UFC 234 will not air on DirecTV this weekend

Fans who get their UFC pay-per-views through DirecTV will have to find another means of watching Saturday night’s UFC 234.

The company announced Thursday that its distribution deal with the satellite TV provider has expired, and while the two sides continue to negotiate a new deal, the upcoming show from Melbourne, Australia will not air on the service.

“UFC’s live events are some of the most-watched pay-per-views in the country and remain must-see viewing for all MMA fans,” the UFC stated Thursday. “Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach an agreement with one of our primary distributors, DirecTV. Though we continue to work to reach a resolution, UFC 234, LIVE from Melbourne on Saturday, February 9, will not be available on DirecTV.”

DirecTV is a longtime provider of UFC events, and was one of the few options available to fans during the sport’s dark era in the late 1990s, after most major cable pay-per-view providers stopped offering MMA events after a political backlash against the nascent sport.

The UFC provided a list of alternate options for watching the card, which is headlined by UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker’s title defense against Kelvin Gastelum, including streaming options on UFC.tv and Amazon Prime.