UFC broadcast deal: Who has the best odds of landing combat sports giant?

UFC followers have one essential query that must be answered: The place do I watch in 2026?

ESPN has been the UFC’s unique U.S. broadcast rights accomplice since 2018, and the deal has been fruitful for each events, with the UFC’s near-weekly occasion schedule drawing subscribers to the media big’s ESPN+ subscription service. Dana White and firm have been making a living hand over fist because the UFC empire continues to develop.

Nevertheless, that partnership may very well be at an finish with the contract set to run out on the finish of 2025, and the 2 events unable to return to an settlement by the top of their unique negotiating window which handed April 15. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro sounded assured they’re nonetheless within the recreation, telling Sports activities Enterprise Journal, “we stay occupied with attempting to determine one thing out with these guys.”

However is it extra possible the UFC finds a extra profitable deal elsewhere?

MMA Combating’s Damon Martin and Alexander Okay. Lee break down the highest candidates to land what is bound to be a large UFC broadcasting deal and what this implies for the viewer expertise going ahead.

Netflix

Martin: That is by far the most well-liked alternative in relation to the subsequent broadcast accomplice and it’s simple to see why. Netflix boasts over 300 million subscribers worldwide. As compared, ESPN is accessible in about 70 million households within the U.S. and ESPN+ has just below 25 million subscribers. In different phrases, Netflix has a a lot, a lot greater attain. Add to that, Netflix simply signed a large $5 billion, 10-year deal for WWE’s flagship present Monday Night time Uncooked and the UFC and WWE share the identical possession.

Yet another bonus—Netflix has at all times averted getting too deep into sports activities as a result of the season-long format doesn’t work for them as a result of subscribers may pay for the service for, say, six or seven months after which drop it as soon as a season ends. That’s not the case with the UFC, which holds occasions virtually each weekend all year long. Throw within the risk that Netflix pays much more to get the pay-per-view package deal with these occasions solely obtainable to subscribers just like the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson combat, and it actually does appear to be a match made in heaven.

Odds: +150

Lee: At this level, it might be stunning if it UFC made every other alternative than to accomplice with Netflix, proper? The onetime DVD supply service (actual ones know) has taken a ginormous leap into sports activities leisure, teaming up with Paul and Tyson for one of many most-watched fights of all time and turning into a tag staff accomplice of the WWE throughout one of many skilled wrestling group’s growth intervals.

Anecdotally talking, I can inform you a lot of my pals who have been lapsed wrestling followers have gotten again into semi-regular WWE watching merely due to the comfort of getting it multi functional handy streaming basket. Having that choice may do wonders for UFC viewership, and in the event that they handle to set this up on worldwide Netflix platforms as effectively, Dana White shall be one step nearer to his plans of world domination.

ESPN

Martin: The UFC loves being on ESPN, as a result of whereas the old-school mannequin of cable TV is almost useless, the Disney-owned community continues to be the gold commonplace in relation to sports activities. ESPN provides the UFC legitimacy, however with file revenues, huge sold-out crowds, and the model itself turning into greater than virtually each sport on the market apart from possibly the massive three (NFL, NBA and Main League Baseball), it’s not a obligatory connection anymore.

Nonetheless, ESPN+ has successfully survived based mostly solely on having the UFC since first launching. Now ESPN is planning to launch a brand new streaming service within the close to future, and with the UFC offering a lot content material, it’s powerful to think about simply letting that go with out preventing to maintain a minimum of a part of the general broadcast deal. That could be the larger stakes for ESPN -the community might not be capable to afford to maintain all the UFC content material any longer. Nevertheless, if there’s nonetheless a bit of the pie obtainable, like possibly simply UFC Battle Night time playing cards, that could be sufficient to maintain them bidding.

Odds: +350

Lee: There’s no place like house.

True, it’s solely been seven years since UFC and ESPN partnered up, however with the velocity at which media strikes to day, it seems like 70. No matter how one may really feel about the necessity to feed the ESPN+ machine with an growing quantity of forgettable Battle Night time playing cards, there’s a familiarity with the present product that’s onerous to disclaim. Take note, too, that the ESPN continues to be broadly thought to be the No. 1 model in sports activities reporting within the U.S., so having a optimistic relationship on that aspect of issues has additionally been enormous for UFC progress.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t break it” as the good Charles Oakley as soon as mentioned, and it’s attainable that mentality may result in UFC sticking round on a brand new deal. However that cash higher be proper.

ONE Championship

Amazon Prime

Martin: Earlier than inking a seven-year deal value roughly $300 million per 12 months with ESPN, the UFC was closing in on a partnership with Amazon Prime Video. Whereas Amazon ended up working with ONE Championship, and even hanging a cope with Premier Boxing Champions, Jeff Bezos undoubtedly is aware of the UFC is the one which received away.

After shelling out $1 billion per 12 months to broadcast the NFL’s Thursday evening video games and one other $1.8 billion for part of the NBA package deal, Amazon might not wish to tack on one other nine-figure sum to land the UFC; then once more, they’ll afford it. The corporate earned over $637 billion in income in 2024 alone. Amazon stealing the UFC away from ESPN, and probably Netflix, additionally retains them as a critical risk to take over much more of the stay sports activities market and Bezos loves profitable these wars.

Odds: +500

Lee: Bezos positively desires to make a splash particularly with a few of his streaming service’s status packages failing to register within the zeitgeist (cling in there Rings of Energy!). One thing in regards to the UFC positively feels off-brand whenever you’re speaking Amazon Prime, however possibly that’s the form of shakeup it wants to shut the hole between itself and the opposite streaming companies. Think about watching an episode of The Boys after which hangin’ with the boooooyyyyyz. You realize what, I’m speaking myself into it.

Amazon: Delivering something you want, together with fistfights.

Warner Bros.

Martin: This one seems like an extended shot however it’s unattainable to disregard that Warner Bros. Discovery – the dad or mum firm to HBO, TBS, TNT, MAX streaming, and so on – simply misplaced out on the NBA package deal, which ended a relationship courting again a long time. The household of networks nonetheless has NCAA March Insanity, Main League Baseball, and the NHL however getting a minimum of a part of the UFC package deal would serve them effectively, particularly with no different main sports activities rights arising once more for the subsequent few years.

There was a time when the UFC touchdown on HBO would have been enormous information as a result of the premium cable outlet as soon as promoted among the greatest boxing matches in historical past. However today, HBO is rather more about profitable Emmy awards and getting hundreds of thousands upon milions of subscribers to look at The Final of Us and Home of the Dragon relatively than going after sports activities.

So whereas Warner Bros. Discovery has the platform, it’s powerful to think about the UFC leaping at this sort of deal until the monetary figures are too ridiculous to disregard.

Odds: +1500

Lee: Agree, this appears extremely unlikely, but when it results in UFC on TNT hosted by Ernie Johnson alongside Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, with Bas Rutten changing Shaq, I’m all for it.

Now that has Emmy written throughout it.

Esther Lin/MMAFighting.com

The sphere

Martin: Because the UFC grew to become a very viable model value billions, the corporate has by no means re-upped with the identical firm twice. Spike TV realistically by no means had a shot to maintain the UFC, and the group jumped ship to maneuver to FOX. From there, the UFC inked the cope with ESPN, and over the previous seven years, there have been loads of new contenders vying for sports activities rights. We didn’t even point out Apple TV, one other main participant with deep, deep pockets, and there are different retailers like Paramount, or possibly even FOX, that might shock everyone with a profitable supply.

It simply appears unlikely the UFC takes extra money for occasions to finish up on CBS Sports activities Community or presumably going again on FS1 once more. That’s why the sphere doesn’t look nice in relation to the chances to land the UFC TV deal. Apple TV might be the one actual risk right here as a result of that firm at all times has cash to burn.

Odds: +2000

Lee: One thing about UFC ending up on the identical streaming platform because the Academy Award-winning movie CODA simply makes me chuckle for some purpose.

Although maybe not as humorous as teaming up with Paramount, not solely as a result of that’s the place Bellator MMA went to die a gradual dying, however as a result of Paramount is the community previously often known as Spike TV! Speak about going house once more.

Might we see UFC spreading the wealth and teaming up with a number of broadcast companions once more? It appears unlikely compared to having your model all in a one-stop store for the buyer.