The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series officially have a new broadcast home starting in 2026 after the UFC’s current deal with ESPN comes to a close at the end of December.
Both shows are joining the lineup at Paramount+ alongside the rest of the UFC’s programming, which includes all of the UFC Fight Night cards as well as the major numbered events kicking off with UFC 324 on Jan. 24. Unlike the UFC’s deal with ESPN, which still included pay-per-view, all programming is now available on Paramount+ at no additional cost to subscribers.
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The announcement was made during CCXP in Brazil on Saturday.
As one of the longest running reality shows in history, The Ultimate Fighter continues to move forward after helping to bring the UFC to prominence when the show first launched in 2005. Numerous champions and title contenders were first featured on TUF and it doesn’t appear that’s changing with the UFC now moving to Paramount.
The same goes for DWCS, which has become one of UFC CEO Dana White’s favorite pieces of programming that the company produces.
Each season of the Contender Series features episodes with five fights spread across numerous divisions with athletes earning the chance to compete in front of White and other UFC executives such as matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard. At the end of each installment, White announces which fighters earn a UFC contract with future champions such as Sean O’Malley, Jamahal Hill and Jack Della Maddalena all getting their start on Contender Series.
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While both series are moving to Paramount, there was no word when TUF or DWCS might debut in 2026. But now the shows are officially part of the UFC lineup headed to Paramount after the promotion inked a historic seven year deal worth $7.7 billion to move from ESPN to Paramount starting in 2026.
