN Plus this time.

UFC 288 Early Prelim fights start at 6 p.m. ET on UFC FightPass, which is $9.99 per month.

ESPN Plus for UFC 288save $55 by getting UFC 288 and the annual ESPN Plus subscription for $124.98.

You're gonna need <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/c/221109/531511/9070?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fplus.espn.com%2Fufc%2Fppv" data-link-merchant="plus.espn.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ESPN Plus for UFC 288. While UFC 288 live streams cost $79.99 (on top of ESPN Plus), new subscribers and those on current monthly plans can save $55 by getting UFC 288 and the annual ESPN Plus subscription for $124.98. That subscription will renew at $99.99 for your second year.

How to watch UFC 288 in the UK and Australia

UFC 288 is up late for fight fans in the U.K. and mid-day down under.

In the U.K., you'll likely start Sterling vs. Cejudo's main card at 3 a.m. BST. It's live on BT Sport Box Office, where it costs £19.95. Prelims are on UFC Fight Pass.

Just a heads up, though, the UFC 288 live stream is not available via a web browser, but through apps on Now TV devices, PlayStations, Xbox, Apple TV and some Smart TVs.

In Australia, UFC 288's main card will go live on Sunday at 2 p.m. AEDT on Kayo, where it costs AU$54.95.

How to watch UFC 288 live streams in Canada

Our neighbors in the great white north will watch the early prelims on UFC Fight Pass, while the prelims are on TSN and RDS. UFC 288's main card is available on various providers, including BELL and Rogers.

UFC 288 fight card

Early prelims (6 p.m. ET) on ESPN Plus and UFC FightPass

  • Braxton Smith vs. Parker Porter — Heavyweight
  • Phil Hawes vs. Ikram Aliskerov — Middleweight
  • Rafael Estevam vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov — Flyweight
  • Joseph Holmes vs. Claudio Ribeiro — Middleweight
  • Daniel Santos vs. Johnny Munoz Jr. — Bantamweight

Prelims (8 p.m. ET) on ESPN Plus 

  • Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola — Lightweight
  • Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark — Light Heavyweight
  • Khaos Williams vs. Ronaldo Bedoya — Welterweight
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Marina Rodriguez — Women's Strawweight

Main Card (10 p.m. ET) on ESPN Plus

  • Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Henry Cejudo — for the UFC Bantamweight title
  • Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns — Welterweight 
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Xiaonan Yan — Women’s Strawweight
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes — Featherweight
  • Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain — Featherweight

More from Tom's Guide

Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.