Francis Ngannou has proven Dana White wrong about staying relevant after leaving the UFC. He wanted to box, and he did, taking on a couple of heavyweight legends while reportedly earning more than he ever did during his UFC run. His PFL debut was also a big hit, and now he’s gearing up for another fight camp with his coach, Eric Nicksick. On October 30, 2023, Ngannou stepped into the ring with Tyson Fury, and then faced off against Anthony Joshua on March 8, 2024. Business reports suggest that Ngannou’s guaranteed earnings for the Fury bout were around $10 million, with estimates for the Joshua fight reportedly even higher—numbers that various outlets pointed out surpassed his disclosed UFC earnings.
Ngannou made his PFL MMA debut on Oct. 19, 2024 (against Renan Ferreira) and won; PFL confirmed the fight as part of his contracted return to MMA after the boxing matches. Meanwhile, with the UFC’s broadcast deal with ESPN ending later this year, there was plenty of buzz about their next move, renew with ESPN or jump to a new platform like Netflix. In the end, the rights went to Paramount, which means the UFC now has a massive deal locked in no matter how stacked their fight cards are. That could make them less motivated to shell out big money to keep stars like Jon Jones or Ngannou.
Starting in 2026, UFC events will stream exclusively in the U.S. on Paramount+ under a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal, about $1.1 billion a year, just shy of the $1.5 billion they reportedly wanted. Some events will still air on CBS, but the U.S. pay-per-view model will be scrapped, though international PPV sales stay the same for now. Under the new setup, fans will get 13 big numbered events and 30 Fight Nights each year on Paramount+. The Premium plan runs $12.99 a month, and UFC content will be included at no extra PPV charge for U.S. subscribers.
The deal’s business mechanics matter for fighters. Industry reporting notes the new contract averages roughly $1.1B per year — a big jump from the roughly $550M-per-year ESPN arrangement — and analysts immediately flagged that guaranteed rights fees could change the incentives for booking ultra-high-profile pay-per-view star turns. That’s one reason voices inside and outside the sport are asking if the absence of PPV points and a higher fixed rights fee will translate into higher base pay or fewer blockbuster matchups.
Earlier today, veteran MMA journalist John S. Nash joined Denis Shkuratov on Submission Radio to break down the UFC’s new streaming deal with Paramount. When asked how good it is to be an MMA fan right now, Nash pointed out that watching the UFC has traditionally been very expensive. “If you want to follow all the major events… you are talking close to $1,000 for the pay-per-views” plus “several hundred bucks for the ESPN+ subscription,” he explained. Under the new deal, fans in the U.S. will pay around $150-$200 a year to watch every numbered event, with many big fights airing free on CBS. That’s a massive saving compared to the old model, potentially over $1,000 per year. While Nash suspects subscription prices will rise over time, he still believes, “even if it gets in the $200 range, that’s still a big savings if you want to watch all the pay-per-views.”
UFC’s president Dana White during the press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz after the fight between Spanish Topuria and Brazilian Charles Oliveira during the unofficial weigh-in event fight held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, United States, 29 June 2025. Ilia Topuria vs Brazilian Charles Oliveira ACHTUNG: NUR REDAKTIONELLE NUTZUNG PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xOctavioxGuzmanx GRAF6466 20250629-55017266219_1
However, Nash also voiced concerns about the product quality. He noted that in recent years, many fans have found UFC cards a little underwhelming. According to him, the UFC has built a model that focuses less on blockbuster fights and more on consistent programming, catering heavily to the gambling audience. “They cater to a lot of gambling fans… which means you are not really caring about the quality of the fight as much or… the buildup for a fight,” he said. This shift means big-name matchups aren’t as critical to their business as they once were, leading the promotion to let stars like Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, and Francis Ngannou sit out or walk away rather than meet their demands.
Nash’s biggest worry, however, is that the new guaranteed money from the Paramount deal will make the UFC even less motivated to stack cards with major fights. With “tens of millions of dollars per event” locked in regardless of viewership or pay-per-view buys, there’s little financial incentive to take risks or negotiate for blockbuster matchups. While fans will benefit from cheaper access, they might also see fewer of the kind of big, hype-driven fights that once made the UFC must-watch entertainment. But, how’s Conor McGregor taking the news, you ask?
Conor McGregor has a message for Dana White after $7.7B UFC–Paramount move
Yesterday, Conor McGregor, who has headlined the five biggest-selling events in UFC history, took to Instagram to say goodbye to the pay-per-view model that made him one of the sport’s richest stars. Posting a graphic of his record-breaking numbers, he wrote, “Goodbye UFC PPV! Proud to serve as King .” The image highlighted UFC 229 (2.4M buys), UFC 264 (1.8M), UFC 257 (1.6M), UFC 202 (1.6M), and UFC 246 (1.3M), all main events led by The Notorious.
On his Instagram story, McGregor doubled down on his dominance in the PPV era, boasting, “Eight straight million-buy PPVs. 13,342,000 total buys.” That streak covers every UFC fight he’s had since winning the title against Jose Aldo in 2015, and would be nine if you counted his 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, which sold 4.3 million buys and remains the second-biggest combat sports event ever. Even past his peak years, McGregor’s star power alone pushed events into seven-figure territory, turning opponents like Eddie Alvarez, Nate Diaz, and Dustin Poirier into million-dollar draws when they faced him.
Moreover, his 2018 clash with Khabib Nurmagomedov still holds the UFC’s all-time PPV record, and despite injury layoffs and public controversies, his fights against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Poirier in 2020–21 kept the streak alive. As McGregor tips his crown and the UFC moves into its Paramount+ era, the question now is, how Dana White’s new $7.7 billion deal will shape the sport’s future?
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