UFC Announces Major 2026 Media Rights Agreement with Paramount, Putting Pay-Per-View on the Ropes

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fans celebrated a win outside of the main card last week, as UFC announced a major media rights agreement with Paramount that puts the traditional Pay-Per-View (PPV) distribution model on the ropes. 

Last Monday, TKO Group Holdings, UFC’s parent company, and Paramount unveiled a whopping seven-year media rights agreement to make Paramount the new exclusive home of all UFC events in the United States. Beginning in 2026, the full slate of the UFC’s 13 numbered events – which feature high-profile fighters, like last week’s UFC 319: Du Plessis v. Chimaev – and 30 Fight Night cards, often headlined by rising contenders and up-and-coming talent, will be made available to viewers on the Paramount+ streaming platform.

UFC adopted the PPV model at its inception in 1993 and ultimately evolved into what is today the largest PPV event provider in the world. UFC’s PPV era has been driven by iconic fighters and marquee matchups and began thriving in the mid-2000s, particularly after the debut of The Ultimate Fighter in 2005, the reality TV series that brought Mixed Martial Arts into the mainstream.

In 2013, UFC turned toward digital platforms and launched UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s largest streaming services for combat sports offering live and on-demand content to fans around the world. Over the years, UFC secured landmark broadcasting deals, from its early media rights agreement with Fox Sports Media Group in 2011 to the multiyear contract with ESPN and ESPN+ in 2019 to bring UFC Fight Night events to viewers through a monthly ESPN+ subscription fee while still reserving big, numbered events, like UFC 319, for traditional PPV.

In 2026, UFC fans in the United States will gain access to all UFC events through a Paramount+ subscription, with no additional PPV charges, and enjoy select events live on CBS. UFC President Dana White has even suggested that among the potential events to air on CBS is the proposed UFC card on the White House lawn on July 4, 2026 to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The UFC-Paramount deal is not entirely unprecedented. It follows Turki Alalshikh’s announcement earlier this year that all Riyadh Season and The Ring boxing events in Saudi Arabia will be free to subscribers of DAZN, an international sports streaming service, beginning in November 2025. “We have [a] big vision to grow boxing and decide[d]: No More Pay-Per-View,” Alalshikh posted on X. Together, these moves suggest a broader trend toward leaving the PPV model that has long dominated major combat sports broadcasts behind.

As for the fighters, UFC’s shift away from the PPV model in 2026 could also impact how fighters share in event revenue. Currently, top UFC athletes earn a percentage of the revenue generated from PPV sales, or “PPV points,” for the events they compete in. Headliners and champions in particular negotiate PPV points as part of their contracts, as these can significantly boost earnings for fighters on high-selling cards and even exceed the guaranteed base purse fighters receive just for showing up to the fight.

Legendary UFC fighter George St-Pierre, who was a major draw for UFC PPV events during his career, told Covers that while the Paramount deal may be good for the UFC as a promoter, it could reduce fighters’ leverage during contract negotiations. “When I was competing, I was able to have a great argument to negotiate on my contract,” St-Pierre explained. “I could tell the UFC, ‘Hey, if you want me to do all the promotion, I want to become a partner. I want a piece of the pie,’ to negotiate a part of the Pay-Per-View revenue.” However, when asked about fighter pay at a Post-Fight Press Conference last Tuesday, White told reporters: “It’s August and we have until January to figure all that stuff out. But the low hanging fruit that’s easy to answer? Bonuses are obviously going up.”

Although the fate of the PPV point system is uncertain, UFC’s move from PPV to Paramount+ could offer fighters greater exposure, new and lucrative sponsorship opportunities, and possibly even a slice of the anticipated increase in revenue for the UFC. Still, while Paramount and UFC work out the details of the agreement, PPV may not be entirely out of the fight, as White acknowledged that “something could be a PPV, still.”

Ultimately, many aspects of the deal, including whether Paramount will adjust its current subscription pricing upon carrying UFC content in 2026, are yet to be determined. But, as White stated in a post on X, there’s one thing fans can be certain of: “This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world.”

Nancy Mouradian earned her J.D. from Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Pepperdine Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship, and the Law.