For more than a decade, Megan Olivi was as much a part of fight night as the Octagon itself. From intense post-fight interviews to fighter walkouts she’d seen up close, her presence became part of the UFC’s broadcast DNA. But after missing UFC 315 in Montreal—stating her pregnancy and doctors’ orders not to fly—fans assumed it was just a temporary break. Turns out, it was the calm before chaos.

Olivi is walking away from the $24B UFC broadcast empire she helped define. Her climb to that stage was pure grind. With a master’s in broadcast journalism from Fordham, she paved her way into MMA media with Fox Sports, co-hosting the UFC Preshow Fight Day before taking on event coverage. By 2013, she was Octagon-side full-time, a presence in every big moment the sport produced. Now that the chapter is closing, and for the first time in years, the UFC cage will feel just a little emptier.

On Instagram, Olivi penned down a heartfelt goodbye. “I couldn’t help but reflect back on all the things we’ve done with our wonderful teammates at @espnmma,” she wrote, promising to share her favorite UFC on ESPN memories over the coming weeks. One of the first she revisited was the 2019 inaugural event of the ESPN partnership. Her husband, Joe Benavidez, had just beaten Dustin Ortiz in a wildly entertaining fight, while she served as the event’s reporter. It was also the night, she recalled, when producer Zach Candito began weaving her more into the shows. “Those small chances turned into bigger opportunities and evolved the reporter role completely into what you see now,” she added.

That role didn’t appear overnight. Olivi’s UFC story began back in 2013 at UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3, and over the years, her voice became synonymous with fight night. She even found herself in worlds far from the Octagon, like judging the Miss Universe pageant in 2017. There were surreal moments along the way, like interviewing Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone while her husband fought in the cage. “Everyone around us gave me a big thumbs up… Cowboy was like, ‘WAIT, your man is fighting? This interview is over,’” she laughed. Remembering how she sprinted behind a TV truck to pray until the fight ended, then went right back to work before embracing her husband backstage.

Now, the next chapter comes with a different kind of field. NFL on FOX just announced its broadcast teams for the 2025-26 season, and Megan Olivi’s name is on the game crew roster—right alongside the likes of Erin Andrews, Tom Brady, and Kevin Burkhardt. For the first time in more than a decade, the UFC cage will open without her waiting at the apron while Dana White prepares to take UFC’s broadcast future in a new direction.

FOX loses out as UFC makes a power $7.7 billion move

Dana White is ready to set the tone for the UFC’s next chapter. With Paramount securing broadcast rights starting in 2026, ESPN’s run as the UFC’s home will officially end, marking one of the sport’s biggest media shake-ups in years. The $7.7 billion agreement was unveiled at the Contender Series season premiere press conference, where White lit up over the potential reach and resources Paramount brings. “The fighters are going to get tons of promotion, built by all these different unbelievable networks that these guys own,” he said.

White doubled down on the mindset shift that comes with the new deal, making it clear there’s no intention to slow the product now that pay-per-view pressure could ease. “And these are aggressive, smart guys that are going to build a big media company,” he added, before pushing away the idea of fewer stacked events. “You know, that’s not the way I think. We’re going to go into this Paramount deal guns blazing. I don’t go ‘Oh, let’s water this down now.’ Uh-uh [No]. Exact opposite.” In his view, the move isn’t about downsizing but it will boost the UFC with more firepower than ever.

Still, the shift stirs mixed emotions inside the fight community. ESPN’s tenure brought a polished mainstream spotlight to the sport, and veterans like Megan Olivi have fond memories tied to that era. But with FOX now watching from the sidelines and Paramount stepping into the driver’s seat, the question for fans becomes simple: will they miss ESPN’s familiar presence, or does the thought of Paramount-powered UFC sound too good to pass up?