At the beginning of 2026, the UFC formally strikes from ESPN to Paramount and beneath the phrases of the brand new seven yr, $7.7 billion deal the promotion’s pay-per-view format is coming to a detailed.
As a substitute, all the excessive profile UFC numbered occasions are simply going to be a part of the usual bundle obtainable for subscribers via Paramount+ at no further value. Whereas that’s clearly massively helpful for followers contemplating UFC pay-per-views presently run $79.99 per occasion, there are a variety of fighters on the roster who earn more cash based mostly on gross sales from these playing cards.
Usually UFC champions and celebrity fighters akin to Conor McGregor could make a fair greater payday from a share of pay-per-views as soon as gross sales cross a sure threshold however that’s all going away beneath the phrases of the brand new Paramount deal. However Larwrence Epstein, the UFC’s senior government vice chairman and chief working officer, says that conversations are already occurring with the fighters who would usually obtain these bonuses to restructure contracts to make sure they’re nonetheless being paid pretty as soon as the pay-per-view mannequin involves an finish in January.
“On the fighter pay query, there’s going to be some adjustments to the construction of our offers particularly with our premium athletes which have a share of their compensation based mostly on pay-per-view gross sales,” Epstein stated through the TKO Group Holdings quarterly monetary name on Wednesday. “That being stated, our crew is already within the strategy of understanding these offers.”
As of now, the UFC hasn’t truly introduced any fights or occasions to kick off the brand new Paramount partnership however that would occur at any time.
UFC CEO Dana White has already pressured the significance of placing collectively a marquee occasion for the primary present airing on Paramount, which seemingly means at the very least one or probably extra title fights on the high of the cardboard.
Assuming at the very least just a few of these fighters are presently in line to obtain pay-per-view bonuses, the UFC clearly must lock these down earlier than the occasion takes place.
So far as common fighter pay will increase, Epstein reiterated a earlier assertion from White that athletes ought to anticipate to earn extra when the Paramount deal begins in 2026 however there’s no actual percentages to disclose.
That stated, Epstein famous that the will increase aren’t going to dramatically change the UFC’s backside line with the corporate anticipated to see an enormous swing in revenues with the Paramount deal mainly paying double what ESPN pays presently.
“As Dana White stated, there’s going to be a rise in fighter pay,” Epstein stated. “There’s little doubt about that. We really feel prefer it’s going to be according to what shall be in step with the margins that we’ve maintained during the last a number of years.”
