Hours after Paramount and UFC introduced a billion-dollar rights deal, Dana White mentioned he had but to listen to from his pal, President Donald Trump, on his ideas about the combat firm’s new streaming residence.
That was high quality with White. The UFC CEO was set to journey to Washington on Aug. 28 to satisfy with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, to catch up and talk about logistics on the proposed Fourth of July combat card subsequent 12 months at the White House.
Trump mentioned final month he wished to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to have fun 250 years of American independence.
“It’s completely going to occur,” White instructed The Associated Press. “Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC shall be on the White House south garden dwell on CBS.”
The thought of cage fights at the White House would have appeared unbelievable when the Fertitta brothers bought UFC for $2 million in 2001 and put White in cost of the fledging combat promotion.
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White helped steer the firm right into a $4 billion sale in 2016 and broadcast rights offers with Fox and ESPN earlier than touchdown proprietor TKO Group’s richest one but — a seven-year deal with Paramount beginning in 2026 price a mean of $1.1 billion a 12 months, with all playing cards on its streaming platform Paramount+ and choose numbered occasions additionally set to simulcast on CBS.
ESPN, Amazon and Netflix and different conventional sports activities broadcast gamers appeared extra in play for UFC rights — White had beforehand hinted fights might air throughout completely different platforms — however Paramount was a severe contender from the begin of the negotiating window.
The Paramount and UFC deal got here simply days after Skydance and Paramount formally closed their $8 billion merger — kicking off the reign of a brand new leisure big after a contentious endeavor to get the transaction over the end line. White mentioned he was impressed with the imaginative and prescient Skydance CEO David Ellison had for the the world MMA chief early in contract talks and the way these plans ought to blossom now that Ellison is chairman and CEO of Paramount.
“When you discuss Paramount, you discuss David Ellison, they’re good businessmen, very aggressive, danger takers,” White mentioned. “They’re proper up my alley. These are the type of guys that I wish to be in enterprise with.”
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The $1.1 billion offers marks a notable soar from the roughly $550 million that ESPN paid annually for UFC protection immediately. But UFC’s new residence on Paramount will simplify choices for followers — with all content material set to be accessible on Paramount+ (which presently prices between $7.99 and $12.99 a month), reasonably than varied pay-per-view charges.
Paramount additionally mentioned it intends to discover UFC rights exterior the U.S. “as they grow to be accessible in the future.”
UFC matchmakers have been set to satisfy this week to form what White mentioned can be a loaded debut Paramount card. The UFC boss famous it was nonetheless too early to debate a possible fundamental occasion for the White House combat evening.
“This is a 1-of-1 occasion,” White mentioned.
There are nonetheless some transferring components to UFC broadcasts and different tv programming it has its fingers in as the firm strikes into the Paramount period. White mentioned there are nonetheless transferring components to the deal and that features probably discovering new houses for “The Ultimate Fighter,” “Road To UFC,” and “Dana White’s Contender Series.” It’s not essentially a given the conventional 10 p.m. begin time for what have been the pay-per-view occasions would stand, particularly on nights playing cards can even air on CBS.
“We haven’t figured that out but however we’ll,” White mentioned.
And what about the sometimes-contentious problem of fighter pay? Some established fighters have clauses of their contracts that they earn more cash the larger the buyrate on their playing cards. Again, most of these points are to-be-determined as UFC and Paramount settle in to the new deal — with $1.1 billion headed the combat firm’s method.
“It will have an effect on fighter pay, large time,” White mentioned. “From deal-to-deal, fighter pay has grown, too. Every time we win, all people wins.”
Boxer Jake Paul wrote on social media the dying PPV mannequin — which was overpriced for fights as UFC noticed a decline in buys as a result of of lacking star energy in lots of fundamental occasions — ought to give the fighters an elevated thought of their price.
“Every fighter in the UFC now has a transparent image of what the income is…no extra PPV excuses,” Paul wrote. “Get your price girls and boys.”
White additionally scoffed at the concept that the conventional PPV mannequin is lifeless.
There are nonetheless UFC playing cards on pay-per-view the relaxation of the 12 months by the finish of the ESPN contract and White and Saudi Arabia have teamed to launch a brand new boxing enterprise that begins subsequent 12 months and will use a PPV residence. White, although, is part of the promotional workforce for the Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford combat in September in Las Vegas that airs on Netflix.
“It’s undoubtedly not run it’s course,” White mentioned. “There have been guys on the market who have been all in favour of pay-per-view and there have been guys on the market that weren’t. Wherever we ended up, that’s what we’re going to roll with.”
White mentioned UFC archival footage “kills it” in repeat views and people traditional bouts additionally wanted a brand new residence as soon as the ESPN deal expires.
Just when it appears there’s little left for UFC to overcome, White says, there’s at all times extra. Why cease at changing into the largest combat recreation in the world? Why not rewrite the pecking order in reputation and riches and go for No. 1 in all sports activities?
“You have the NFL, the NBA, the UFC, and soccer globally,” White mentioned. “We’re coming. We’re coming for all of them.”
