The UFC is set to sail into a new era with its $7.7 billion deal with Paramount+, complete with simulcasts on CBS. This marks the end of an era when fans had to shell out $75–$80 for a single pay-per-view event. Now, fight enthusiasts can satisfy their appetite for high-octane MMA action for (an expected) $12.99 a month, a staggering 90% drop in annual cost. Such a seismic shift wouldn’t have been possible without one man steering the ship, Dana White. Back in 2001, White and the Fertitta brothers took a $2 million gamble, hoping to make the UFC a household name. But the early Zuffa era had its share of brutal challenges. 

In 2004, Lorenzo Fertitta admitted, “We couldn’t get anybody to bite because everybody was very concerned that the product was too violent,” as major networks like CBS, ESPN, and ABC turned them down. With no big-name partners in sight, the UFC struck a deal with Spike TV. Despite Zuffa already being $34 million in the loss, the Fertitta brothers decided to pour another $10 million into producing The Ultimate Fighter Season 1, which aired free on Spike. Then came the season finale, Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin, a wild, unforgettable scrap that changed everything. From that night on, the UFC never looked back. 

The UFC’s surging popularity among combat-loving fans soon caught the attention of the FOX Sports Media Group. On August 18, 2011, the broadcasting giant struck a seven-year, multi-media rights deal with UFC, worth an average of $100 million per year. The FOX era (2011–2018) witnessed the rise of iconic stars like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, bringing the UFC into the mainstream spotlight like never before. However, what followed, the ESPN era, would prove to be the promotion’s most controversial chapter yet.  

UFC and ESPN — a troubled partnership?   

ESPN’s interest in the UFC sparked back in 2009, when the promotion’s marquee 100th event, headlined by former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and Georges St-Pierre, pulled an incredible 1.6 million pay-per-view buys. The network covered the spectacle extensively, offering real-time insights into the rapidly growing sport and even debuting MMA Live on ESPN2 in May 2010. Eight years later, that turned into a full commitment, with ESPN stepping in as the UFC’s new broadcasting partner.   

In 2018, the UFC and ESPN officially closed the book on the FOX era by announcing a new partnership set to begin in January 2019. The deal covered 42 events per year for five years, worth a hefty $300 million annually, nearly double the FOX agreement! And granted ESPN both digital and linear rights to stream UFC events. The partnership strengthened even further on March 18, 2019, when ESPN announced a two-year extension and revealed that all UFC pay-per-views would be sold exclusively through ESPN+ to the promotion’s audience. 

The ESPN era began with plenty of promise, but the relationship with the UFC soon faced its share of hurdles. During UFC 257, when Dustin Poirier defeated Conor McGregor in their rematch, many fans complained about streaming issues. Both viewers and fighters reported encountering “error” messages while trying to watch the fights on their devices! A problem that only seemed to worsen as time went on, and it reached a boiling point in 2024-2025. 

The same streaming issues resurfaced during UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad, with fans voicing frustration over poor quality despite paying $80 for the card. ESPN also faced heavy backlash in 2025 for its broadcast of UFC 313: Pereira vs. Ankalaev. UFC bantamweight Marlon Vera took to X to vent his anger, posting, “Just bought the PPV and can’t see? Come the f— on, ESPN!” And, it didn’t take long for Dana White to address this issue as well. 

At the UFC 313 post-fight presser, the head honcho admitted, “Yeah, there were problems buying it on ESPN+. I don’t know what happened with their platform tonight, but yeah… there are a lot of pi–ed-off people.” In response to the backlash, the sports broadcasting giant made the PPV free to watch for everyone the next day. Still, fans remained frustrated after having their live viewing experience ruined. However, it wasn’t just ESPN’s streaming service that stirred the pot. Turns out, pay-per-view buys themselves became a point of contention. 

According to an MMA Media report, New York Post journalist Erich Richter shed light on the growing strain between ESPN and the UFC. The promotion’s top brass were frustrated with the quality of ESPN’s streaming, while the broadcasting partners were equally unhappy with how pay-per-view numbers were performing. He added, “The UFC gets [paid] 300,000 pay-per-view buys as a ‘buy-in’ from ESPN. There’s no way that ESPN is getting 300,000 pay-per-view buys out of every pay-per-view, from what I was told.”

Since the UFC no longer releases PPV numbers, something they did during their Fox era, speculations sparked in the community that the figures might actually not be as strong as claimed.  Still, when the negotiation window opened in April 2025, with the ESPN deal set to expire in December, Dana White’s vision didn’t shrink. If anything, his ambitions grew, and, surprisingly, ESPN was still in the mix.  

White’s vision for a billion-dollar broadcast deal  

While things with ESPN weren’t looking great, Dana White remained optimistic that the relationship still had room for extension. The UFC boss often spoke fondly of the sports broadcasting giant and expressed positive sentiments when the negotiation window opened in April. At the UFC 314 press conference, he stated, “I like ESPN. I’ve said it many times. We had a bit of a rocky start, which is normal in any relationship,” further stating he has nothing but admiration for their current streaming partner. 

Still, the mystery surrounding the UFC’s next move only grew. A Bloomberg report revealed that White and Company were seeking a staggering $1 billion per year from their next broadcasting partner. Soon after, streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime were rumored to be in the race to become the UFC’s new home. While ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro and TKO COO Mark Shapiro showed interest in extending the partnership, Netflix quickly emerged as the frontrunner, largely thanks to their acquisition of TKO’s sister company, WWE, in a 10-year deal worth $500 million annually. Also, Dana White himself did his part to fuel the speculation.

Speaking to Sports Business Journal after Netflix’s sporting debut with Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, White said, “I always thought that Netflix was crazy not to get into live sports sooner than they did. Those guys truly have a global footprint. I think they’re late to the game. It was a big success.” That statement almost cemented in the minds of many that Netflix could become the UFC’s next home. 

But then, in a surprise twist, White hinted that the promotion might adopt the NFL and NBA model for broadcast distribution. The UFC boss sounded confident, insisting the organization was now big enough to work with multiple broadcasting partners to serve its combat-loving audience.  

Dana White’s play for an NFL- and NBA-style media deal 

Dana White’s dream of making the UFC as big as the NFL or NBA isn’t new. Back in 2016, on The Seth Davis Show, he said, “Yeah, I dream of a day we’re as big as the NFL in the United States,” while admitting there was still plenty of work to be done before the promotion could reach that level of viewership. Nearly a decade later, the UFC boss still believed the promotion could adopt a multi-platform streaming model similar to other major sports leagues.

Speaking to CNBC, White said, “Who knows? We could end up like the NBA and the NFL where we end up on multiple channels instead of just one… It’s all moving and changing so quickly.” He also pointed to the UFC’s expanding portfolio—The Ultimate Fighter, Dana White’s Contender Series, Fight Nights, and pay-per-views—as prime content for distribution across multiple platforms.

The UFC head honcho’s ambitions and past achievements have already made the promotion one of the most talked-about leagues in combat sports. However, the gap between the UFC and juggernauts like the NFL and NBA remains vast. The NBA recently secured a staggering $76 billion deal, running from the 2025–26 season through the 2035–36 season, with Amazon, Comcast, and Disney over 11 years. The NFL has topped even that, locking in a colossal $110 billion agreement over the same 11 years, featuring major networks like CBS, NBC, and ESPN, along with Amazon streaming Thursday Night Football.   

That move clearly showed that taking the UFC to the financial heights of the NFL or NBA is still a work in progress. Dana White even picked up a sort of blueprint from a former heavyweight, who suggested adding a dedicated scouting team to help the promotion reach that scale. However, that didn’t stop the UFC boss from making a bold move, securing one of the biggest deals in the company’s history, which almost dwarfed the previous deal with ESPN.  

What does the record-breaking Paramount+ deal mean for the UFC fighters?    

TKO Group CEO Ari Emanuel and COO Mark Shapiro shook the sports world with the announcement that the UFC had found its new home in the Paramount+ family. According to the executives, media rights talks began back in February 2025 and picked up steam in June during meetings with Paramount CEO David Ellison. The result? A staggering $7.7 billion deal over seven years—roughly $1.1 billion per year.

The real shocker, however, was the UFC’s decision to completely scrap its traditional pay-per-view model. Speaking to CNBC, they declared, “The pay-per-view model is a thing of the past. What’s on pay-per-view anymore? Boxing? Movies on DirecTV? It’s an outdated, antiquated model.” They also confirmed that the deal would bring 43 events annually, including 13 marquee numbered cards and 30 Fight Nights to Paramount+ and simulcast on CBS. 

It seems Dana White has finally achieved the billion-dollar-per-year dream he’s long envisioned for the UFC. But it didn’t take long for analysts to dissect the deal. While many see it as a huge win for fans, questions over fighter pay quickly surfaced. Veteran combat sports journalist Luke Thomas emphasized that fighters would see a grand total of “zero” from this agreement, while heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall raised the same concern during The Ariel Helwani Show.

White, speaking at the DWCS 2025 press conference, kept details close to the vest, reminding everyone there’s still time before the deal kicks in this January. However, he did reveal one change: bonuses for fighters are set to increase in the new Paramount+ CBS (linear) era. 

“I’m not going to have any comments on that yet because we still have to get together and figure this stuff out,” White said at DWCS 77. “It’s August. We have until January to figure all that stuff out. But the low-hanging fruit that’s easy to answer? Bonuses are obviously going up. That’ll be big.” With plenty still left to unfold, White kept a layer of mystique around the topic at the DWCS 2025 press conference, reminding everyone that there’s still time before the January launch. However, he did reveal one key change—fighter bonuses will be increasing in the Paramount+ era.

Well, that’s a start! Whether champions who previously earned PPV points will see a pay hike in a new format remains to be seen. The future of Dana White’s Contender Series and The Ultimate Fighter—whether they’ll stay as they are or get a full revamp—is also pending. Still, it can’t be denied that Dana White and the UFC’s top brass have taken meticulous steps, learning from setbacks and using sharp business acumen to make this dream a reality.

The outlook for 2026 is extremely bright for both the promotion and the fans, as the abolition of the PPV model will significantly lower viewing costs. Plus, anticipation is already building for the White House card under this new era. That said, what’s your take on the UFC’s $7.7 billion power move under Dana White’s leadership? Comment down below!