Dana White’s Ultimate Fighting Championship has long followed the traditional pay-per-view model. It’s a model that many fans rejected, but had no choice to follow.
White has been adamant on cracking down the number of illegal streams as PPV buys have been dwindling. Now, he made a groundbreaking announcement that changes UFC’s future.
UFC PPV’s Are No More as Dana White Announces The Company’s Move to Paramount Plus
Paramount and CBS will be the new home of UFC in 2026. The former traditional PPV model turned into a partnership with ESPN+, one that didn’t bring the success both sides expected. Instead, constant price hikes turned fans away as the UFC product began to get ice cold.
Now, everything is changing. Fans will no longer have to pay $79.99 for a three-hour card. White, UFC’s president, broke the news on Monday, August 11th that UFC will have a new home next year.
“This historic deal with Paramount and CBS is incredible for UFC fans and our athlete,” White said. “For the first time ever, fans in the US will have access to all UFC content without a Pay-Per-View model, making it more affordable and accessible to view the greatest fights on a massive platform.”
Currently, Paramount+ offers numerous pricing options. There are two options, each with a monthly or yearly bundle. The Paramount+ Essential choice is the ad-supported tier. It is $7.99 a month or only $59.99 for the year. Their Paramount+ Premium plan is labeled as the most popular. That tier lands at $12.99 a month or $119.99 per year.
White continued, “This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world. The exposure provided by the Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.”
UFC Agrees to 7-Year, $7.7 Billion Deal
The UFC has gone through numerous TV deals throughout their 31 year history. The promotion has held over 700 events with White as the president since 2001. Now under TKO, revenue is at an all time high.
TKO also owns WWE, which just announced a deal for ESPN in 2026. Many expected UFC and WWE to both remain on ESPN, but TKO has decided to go another route. While doing so, they’ve just secured UFC one of the largest media rights deal in history.
All UFC events will stream on Paramount+, with select events also airing on CBS.
Paramount+ won’t charge viewers any additional fees, effectively eliminating the PPV model.
For the next seven years, the UFC will make $7.7 billion from Paramount. This is labeled as an exclusive US media rights deal as international fans are left wondering their options. Regardless, it’s a huge boost for the UFC which will see select events air on CBS.
UFC previously had a long-standing relationship with FOX. UFC on FOX held many premier events, with this CBS partnership likely to echo that. White’s promotion will have plenty of shows streaming only on Paramount+, likely to include his “Dana White’s Contender Series” and “The Ultimate Fighter“.
PPV’s used to cost $59.99 before increasing $20 in a four year span. Through several $5 increases, UFC was competing with boxing for top PPV prices. UFC fans no longer have to spend $80 a month to see PPVs as a Paramount+ subscription will do the trick.
UFC Drops Pay-Per-View Model as Dana White Announces Blockbuster $7 Billion Deal