It’s time for UFC fans to celebrate, because in 2026, the pay-per-view model will officially receive a KO. This will enable widespread, affordable access for the best fights in the world.
All thirteen marquee events during 2026 will be broadcast on Paramount+ with select fights also being aired on CBS. The new deal will last seven years and bring in $7.7 billion for the UFC. Dana White made the initial announcement on X this morning.
If there’s ever been a man running a sport who means what he says, it’s Dana White. When he says, “Fans in the US will have access to all UFC content without a Pay-Per-View model,” you best believe he’s gonna deliver. This isn’t like the fake hype of trying to unite MLB broadcasts under one roof. This is legit.
The new age of UFC is cause for celebration, because now you don’t have to make your wallet cry by spending $90 on a pay-per-view from ESPN+ that does nothing but buffer. It gives the casual fan a reason to watch, and to become a devoted fan. Paramount+ basically just put ESPN in a guillotine.
It’s a massive win for UFC as well, because it should drastically lower the number of households that use illegal services to stream events or spend their money at the bar to watch it instead. When UFC is watched in people’s homes, the revenue that comes from viewership actually makes it to UFC.
We all know the struggles of trying to watch UFC under the current streaming pay-per-views with ESPN+. The broadcasts amounted to little more than a pixelated slideshow of someone’s cauliflower ear, your wallet hated you if you paid for it, and the sports bars that showed them were few and far between. I’ve spent way too much money at a particular chain of sports bars that has subpar wings and rarely has decent deals just to watch fights.
Say goodbye to all of that. Maybe the first broadcast on Paramount+ will have a hiccup or two, but considering we aren’t paying $90 for a far worse ESPN+ product, I’ll take it. I’m ready to be able to enjoy UFC at home with the boys while we have food and beer that’s better and costs less.
UFC events are already some of the best entertainment around, and with the increased availability of revenue, they will continue to be able to make a fantastic product for the fans. It will put UFC into the heart of professional sports.
The expected increase in viewership will make it a true major sport. Will it have NFL level viewership? Obviously not, but now it will actually be easier to access than MLB, NBA, or NHL, which all require a myriad of options to have every game. UFC as an organization will be competing for eyeballs on a level never seen before.
Expect this to have a major cultural impact in 2026. Talking about UFC will be far more commonplace on campuses, at work, at the bar, or wherever else you find yourself talking about fights. Personally, me and my wallet will be watching UFC way more than we were able to before. A Paramount+ subscription will be nothing compared to the amounts spent to watch UFC during the seven-year ESPN deal.
Honestly, the only people that this is bad news for is a well known chain of mediocre, overpriced sports bars.
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