Latest news with #Dana White
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How the UFC landed a $7.7 billion deal with Paramount after a whirlwind 48 hours, according to TKO execs
Just how big of a surprise was the UFC's bombshell $7.7 billion deal with Paramount and CBS? So big that even UFC CEO Dana White didn't see it coming. 'No, I didn't think this is where we'd end up,' White said Monday during an appearance on 'The Pat McAfee Show' to discuss the new broadcast rights deal. 'But this is sort of how it played out. I love it. These guys are obviously very smart guys, very aggressive.' In an interview on CNBC, TKO president and COO Mark Shapiro said he initially expected to make a deal that would bring only the UFC Fight Night events to Paramount. But after Skydance Media completed its deal to purchase control of Paramount last week, Shapiro said, the deal for the entirety of the UFC's U.S. broadcast rights came together in just 48 hours. Now, instead of just the 30 UFC Fight Night events per year, Paramount+ will feature all UFC content, including the 13 numbered UFC events each year. 'We're getting the brand, we're getting the reach, and they'll get the signups,' Shapiro said of Paramount's streaming service. Possibly the biggest news in all this for fight fans is the end of the UFC's pay-per-view era. Ever since the very first UFC event in 1993, pay-per-view has been a vital part of the UFC's strategy. Under the current deal with ESPN, each UFC pay-per-view costs $79.99 in the U.S., plus the cost of the ESPN+ subscription on top of that. With pay-per-view revenues reportedly in decline, it makes sense for the UFC to finally ditch that model. The fact that it's doing so as part of a deal that will essentially double the roughly $550 million per year that the UFC currently receives from ESPN likely only made that calculation easier. 'The pay-per-view model is a thing of the past,' Shapiro said on Monday. 'What's on pay-per-view anymore? Boxing? Movies on DirecTV? It's an outdated, antiquated model. So, it was paramount to us — forgive the pun — where it's one-stop shopping, especially for our younger fans in flyover states. When they find out, 'Wait, if I just sign up for Paramount+ for $12.99 a month, I'm going to automatically get UFC's numbered fights and the rest of the portfolio?' That's a message we want to amplify.' What's still unclear is exactly how and when UFC events might be included on the CBS network TV lineup. According to Shapiro, Paramount+ will be the home for all 43 UFC events per year — 30 UFC Fight Nights and 13 numbered events — when the deal begins in 2026. But he added that those numbered events, which typically feature the title fights and the biggest names on the UFC roster, could also air on CBS. 'It was important to us to have CBS play a big component in this,' Shapiro said on CNBC. 'As they've laid out, this is Paramount+ exclusively. But CBS will have simulcast on many of the fights, and likely all of the numbered events, which are formerly the pay-per-view fights.' For many, it was probably a surprise to see Paramount emerge as the winner in the battle for UFC broadcast rights, especially after months of speculation that pegged Netflix and ESPN as the most likely destinations. After all, Paramount+ is currently known more for TV dramas like 'Yellowstone' than it is for live sports. But, as the UFC CEO White added, many streaming services are looking to bolster their appeal to subscribers with the help of live sports, which create an urgency among viewers that scripted shows can't match. 'I think all these streaming services, no matter who they are, have to be involved in live sports,' White said. 'Any type of sport, you have to watch it live. Nobody's going to watch a taped or delayed sporting event. So yeah, I think they all have to have it.'
The Sun
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Dana White and UFC beg Ilia Topuria to make next fight promise as Paddy Pimblett grudge match looms for new superstar
ILIA TOPURIA has revealed the UFC brass asked him to make a "promise" about his next fight in the aftermath of his coronation as the new king of the sport. 'El Matador' became the face of mixed martial arts premier promotion late last month with a stunning first-round knockout of fan favourite Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317. 4 4 4 His blistering beatdown of 'Do Bronx' saw him claim the vacant lightweight title and become the tenth two-division champion in UFC history. The Georgian-born Spaniard has ambitions of becoming the UFC 's first THREE-WEIGHT champion, although the promotion aren't keen on him making history just yet. During an appearance on the About Last Fight Podcast, the 28-year-old admitted: 'I thought about [moving up]. 'But the last conversation I had with the UFC [and] they personally asked me the favour. "Like, 'Don't tell us after the fight that you want to move to the welterweight division. Make us a promise.' "I was like 'promise.' I was [crossing my fingers]. I promise.' Topuria has plenty of work left at lightweight before he can contemplate moving up another division. A grudge match with Brit Paddy Pimblett is in the offing after the pair's near melee in the cage late last month. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 4 UFC supremo Dana White may not be keen on booking the barnburner, but Topuria is hellbent on settling his five-year-long feud with 'The Baddy'. He said: "Yes, that's the fight I want. "With Charles, I had a bit of a difficult situation because I really like the guy. "He's a really great human being, you can't hate him. But with Paddy, I'm really going to enjoy kicking his a**." He later added: "That's the guy that I will really enjoy to punch him in the face. "Really, really will enjoy that fight. I know I can do with him whatever I to do. "Tell me, kid, what you want me to do with you. I'm going to do whatever I want to do. I don't want to use my words.'
