The UFC’s current broadcast deal with ESPN runs through 2025, and when the promotion inks a new deal, fans could see a big change in how they watch fights.
UFC CEO Dana White spoke about what could be on the horizon for the UFC in 2026 and beyond, telling CNBC, “It’s going to depend how all these other rights play out. The NBA was a big deal. Obviously, this one is playing out. ‘Who’s going to get them? Who’s not going to get them?’ It could determine where we end up.”
That “big deal” for the NBA, which was announced on July 24, includes “a renewal of its (NBA) partnership with The Walt Disney Company and new agreements with NBCUniversal (NBCU) and Amazon under which ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Prime Video will telecast NBA games beginning with the 2025-26 season and running through the 2035-36 season.” That broadcast deal is reportedly worth $76 billion.
“Our rights deal is going to be a big deal coming up here,” White added. “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.”
The UFC signed its deal with ESPN in 2018, striking a five-year $1.5 billion contract for domestic broadcast rights starting in 2019. Not long after inking that agreement, the parties extended the contract for two years and added pay-per-view broadcasts to the deal. Before signing with ESPN, the UFC was broadcast on FOX channels from 2012 through 2018.
One big change that could come about is the UFC could split its events among a few broadcast partners according to the type of fight card running that week.
“I could definitely see (the UFC on multiple networks). … We have a lot of different levels of fights, whether it’s Contender Series, Fight Nights or pay-per-views. They could end up on multiple platforms,” said White.
In March, TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro said, “It is our preference to stay at Disney (ESPN’s owner), because of this history. But we’ve had impromptu three different platforms inquire about that window that you’re talking about and when we might be able to sit down with them to discuss moving to a different platform, which we will do if we can’t get the right deal.”
While Shapiro did not name the three platforms that inquired about working with the UFC, it wouldn't be surprising to find that Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV were among them. All three have been getting more involved with streaming live sports in 2024.
ESPN’s exclusive negotiating period with the UFC begins in January.
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