DANA WHITE insists fighter pay will go up in the UFC following the promotion’s new multi-billion-dollar broadcast deal.
The Paramount Network won the race for MMA‘s top promotion’s North American broadcast rights earlier this month, inking a seven-year deal worth a whopping $7.7BILLION (£5.7B)
GettyThe UFC inked a $7.7billion broadcast deal with the Paramount Network[/caption]
MEGAThe issue of fighter pay was immediately raised after the deal was struck[/caption]
GETTYUFC supremo Dana White insists fighter pay will go up as a result of the bumper deal[/caption]
The deal, which will see all 43 of the UFC‘s annual events air on Paramount+ from January 2026, is FIVE TIMES the one they inked with ESPN back in 2018.
Attention has turned to what portion of the revenue pie fighters will receive once the new deal kicks in.
And White was quick to reveal that the combatants’ current share of the promotion’s revenue, which has been between 18 and 20 per cent for the last few years, will increase.
The veteran promoter said: “The low-hanging fruit that’s easy to answer? Bonuses are obviously going up.
“That’ll be big, and forget about the tide rising with all the other fighters, just the number that the bonuses bring to a fighter, it’s millions of dollars.”
White, 56, is adamant that fighters on the UFC roster will reap the rewards of the promotion’s bumper new deal in the coming months and years.
He told Front Office Sports: “This is going to be incredible for the fighters.
“We’ve talked about how this is good for the fans and good for the sport, but the fighters are also big beneficiaries here.
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“We’ve looked to increase fighter pay whenever we could, even back in the beginning when we were losing money.
“And [we] certainly will be doing so again.”
Upon the announcement of the deal, White said: “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.
“Making it more affordable to view the greatest fights on a massive platform.
“This deal puts the UFC among the biggest sports in the world.
We’ve looked to increase fighter pay whenever we could, even back in the beginning when we were losing money. And [we] certainly will be doing so again.”
Dana White on fighter pay
“The exposure provided by the Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.”
The first event of the UFC & Paramount+ era will take place in mid-January.
The UFC have, traditionally, kicked off new broadcast deals with a mammoth fight.
So mixed martial arts fans will likely be treated to a blockbuster main event for the first numbered event of 2026.
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