There was a time when UFC CEO Dana White and the promotion’s brass could only dream of having live fights air on ESPN platforms. Now seven years of that reality have come and gone, and the world’s leading is noting the significance of that period.
Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 73 event from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas not only marked the final UFC event of 2025, but the last in a long-term broadcast partnership with ESPN.
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The two entities collaborated on 294 live events from January 2019 to December 2025, with dozen more additional shows such as Dana White’s Contender Series, “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series and other shoulder programming airing on ESPN platforms. It was a critical period for UFC growth and exposure, and it appears the end of the era is not coming with a bitter undertone, but one of celebration.
At the end of Saturday’s card, the UFC noted its appreciation for ESPN and Disney with a video package celebrating everything that was accomplished during the run.
Check out the video feature above as UFC readies to put the ESPN era in the past and move to CBS/Paramount+ for a new seven-year, $7.7 million U.S. broadcast agreement in 2026.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Video: UFC bids farewell to ESPN era after final event of 2025
