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Today is January 14th and beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET, live from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is UFC 142: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes. The event is headlined by a featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Chad Mendes. The bout is scheduled for five, five-minute rounds.
The co-main event is a formerly middleweight bout, now 205 pound light heavyweight bout, between Anthony Johnson and Vitor Belfort. Both fighters were to compete at middleweight, but Johnson came in 197lbs at yesterday's weigh-ins. He must weigh no more than 205lbs today. That bout is scheduled for three, five-minute rounds.
The Facebook card starts at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET and the FX TV portion of the card begins at 8 p.m. ET. Tonight's pay-per-view kicks off at 10 p.m. ET.
MMA Nation has compiled a full list of ways you can watch this event no matter your viewing preference. So, let's breakdown our options based on each portion of the card.
Online
For today's preliminary card, viewing is separated into two sections. The first bout will air for free on the UFC's Facebook page. That portion of the fight card begins at 7:30 p.m. ET. Simply "Like" the UFC's Facebook page and you can watch that portion of the preliminary card for free.
As for the other part of the preliminary card, those fights will air on FX beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
The UStream service is also available for those who enjoy it. The video streaming service allows users who purchase their pay-per-view via the UStream platform at a cost of $44.99 to watch the pay-per-view portion of the fight card. I can't speak to the quality of the stream itself, but the option does exist.
Yahoo! also provides a good online alternative. Go to the dedicated UFC 142 page at Yahoo.com and purchase the pay-per-view. I have used this service repeatedly and it's a fantastic alternative.
You may also go to UFC.TV to purchase and view this event. The UFC has a dedicated page on how to watch their pay-per-view events. I can't speak to the quality of that service either, but others seem to enjoy it. It also provides options such as unique camera angles and microphone positions, so it's arguably the most unique way to view the event.
If you own a Roku set-top box, you can view the pay-per-view portion of the card for UFC events live. I've yet to try this service, but would be curious to hear feedback from those who have tried it.
Mobile
For the iPhone or iPad users among us, you can purchase the event by using the UFC app from the iTunes app store. The app itself is only $.99 while the pay-per-view is still $44.99. Don't use or own Apple products? Don't worry. UFC has also launched an Android app courtesy of Neulion, but again, the fight costs the same as it would if you purchased it on your television. If you've used these services, let me know how they worked for you. So far I have heard next to nothing about the reliability or strengths of these services.
On Pay-Per-View/Television
Whether your cable provider is DirecTV, Comcast, Cox or any other major cable company, you should have the ability to order tonight's fights. If you're not, please list the name of the company in the comments. A comprehensive list of cable providers who carry these events can be found here.
How much does a UFC pay-per-view event cost? The price is typically constant, but I've been told of fee hikes by cable providers in different markets. For standard definition, you'll typically pay $44.99 while high definition costs $54.99. Others who are non-DirecTV customers say the price of UFC HD pay-per-views have risen to $60. I have personally not witnessed that, but if you have, please let me know in the comments section.
Beginning at 8 p.m. ET, FX will air at least two scheduled fights from the preliminary card. There is a chance the lone fight on Facebook could make this broadcast, but that would only happen if the timing worked out.
At A Bar
The UFC provides a comprehensive, searchable database of bars carrying their pay-per-view events. It's organized by geography. Simply go to bars.ufc.com. From there you can enter your zip code to find those bars carrying tonight's fights closest to you. The results will even pull up the bar's number so you can call to ensure they're carrying the event as well as inquire about specials or a cover charge.
Here's the fight card laid out by distribution platform, time and segment:
Main card (Pay-per-view, 10:00 p.m. ET):
Featherweight Championship: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
Middleweight: Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson
Middleweight: Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio
Welterweight: Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater
Lightweight: Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim
Preliminary card (FX, 8:00 p.m. ET):
Lightweight: Thiago Tavares vs. Sam Stout
Heavyweight: Ednaldo Oliveira vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Welterweight: Mike Pyle vs. Ricardo Funch
Featherweight: Michihiro Omigawa vs. Yuri Alcantara
Preliminary card (Facebook, 7:30 p.m. ET):
Featherweight: Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio Carvalho
For more on today's weigh-in results, follow Luke Thomas (@SBNLukeThomas) and MMA Nation (@MMANation) on Twitter.
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