The UFC Sets a Time Window for Shocking Paramount+ Debut
The new distribution contract is said to be worth $7.7 billion, changing the landscape of both sports and entertainment.
Published Aug. 13 2025, 2:22 p.m. ET
The sports and entertainment industries will never be the same after the deal the UFC and Paramount+ struck in the summer of 2025. According to NBC, the mixed martial arts company agreed to a $7.7 billion deal with the streaming platform for the distribution of many upcoming events. The unprecedented contract will change how fans engage with the product.
The ramifications of the deal between the UFC and Paramount+ will be felt for years to come, as streamers continue to compete in order to get their hands on major sports rights deals. When can fans expect to enjoy the action of the UFC on Paramount+? Here's what we know about the time window in which the company is expected to arrive on the streaming platform.
When will the UFC make its way to Paramount+?
According to NBC, the UFC is expected to debut on Paramount+ in 2026. The contract is valid for seven years, meaning that martial arts will be a major component of the platform until the end of 2032. The Paramount deal will usher the UFC into the future, as parent company TKO continues to diversify its assets with several broadcasters and streamers.
The UFC hasn't announced which will be the first event to be aired through Paramount+. As of the day of the streaming announcement, UFC Fight Night 264 is the last event on the company's calendar. Since the card hosted in Doha, Qatar is scheduled to take place on November 22, 2025, it won't be a part of the deal between the mixed martial arts promotion and Paramount+.
UFC fans can expect the first 2026 event to be the one that marks the start of Paramount+ era for the company. Every UFC event will be included in pre-existing Paramount+ subscriptions, meaning that viewers won't have to pay extra in order to tune in to the action. Select numbered events will simulcast on CBS. It remains to be seen if Paramount+ will increase the price of its plans with the arrival of the UFC into its catalog.
The UFC and Paramount+ deal will change the sports media landscape.
Since customers won't have to pay for any individual UFC event on Paramount+, the company's PPV model will be officially left in the past. The first time the company charged people for one of these events was back in 1993, when UFC 1 took place. According to Grapple Arts, the bout was purchased by 86,000 people. Over the years, viewers continued to spend their hard-earned cash on the fights they wanted to see the most.
Every UFC event will be available for no additional cost in 2026, and changing the PPV model is something the promotion's parent company has been doing for a while. Endeavor acquired the WWE in 2023, forming a new entity alongside the UFC and the PBR called TKO. The wrestling promotion worked with the PPV model even before the UFC got a chance to do it, but TKO had different ideas.
Through a major international Netflix deal, TKO made WWE events available for no additional cost outside of the United States. When it comes to the American distribution rights, the WWE signed a multi-year deal with ESPN valued at $325 million per year, according to NBC. The UFC is just the latest TKO property to leave the PPV model in the past, as streaming continues to take over the entertainment industry.