LAS VEGAS – Projection and reality did not align during UFC 324.
UFC CEO Dana White said Paramount had an idea of how the first event on the network would do, but the card at T-Mobile Arena substantially exceeded expectations.
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“We’ll have numbers. I talked to Ari (Emanuel),” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “Ari just said we’ll have numbers on Tuesday or Wednesday. This exceeded expectations beyond belief for Paramount. We know it killed it. We just don’t know the exact number yet. They’re saying it exceeded by like double.”
The UFC spent the past seven years on ESPN, but in mid-2025 signed a $7.7 billion streaming deal with Paramount. Saturday’s broadcast included some new bells and whistles, finely-detailed promos, creative segments, and an elongated video package projected onto a large curtain draped around the cage prior to the main card opener.
While White said some of those features were only because of the streaming deal kickoff, he added that the relationship between the UFC and Paramount is flourishing out of the gate.
“It’s unexplainable how enthusiastic and incredible these guys have been leading up to the first fight,” White said. “We’ve got a real good feeling this is going to be a great relationship for the next seven years.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White reveals internal reaction from Paramount after UFC 324
