The UFC just announced a huge deal.
It’s been a month of big deal announcements as the company just confirmed that Paramount will be their new home for seven years starting in 2026.
However, the most exciting news is that this means that the current pay-per-view model will end. That’s because Paramount+ will host all of their events on their streaming service exclusively. Some events will be simulcast on CBS. And a total of 30 Fight Night shows will be held each year.
Unless UFC adds a specific price just for their pay-per-views then that means fans won’t have to pay $80 to watch the big shows. That has been a source of contention amongst fans since their move to ESPN+, but on the surface, this sounds like an amazing deal.
As part of the agreement, UFC and Paramount will move away from UFC’s existing Pay-Per-View model in favor of making these premium events available at no additional cost to the expansive U.S. subscriber base of Paramount+. This shift in distribution strategy will unlock greater accessibility and discoverability for sports fans and provide an important catalyst for driving engagement and further subscriber growth for Paramount+. Paramount intends to explore UFC rights outside the U.S. as they become available in the future. - TKO and Paramount press release
“I couldn’t be more excited to join forces with Dana, Ari, and Mark. Rarely do opportunities arise to partner on an exclusive basis with a global sports powerhouse like UFC – an organization with extraordinary global recognition, scale, and cultural impact,” said David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount, in a statement. “Paramount’s advantage lies in the expansive reach of our linear and streaming platforms. Live sports continue to be a cornerstone of our broader strategy — driving engagement, subscriber growth, and long-term loyalty, and the addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch events to our platforms is a major win. We look forward to delivering this premium content to millions of fans in the U.S., and potentially beyond.”
That means the deal with ESPN will officially come to an end in 2025. There’s no word on whether the coverage UFC gets will come to an end as well, though the UFC is a global sports brand so it would be surprising if the promotion is no longer showcased on one of their shows following their transition to Paramount+. The UFC was reportedly making $450 million per year under the ESPN deal. It’s surprising that the UFC will no longer be hosted on the biggest sports channel in the U.S, but this is a massive wins for fans overall.