I mean HN probably skews towards people who could easily afford the subscription, but it could be a legitimate benefit to the UFC brand to maintain the engagement of fans who can't afford to pay. Those people may lose interest if they can't watch at all, but they might be able to afford the subscription in a few years. High school/college students are one demographic that comes to mind, but this could easily apply to adults trying to escape poverty as well.

I don't know which way the balance swings in terms of people who can afford to pay and choose not to vs. people who can't afford to pay, but I think with something like the UFC that relies to some degree on fan culture for its appeal there's a clear benefit from having more people watch it even if those additional viewers don't pay.