The UFC has finally announced its new broadcaster for 2026 and onwards, having signed with Paramount+ as its deal with ESPN comes to an end.
For months, the UFC – the flagship promotion in mixed martial arts – had been expected to announce its next broadcast partner, with reports suggesting that the company would part ways with ESPN. The UFC signed with ESPN in 2018 and began a partnership in 2019, but their contract expires this year.
It was thought by some that the UFC could end up on Netflix, given the streaming platform is the main global broadcaster of WWE – the professional wrestling behemoth that is essentially the UFC’s sister company under ownership group TKO. Ironically, the WWE just signed a broadcast deal for ESPN to show certain events going forward.
However, UFC president Dana White wrote on X/Twitter on Monday (11 August): “Breaking News, UFC has a new home in 2026 only on @paramountplus.”
The American, 56, attached a statement confirming the end of the UFC’s pay-per-view model as part of this new deal. The statement also said CBS, a cable network in the US, will show certain fights.
The statement read: “This historic deal with Paramount and CBS is incredible for UFC fans and our athletes. For the first time ever, fans in the US will have access to all UFC content without a Pay-Per-View model.
“[This makes] it more affordable and accessible to view the greatest fights on a massive platform. This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world. The exposure provided by Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.”
Per a press release, Paramount has acquired the UFC broadcast rights in a seven-year deal with an average annual value of $1.1bn.
Also per that release, 2026 is set to feature 13 numbered events (previously pay-per-view events, for example UFC 317, 318, 319) and 30 Fight Night events.
The Independent has approached TNT Sport and discovery+ for comment, as TNT is currently the UFC’s UK broadcaster and is available through discovery+.
