UFC signs $7.7 billion U.S. TV rights deal with Paramount, ends PPVs
UFC is leaving ESPN in 2026 in the form of a $7.7 billion U.S. rights agreement with Paramount+/CBS, which will be an end to linear.
Upon hearing Monday’s news of the UFC’s seven-year, $7.7 billion broadcast deal with Paramount, UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall was pleased – until he gave it a little more thought.
“Well, that’s amazing news. When does that come into play?” Aspinall said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “Or is it amazing news for guys who are getting pay-per-view points, like yours truly?”
That is the question.
Starting in 2026, the UFC will stream its 43 annual events exclusively on Paramount+. Among them are 13 “marquee numbered events,” including four designated “big” events (Dana White’s word) that will also air on CBS, Paramount’s flagship network. Perhaps the most significant aspect the UFC-Paramount deal is that the two parties have decided to ditch pay-per-view altogether. Simply paying for a Paramount+ subscription is all that will be needed to access every UFC event.
While that might be music to the ears of UFC fans, what about the fighters – typically champions and big-name stars – who earn money through pay-per-view points? That aspect was not addressed in the UFC-Paramount announcement, nor by White in his Monday interviews with CBS Sports and “The Pat McAfee Show,” leaving fighters like Aspinall – who was just promoted to undisputed champion in June after Jon Jones relinquished the title – in the dark.
“This is absolutely breaking news to me. I have no idea,” Aspinall said. “Guys like Ilia Topuria, etc., they are like established pay-per-view stars. I’m not really a pay-per-view star yet. … I don’t know because I’m not a massive pay-per-view star, I’m not selling a million pay-per-views, but I intend to. So, how does that work? I don’t know. I’m not sure.”
Jake Paul’s advice to UFC fighters after Paramount deal
Since UFC fighters are not unionized, they were not represented during negotiations for a new broadcast deal and won’t receive a direct cut percentage of the $7.7 billion from the broadcast deal – unlike athletes in the NFL, Major League Baseball and other prominent sports leagues.
The UFC’s pay-per-view sales have been shrouded in mystery throughout the ESPN era, making it difficult to approximate what the promotion’s annual revenue is. With the elimination of the pay-per-view model, that becomes a little bit easier, which Jake Paul – who, for years, has been highly vocal about UFC fighter pay – was quick to remind fighters in a post on X.
“Every fighter in the UFC now has a clear picture of what the revenue is…no more PPV excuses,” Paul wrote. “Get your worth boys and girls.”
That’ll be easier said than done.
