Unmissable December on BT Sport and BT Sport Box Office: The Ashes, Fury vs Paul, Premier League, UFC 269, Heineken Champions Cup and more headline an incredible month

Christmas is coming early for BT Sport subscribers as the year concludes with a bang and some of the biggest sporting events of 2021.

There’s something for everyone coming your way in December, from unmissable domestic boxing and UFC world championship showdowns to the conclusion of the Champions League group stages – and even a full round of midweek Premier League.

And that's not even mentioning The Ashes from Down Under and our Box Office helping as Jake Paul and Tommy Fury go head-to-head.

Read on for all the events you need to mark in your diary as we see the year out in style!

The Ashes

England's men will be looking to cement their place in the history books by regaining The Ashes from an Australian cricket side revelling in the aftermath of an unlikely T20 World Cup victory earlier this month.

Not since the 2010/11 Ashes series Down Under have England beaten the Aussies on foreign soil – and you have to go back to 1986/87 for the last time before that!

However, armed with an adventurous and ambitious core of talented players, this England side are confident they can emulate India’s dramatic Test series victory last winter and shock the home side to bring home the Urn.

Influential all-rounder Ben Stokes had been expected to miss the series following his extended break from cricket but last month the Durham man confirmed his participation in what will be his first competitive action since July.

"We have got a huge amount of experience in our squad, although we've got some young guys who are still learning their way in Test cricket,” the 30-year-old told Sky Sports earlier this month.

"We've got the likes of Jimmy [Anderson], Broady [Stuart Broad] who have obviously been there, done that. Rooty [Joe Root] - fantastic leader and England's greatest-ever batter, so we've got everything to come back at Australia with what they've got.

"You are playing at the highest level possible and the Ashes - for an Englishman in Australia, that is the pinnacle of Test cricket. It is the only series that is almost like a World Cup, because they are such rivals."

BT Sport is the exclusive home of the biggest Test series in world cricket this winter, bringing you exhaustive coverage of every moment from all five tests in Australia.

We’ll also be producing daily highlights shows every morning for those unable to brave the night shift, showcasing all the best action of the previous day’s play ready for your consumption the minute you wake up.

Our coverage begins at 11pm on Tuesday 7 December with coverage of the first day of the first Test available on BT Sport 1HD.

Matchday 6 across Europe

The group stages conclude on Matchday 6 of the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League – and you can watch every single game exclusively live on BT Sport.

On Tuesday 7 December, Manchester City travel to RB Leipzig knowing they can finish the group stage with a flourish having secured top spot in Group A with victory over Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium last time out.

Meanwhile, Liverpool travel to AC Milan looking to maintain their phenomenal form in the competition by finishing the group stages with six wins from six.

The following night on Wednesday 8 December, Chelsea will be in action in the early kick off as they take on Zenit St Petersburg aiming to secure a result that would ensure they finish top of Group H ahead of rivals Juventus.

Man United conclude their group stage commitments by welcoming Young Boys to Old Trafford with top spot in Group F still yet to be confirmed.

But the standout tie of the night sees Barcelona travel to Bayern Munich seeking to avoid a defeat that could see the Spanish giants drop into the Europa League for the first time since 2004.

Speaking of the Europa League, we could be set for some drama on Wednesday 9 December with four British clubs in varying scenarios.

Rangers travel to group leaders Lyon three points ahead of Sparta Prague, while Leicester face a tough trip to Napoli hoping to retain top spot in Group C.

 Celtic host Real Betis knowing their European adventure is already over and West Ham welcome Dinamo Zagreb to east London seeing to remain unbeaten in the group stage.

Tottenham’s Europa Conference League group stage campaign also concludes on Thursday night as they host Rennes with plenty to do if they are to be playing European football in the new year.

Heineken Champions Cup

The greatest club competition in world rugby gets under way on December 10 as the best teams in the northern hemisphere battle it out for the right to be crowned kings of Europe.

BT Sport, home of the Heineken Champions Cup until 2024, will show live coverage of eight pool games each weekend and all eyes will be on Toulouse as they look to go back-to-back in Europe for the first time in their illustrious history. 

The Top 14 giants beat La Rochelle in an all-French final at Twickenham last season to win a record-breaking fifth European Cup, making them the most successful club in the competition's history.

Can Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle go one better after falling short last season? How will Exeter Chiefs bounce back after losing both Premiership and Champions Cup crowns in the same year? And can Harlequins translate their domestic success into European glory?

All those questions and many, many more will be answered as the the great and good of European rugby resume hostilities.

UFC 269: Oliveira vs Poirier

It’s been another memorable year of mixed martial arts on BT Sport – and we’ve got one last blockbuster card to bring you before 2021 is out.

UFC 269 sees lightweight king Charles Oliveira make the first defence of his title in an unmissable main event against fan favourite Dustin Poirier.

Fresh from back-to-back victories over Conor McGregor to close out an eventful trilogy rivalry with The Notorious, Poirier now has his sights set on claiming the elusive 155lb championship at the second time of asking.

A former interim champion of the divison, Poirier made his first attempt at the belt against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 more than two years ago but came up short to the dominant Russian.

However, 'The Diamond' has looked nothing short of unstoppable ever since and enters the fight as the bookies’ favourite to secure a long-awaited world title.

But write Oliveira off at your peril!

In 2018, the Brazilian looked destined to live out his days in the UFC as a tough but limited gatekeeper whose record up to that point in the UFC stood at 10-8-1.

However, victory over Clay Guida at UFC 225 sparked a run that saw Oliviera conquer the likes of Jim Miller, Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson on an eight-fight winning streak that extended to nine when he secured the belt against Michael Chandler during a thrilling comeback victory last time out.

But Poirier will arguably present the biggest challenge of his unbeaten streak to date, in what promises to be an absolute barnburner from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Premier League

My oh my we’ve got a feast of Premier League football to bring you over the festive period with an eye-popping 14 games that includes a full round of fixtures exclusively live across the BT Sport network.

The Premier League month begins with a must-see London derby between David Moyes’ surging West Ham and title contenders Chelsea from the London Stadium on Saturday 4 December.

A week later, we’ll bring you coverage of Wolves’ trip to Manchester City as they take on Pep Guardiola’s side looking to secure a second win in three visits to the Etihad Stadium.

And then the fun begins from Tuesday 14 December with a jam-packed round of fixtures across the following three nights.

Kicking things off on that Tuesday, Man City will be in action once again as they welcome Leeds to the Etihad in the second of back-to-back home fixtures for the defending champions.

Alternatively, BT Sport subscribers can sink their teeth into either Norwich vs Aston Villa - Canaries boss Dean Smith’s first showdown against his former side – or Brentford vs Manchester United.

On Wednesday night, there are four fixtures to tuck into including another London derby as West Ham make the short trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal, while Brighton welcome Wolves to the Amex, Burnley take on Watford and Crystal Palace face Southampton.

The week concludes with three fixtures on Thursday including Leicester vs Tottenham, Chelsea vs Everton and Liverpool vs Newcastle United.

We’ll pause for breath on Friday before kicking off another Premier League Matchday with exclusive coverage of Man United vs Brighton on Saturday 18 December.

And our bumper December of Premier League football concludes after Christmas with a scintillating showdown between Liverpool and Leeds from Anfield on Boxing Day.

To find out more about these games, head to our Premier League TV Schedule page.

Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury – BT Sport Box Office

One of the most eagerly anticipated combat sports events of the year lands on BT Sport Box Office as YouTube star-turned-fighter Jake Paul faces one of British boxing’s most recognisable faces, Tommy Fury, in Miami on 18 December.

The pair have been engaged in a long-running feud that has turned increasingly spiteful in recent weeks with both sides trading barbs on social media daring one another to accept the fight.

Fury recently appeared on the undercard of Paul’s victory over former UFC champion Tyron Woodley in August, labouring to a four-round decision win over Paul’s sparring partner Anthony Taylor.

It was a performance that ultimately convinced Paul to accept the fight with Fury - although during a fiery press conference, Fury seemed to suggest he had lured his rival into a false sense of security in order to secure the lucrative showdown.

"I'm doing this for financial gain and making my name bigger in the US,” Fury said.

"You can't talk about it in boxing terms. He doesn't hold a title. He doesn't hold any rankings. He's not valued as a boxer, so there's no other reason that I would be doing it.

"So thank you very much Jake Paul for letting me rob your bank account and not wear a mask and get away with it."

Still only a novice boxer, Paul, 4-0 (3 KOs), will step between the ropes on December 18 to face the most accomplished fighter of his career yet in the 7-0 (4 KOs) Fury.

But the former Disney child star believes he will shock the world and earn the credibility he has been craving from the boxing world by defeating one of the famous Fury family inside the squared circle.

This event will be broadcast exclusively live overnight on Saturday 18 December on BT Sport Box Office. More details on how to order this unmissable event will be released in due course.

And much more…

As well as all that coming your way in December, we’ve got more games from the Gallagher Premiership, unmissable live European football from Serie A and Ligue 1, plus T20 cricket from the Super Smash.

Check out the What's On page to stay up to date with the latest BT Sport schedule.