Paramount, TKO Seal $7.7 Billion Deal to Broadcast all UFC Events in US
The deal represents the first major post–Sykdance merger action, as the global media and entertainment giant agreed to a total purchase of $7.7 billion for UFC rights through 2032.
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USA Today
13 minutes ago
- USA Today
Dana White's Contender Series 77: Grading the winners
Dana White's Contender Series 77 took place Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we're grading the winners from the four-fight card, which streamed on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. With a refreshing but digestible format that has had the MMA fanbase responding, this series has shown to have legs in multiple ways while serving as a crockpot for contenders whom the UFC matchmakers can use for future events. So, with that trend in mind, I will once again be taking a look at the winning fighters regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, grading their performances in regards to their probability of returning to a UFC stage. Yuri Panferov Weight class: Middleweight Result: Yuri Panferov def. Christopher Ewert via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Grade: B- Summary: Despite not getting a contract for his efforts, I found it difficult to deny Yuri Panferov anything short of a B for showing a more well-rounded game opposite Christopher Ewert en route to earning a decision as a near 2-1 underdog. Panferov displayed solid competency in multiple phases of the fight, but Ewert appeared to be one of those chin and stamina bullies who have just enough size and athleticism to explode out of the bad spots they seem to put themselves in. Ewert's janky striking seemed to trouble Panferov at points of the fight, but once "The Russian Polar Bear" stole the lead-hand initiative, he was able to get going in combination against his Chilean counterpart. I can't say that I'm surprised that Dana White passed on signing Panferov considering the sluggish (and amateurish) feel to this fight on others. That said, don't be surprised to see Panferov given a third swing at bat given his age and the UFC matchmakers' infatuation with middleweights Radley da Silva Weight class: Featherweight Result: Radley Da Silva def. George Mangos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Grade: C- Summary: Despite setting the bar for boring on the night, I still felt it was hard to give Radley Da Silva anything less than a C considering the standing of his opponent, George Mangos. A fighter who made my prospects to watch list for 2025, I can assure you that Mangos was not an easy fighter for Da Silva to control. The problem, however, is that Da Silva did not do nearly enough with his positions – all while Mangos arguably did too much with his scrambles and submission efforts. These two things, in concert, made for a frustrating watch for us all (and Da Silva's post-fight interview also did him no favors as far as selling us on him goes). I don't disagree with White passing on Da Silva and am glad to hear the UFC president remind the Canadian that he's still young and has plenty of time to earn his way back with another impressive win streak Baisangur Susurkaev Weight class: Middleweight Result: Baysangur Susurkaev def. Martaz Talha via TKO (body kick) - Round 1, 3:12 Grade: A Summary: Between stepping in on short notice for Damian Pinas and finishing in fantastic fashion, I found it difficult to deny Baysangur Susurkaev anything short of an A for starching Martaz Talha in Round 1. Despite this card looking fruitful pre-event, it's kind of ironic that the short-notice fighter is the only competitor to produce a finish. But I digress. It's hard to be too harsh on Talha, considering that he was initially preparing for Pinas (pause), but the Russian-born fighter became immediately uncomfortable after failing to take Susurkaev down along the fence. We didn't get to see much, but Susurkaev showed some of the striking swagger that his Kill Cliff FC stablemates have raved about en route to shutting down Talha quickly with a snap kick to his midsection. Signing Susurkaev was a no-brainer, and it sounds like the UFC matchmakers already have him in mind for an up-and-coming slot. For my money, expect to see him booked on an international card before the year's end opposite anyone ranging from Jackson McVey to Andre Petroski. Ty Miller Weight class: Welterweight Result: Ty Miller def. Jimmy Drago via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Grade: B Summary: Earning a solid B from me, Ty Miller officially finds himself as a part of the UFC roster after besting an incredibly tough Jimmy Drago on the feet. Drago, whether we're talking about his style or his story, is such an easy fighter to root for, but the native New Yorker had a tough time closing the distance on Miller after the large welterweight was able to find his range. Miller, who looks like he'll be finishing his career as a middleweight (or maybe even light heavyweight), appears to be a difficult fighter to deal with on the feet. Hailing from Fit NHB in New Mexico, you can tell that Miller is well-schooled in the striking arts. That said, I would still like to see more variety in all realms from the 25-year-old as he continues to grow. I hope the UFC matchmakers don't rush Miller too fast, but don't be shocked to see him booked opposite someone like Billy Ray Goff or Yusaku Kinoshita before the end of 2025. Ilian Bouafia Weight class: Middleweight Result: Ilian Bouafia def. Neemias Santana via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27) Grade: D Summary: In what was easily the most frustrating watch of the night, Ilian Bouafia somehow squeezes a unanimous decision over Neemias Santana in a fight that could've easily been a draw. Say what you will about Santana's mostly empty aggression and screaming, but there was so little action to score between the two that I wouldn't have blamed any of the judges for having to go to tertiary scoring criteria in order to award a winner for the last two frames. Between the blatant headbutt that Bouafia sustained in the opening round, as well as the fact that Dylan Budka only somehow got a D from me for his ignominious outing in seasons prior, I found it hard to go as hard as the UFC president did by giving out an F in this spot. That said, outside of a massive need for more warm bodies, a la a show increase for next season, don't be expecting to see either of these two back anytime soon.
Chicago Tribune
43 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
A UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it's happening as part of deal with Paramount.
Hours after Paramount and UFC announced a billion-dollar rights deal, Dana White said he had yet to hear from his friend, President Donald Trump, on his thoughts about the fight company's new streaming home. That was fine with White. The UFC CEO was set to travel to Washington on Aug. 28 to meet with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, to catch up and discuss logistics on the proposed Fourth of July fight card next year at the White House. Trump said last month he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence. 'It's absolutely going to happen,' White told The Associated Press. 'Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS.' The idea of cage fights at the White House would have seemed improbable when the Fertitta brothers purchased UFC for $2 million in 2001 and put White in charge of the fledging fight promotion. White helped steer the company into a $4 billion sale in 2016 and broadcast rights deals with Fox and ESPN before landing owner TKO Group's richest one yet — a seven-year deal with Paramount starting in 2026 worth an average of $1.1 billion a year, with all cards on its streaming platform Paramount+ and select numbered events also set to simulcast on CBS. ESPN, Amazon and Netflix and other traditional sports broadcast players seemed more in play for UFC rights — White had previously hinted fights could air across different platforms — but Paramount was a serious contender from the start of the negotiating window. The Paramount and UFC deal came just days after Skydance and Paramount officially closed their $8 billion merger — kicking off the reign of a new entertainment giant after a contentious endeavor to get the transaction over the finish line. White said he was impressed with the vision Skydance CEO David Ellison had for the the global MMA leader early in contract talks and how those plans should blossom now that Ellison is chairman and CEO of Paramount. 'When you talk about Paramount, you talk about David Ellison, they're brilliant businessmen, very aggressive, risk takers,' White said. 'They're right up my alley. These are the kind of guys that I like to be in business with.' The $1.1 billion deals marks a notable jump from the roughly $550 million that ESPN paid each year for UFC coverage today. But UFC's new home on Paramount will simplify offerings for fans — with all content set to be available on Paramount+ (which currently costs between $7.99 and $12.99 a month), rather than various pay-per-view fees. Paramount also said it intends to explore UFC rights outside the U.S. 'as they become available in the future.' UFC matchmakers were set to meet this week to shape what White said would be a loaded debut Paramount card. The UFC boss noted it was still too early to discuss a potential main event for the White House fight night. 'This is a 1-of-1 event,' White said. There are still some moving parts to UFC broadcasts and other television programming it has its hands in as the company moves into the Paramount era. White said there are still moving parts to the deal and that includes potentially finding new homes for 'The Ultimate Fighter,' 'Road To UFC,' and 'Dana White's Contender Series.' It's not necessarily a given the traditional 10 p.m. start time for what were the pay-per-view events would stand, especially on nights cards will also air on CBS. 'We haven't figured that out yet but we will,' White said. And what about the sometimes-contentious issue of fighter pay? Some established fighters have clauses in their contracts that they earn more money the higher the buyrate on their cards. Again, most of those issues are to-be-determined as UFC and Paramount settle in to the new deal — with $1.1 billion headed the fight company's way. 'It will affect fighter pay, big time,' White said. 'From deal-to-deal, fighter pay has grown, too. Every time we win, everybody wins.' Boxer Jake Paul wrote on social media the dying PPV model — which was overpriced for fights as UFC saw a decline in buys because of missing star power in many main events — should give the fighters an increased idea of their worth. 'Every fighter in the UFC now has a clear picture of what the revenue is…no more PPV excuses,' Paul wrote. 'Get your worth boys and girls.' White also scoffed at the idea that the traditional PPV model is dead. There are still UFC cards on pay-per-view the rest of the year through the end of the ESPN contract and White and Saudi Arabia have teamed to launch a new boxing venture that starts next year and could use a PPV home. White, though, is part of the promotional team for the Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford fight in September in Las Vegas that airs on Netflix. 'It's definitely not run it's course,' White said. 'There were guys out there who were interested in pay-per-view and there were guys out there that weren't. Wherever we ended up, that's what we're going to roll with.' White said UFC archival footage 'kills it' in repeat views and those classic bouts also needed a new home once the ESPN deal expires. Just when it seems there's little left for UFC to conquer, White says, there's always more. Why stop at becoming the biggest fight game in the world? Why not rewrite the pecking order in popularity and riches and go for No. 1 in all sports? 'You have the NFL, the NBA, the UFC, and soccer globally,' White said. 'We're coming. We're coming for all of them.'
USA Today
43 minutes ago
- USA Today
17th annual World MMA Awards voting open; MMA Junkie and Mike Bohn receive nominations
Voting is underway for the 17th annual World MMA Awards, where Ilia Topuria, Merab Dvalishvili, Alexandre Pantoja, Magomed Ankalaev and Gadzhi Rabadanov are up for the top honor of Charles 'Mask' Lewis Fighter of the Year. Female Fighter of the Year finalists are Kayla Harrison, Dakota Ditcheva, Jasmine Jasudavicius, Valentina Shevchenko and Natalia Silva. In addition, MMA Junkie (Media Source of the Year) and Mike Bohn (Journalist of the Year) also are finalists. Fighters Only Magazine again is hosting the awards. The date and location for a black-tie ceremony hasn't been determined, although it typically coincides during the week of the UFC's final pay-per-view event of the year in December. According to Fighters Only, a panel of MMA industry experts put together the list of award nominees for a year-long period covering July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. Voting is now open at Below is the full list of finalists by category: Charles 'Mask' Lewis Fighter of the Year Female Fighter Of The Year Breakthrough Fighter Of The Year International Fighter Of The Year Fight Of The Year Knockout Of The Year Submission Of The Year Comeback Of The Year Upset Of The Year Commentator Of The Year Analyst Of The Year Shawn Tompkins Coach Of The Year Trainer Of The Year Gym Of The Year Referee Of The Year Ringcard Girl Of The Year Leading Man Of The Year Best Promotion Personality Of The Year Best MMA Programming MMA Media Source Of The Year MMA Journalist Of The Year Fighting Spirit Award
