Calls Mount for Dana White to Sign $372 Billion Giant as UFC’s 2 TV Broadcast Deals Compared

Valued at $11 billion, the UFC sits atop the MMA world. Annual revenues bring in the billions, and if stats are anything to go by, they outpaced market expectations when they reported a growth rate of 13% back in 2023. But things are about to change as the UFC’s $2.1 billion 5-year broadcast deal with ESPN is nearing its end. It’s a known fact by now that ESPN and the UFC are a “bad marriage” for lack of a better word. But looking back, Dana White and Co. had telling signs even then that theirs wasn’t a match made in heaven.

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The deal was signed at a time when ESPN had already shown steady erosion of paying customers: 13 million subscribers over the past five years before that. They called and owed it to the “cord-cutting” trend, which was basically customers taking the first cab off the rank to jump ship to the internet-based media platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime). By then, ESPN’s financial troubles were well documented, and merging with the UFC made sense for the promotion has the youngest fan base among major US sports properties. But cracks formed shortly after that, thanks to a more complicated facet of the deal wherein ESPN+ became the exclusive provider of UFC PPVs. But at what cost?

Sure, the exclusivity brought financial security to the UFC. But it also gave them leverage to negotiate with their stars. There were early signs of what this entailed. The much-awaited return of Brock Lesnar from WWE to fight Daniel Cormier for the heavyweight title never materialized. Lesnar fronted a flat fee that the UFC didn’t entertain, and gave viewers a rematch between Cormier and Stipe Miocic, fighters who were demanding far less money, instead. Fast forward to 2025, and the cracks have definitely widened.

Dana White Admits Buying Only “Three Letters” for $2M With Big Risk in UFC Acquisition – “All Sold Off” - EssentiallySports

The promotion is unhappy with the recent mishaps during the UFC 313 mega card on ESPN+, where a technical glitch prevented fans from purchasing the pay-per-view and caused them to miss the fights. ESPN issued a public apology, but the top brass of the promotion is unhappy. ESPN, on the other hand, is also dissatisfied as the PPV numbers have been declining for quite some time, and the leverage that UFC gets owing to the exclusive media rights doesn’t help the situation either. Double whammy for the UFC as PPV is becoming increasingly obsolete in the fighters’ contracts. Amidst the chaotic times, renowned MMA journalist Damon Martin has come forward to share an interesting statistic.