Massive deal begins in 2026

Paramount+ is entering the UFC Octagon. Per a seven-year, $7.7 billion media-rights deal announced last Monday by Paramount and TKO, Paramount+ will be the new, exclusive distributor of UFC action, presenting all numbered UFC events, and all UFC Nights, starting in 2026. Under the agreement, some numbered events will be simulcast on CBS.

Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, is the parent company of Paramount+; TKO is the parent company of UFC.

And you? You’re the UFC fan who knows what a monumental development this is.

Since the first UFC bout back in 1993, the mixed martial arts (MMA) organization has delivered its live signature action, or numbered events (a la the upcoming UFC 319), through pay-per-view events. That changes with a deal that UFC CEO and President Dana White calls “historic.”

“For the first time ever, fans in the U.S. 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,” White said in a statement. “This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world.”

UFC, of course, already is a major player. It boasts a roster of some 600 MMA athletes. It produces 43 live events in a year, delivering more than 350 hours of live content. And it serves cliches, takedowns, KOs, and more to 700 million-plus hardcore fans.

Per the deal unveiled by Paramount, starting next year, Paramount+ will get the full slate outlined above: 13 numbered events a year, 30 Fight Nights a year – and all the athletes and combat action that are fit for the Octagon.

UFC will join Paramount+’s stacked lineup of live sports – offerings include the NFL and UEFA Champions League.

Press Release Courtesy of Paramount+

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