Africana55 Radio 
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Undefeated Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya takes on veteran fighter Yoel Romero in the main event at UFC 248 this weekend – one of two championship bouts taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Exclusive rights to the event rest with ESPN+ in the US and BT Sport in the UK, however the high cost of watching means many fans will likely seek out free live stream sites to watch it online.
Last month's heavyweight boxing match between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury saw between 10 and 20 million views of pirated streams, according to piracy tracking firm VFT Solutions, which experts said was largely as a result of the high pay-per-view (PPV) price to watch it.
In the US, ESPN+ is charging a similarly high price for the PPV of UFC 248, with anyone hoping to watch it legally expected to pay $64.99.
In the UK, BT Sport has not put the card as PPV, so MMA fans can watch the event as part of their subscription or by purchasing a £25 monthly pass.
Created with Sketch.
Created with Sketch.
1/17 UFC 245 in pictures
Colby Covington and welterweight champion Kamaru Usman battled in the night's main event
Getty Images
2/17 Petr Yan vs Urijah Faber
Petr Yan (R) lands a kick on Urijah Faber that sends him to the canvas in the third round of their bantamweight fight
Getty Images
3/17 Petr Yan vs Urijah Faber
Petr Yan celebrates his victory over Urijah Faber in bantamweight fight
Getty Images
4/17 Marlon Moraes vs Jose Aldo
Marlon Moraes (R) punches Jose Aldo in their bantamweight fight
Getty Images
5/17 Marlon Moraes vs Jose Aldo
Marlon Moraes reacts as he is declared the winner by split decision over Jose Aldo in their bantamweight fight
Getty Images
6/17 Amanda Nunes vs Germaine de Randamie
UFC women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (top) grapples with Germaine de Ranamie
Getty Images
7/17 Amanda Nunes vs Germaine de Randamie
UFC women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes smiles after her unanimous-decision win over Germaine de Ranamie
Getty Images
8/17 Amanda Nunes vs Germaine de Randamie
UFC women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes is carried from the Octagon after her unanimous-decision win over Germaine de Ranamie
Getty Images
9/17 Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski
UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway prepares for a title defense against Alexander Volkanovsk
Getty Images
10/17 Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski (R) battles with UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway in their title fight
Getty Images
11/17 Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski (R) punches UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway in their title fight
Getty Images
12/17 Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski falls to the canvas in celebration after defeating UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway in their title fight during UFC 245
Getty Images
13/17 Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski celebrates after defeating UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway
Getty Images
14/17 Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman prepares for his title defense against Colby Covington
Getty Images
15/17 Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (L) trades punches with Colby Covington in their welterweight title fight
Getty Images
16/17 Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington
Colby Covington (L) falls back from a punch by UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the fifth round of their welterweight title fight
Getty Images
17/17 Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington
Colby Covington rests against the Octagon fence after losing a title fight against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman
Getty Images
1/17 UFC 245 in pictures
Colby Covington and welterweight champion Kamaru Usman battled in the night's main event
Getty Images
2/17 Petr Yan vs Urijah Faber
Petr Yan (R) lands a kick on Urijah Faber that sends him to the canvas in the third round of their bantamweight fight
Getty Images
3/17 Petr Yan vs Urijah Faber
Petr Yan celebrates his victory over Urijah Faber in bantamweight fight
Getty Images
4/17 Marlon Moraes vs Jose Aldo
Marlon Moraes (R) punches Jose Aldo in their bantamweight fight
Getty Images
5/17 Marlon Moraes vs Jose Aldo
Marlon Moraes reacts as he is declared the winner by split decision over Jose Aldo in their bantamweight fight
Getty Images
6/17 Amanda Nunes vs Germaine de Randamie
UFC women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (top) grapples with Germaine de Ranamie
Getty Images
7/17 Amanda Nunes vs Germaine de Randamie
UFC women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes smiles after her unanimous-decision win over Germaine de Ranamie
Getty Images
8/17 Amanda Nunes vs Germaine de Randamie
UFC women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes is carried from the Octagon after her unanimous-decision win over Germaine de Ranamie
Getty Images
9/17 Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski
UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway prepares for a title defense against Alexander Volkanovsk
Getty Images
10/17 Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski (R) battles with UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway in their title fight
Getty Images
11/17 Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski (R) punches UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway in their title fight
Getty Images
12/17 Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski falls to the canvas in celebration after defeating UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway in their title fight during UFC 245
Getty Images
13/17 Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski celebrates after defeating UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway
Getty Images
14/17 Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman prepares for his title defense against Colby Covington
Getty Images
15/17 Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (L) trades punches with Colby Covington in their welterweight title fight
Getty Images
16/17 Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington
Colby Covington (L) falls back from a punch by UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the fifth round of their welterweight title fight
Getty Images
17/17 Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington
Colby Covington rests against the Octagon fence after losing a title fight against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman
Getty Images
The rising cost of purchasing live sporting events, combined with the ease of finding illegal live streams, has seen a huge spike in illegal streaming in recent years.
In the build up to UFC 247 in February, links to pirated streams were shared across Facebook, Reddit and Twitter. Searching for free streaming sites on popular search engines also provided an avenue for people to find illicit free streams.
Pirates have even managed to populate app stores with apps that host re-broadcasted streams illegally, leading industry experts to warn of the dangers of searching for and watching major events through unofficial channels.
“Accessing illegal streams opens users up to a whole host of risks, with streaming sites littered with pop ups and ads that could lead to your device being infected with viruses or malware,” John Fokker, head of cyber investigations, told The Independent.
“Many also don’t deliver what they advertise, often tricking viewers into sharing their payment details so that they can access personal content or infect your device with malware.”