Paramount Global Acquires UFC USA Media Rights for 7 Years 7.7 Billion, 43 Live UFC Events to Stream on Paramount+, Dana White Says Pay-Per-View Will Continue
By Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media MMA Correspondent
Las Vegas, NV (August 13th, 2025)– Paramount Global, only days after finalizing its eight billion dollar merger with production studio Skydance, has secured exclusive United States media rights for all Ultimate Fighting Championship events, in a spectacular seven-year deal valued at $7.7 billion dollars. Starting in 2026, all 43 annual UFC live events will stream on Paramount+ (with select marquee fights simulcast on CBS). The Paramount Global agreement with the UFC eliminates the pay-per-view, excepting for certain major fights and fighters, providing access to Paramount+ events by subscription. The new agreement ends the UFC partnership with ESPN.
TKO Group Holdings, parent company of UFC, and Paramount announced on Monday, August 10, 2025, a seven-year media rights agreement where Paramount+ will become the exclusive home of all the Las Vegas-based UFC promotion events in the United States.
According to the press release, the deal is worth $1.1 billion annually, with the contract’s payment schedule weighted more toward the back end of the deal. “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+,” the release states. “Paramount intends to explore UFC rights outside the United States, as they become available in the (near) future.”
As indicated by the photo above with UFC President CEO Dana White, the Paramount+ subscription is between $7.99 and $12.99 monthly, depending on the package. It is unclear if rates will stay the same or go up. UFC pay-per-view costs $79.99 per event, and requires an ESPN+ subscription to purchase. White rejected the idea the traditional Pay-Per-View model is soon to be dead, because of the new agreement. There are still UFC MMA fight cards remaining on pay-per-view for the rest of 2025 through the end of the existing ESPN contract, and White and Saudi Arabia have now partnered to launch a new boxing venture which starts next year, which could conceivably use a Pay-Per-View home. Dana White, at present, is also part of the promotional team for the Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez versus Terence Crawford super fight in September 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, which will air on Netflix.
“It (Pay-per-View) has definitely not run its course. There were guys out there (MMA participants and viewing customers) who were interested in pay-per-view, and there were guys out there that weren’t (who do not want to pay). Wherever we end up, that’s what we’re going to roll with.”
According to Paramount CEO and chairman David Ellison “”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 the UFC, an organization with extraordinary global recognition, scale, and cultural impact. 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. The addition of the UFC’s year round must watch (must see) events to our platforms is a major win! We look forward to delivering this premium content to millions of (MMA) fans in the United States and potentially beyond (around the world).”
TKO President and CEO Mark Shapiro confirmed a Paramount+ subscription will include complete streaming access to every UFC event. “The addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch events to our platforms is a major win,” said Paramount CEO David Ellison, former CEO of Skydance, calling the mixed martial arts franchise a “global sports powerhouse”.
Under the new agreement, the UFC’s 13 numbered events, along with 30 fight nights, will be distributed via Paramount+, with select numbered events also simulcast on CBS television. Dana White is currently in negotiation with President Donald Trump and the Executive branch to stage an MMA televised event on The White House grounds for the 250th anniversary of the Independence of the United States on July 4, 2026.
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