I have been a fan of mixed martial arts for more than a decade, and I think most people would agree that the most compelling fights are in the UFC. When UFC launched in 1993, broadcasting was exclusively via pay-per-view (PPV). In 2005, UFC partnered with Spike TV which marked their transition from a fringe sport into mainstream entertainment. In 2011, UFC signed its first major network TV deal with FOX Sports.
In 2019, the UFC signed a deal with ESPN. Fans could watch UFC Fight Night events on ESPN+ (available by subscription for $11.99/month or $119.99/year in 2025), whereas numbered UFC events (featuring championship fights and more popular fighters) were all PPV events ($79.99 per event in 2025, on top of the cost of and ESPN+ subscriptions). In other words, it was very expensive to be a UFC fan.
UFC’s transition to Paramount+ in 2026 was a big deal for the UFC and its fans. The most obvious change was the abandonment of the PPV model. Now a subscription to Paramount+ gives viewers access to both Fight Nights and numbered events. Paramount+ Essential is ad supported and costs $8.99/month or $89.99/year. Paramount+ Premium without ads costs $13.99/month or $139.99/year. For a hardcore UFC fan who watches every event, the cost of watching UFC on Paramount+ is roughly one tenth the cost of ESPN+. Hooray!
But how does this make any sense from a business perspective? I believe that the strategic play from Paramount+ is to change the model from price-gouging devoted UFC fans to adding compelling live sports content to its streaming platform. The net effect I think Paramount+ is aiming for is to increase the number of subscribers and to increase retention. On the latter point, when I subscribe to a streaming service, there are a limited number of movies and shows that I enjoy watching, so I am likely to eventually cancel my subscription. However, given that UFC has live events almost on a weekly basis, I will continue to tune in and am more likely to renew my subscription.
I subscribed to the ad-supported Paramount+ Essential plan and really enjoyed watching the first 2 events of 2026, UFC 324 and UFC 325 (which by the way is the first time that I ever recall there being back-to-back numbered UFC events). It was great to watch these numbered UFC events without the PPV price tag. One complaint I had about the broadcasting of UFC 324 was that they didn’t do a great job with the timing of the advertisements. I had expected ads with my Paramount+ Essential plan, but sometimes they would run ads in between rounds when I would prefer to hear what is being discussed in the fighters’ corners. This very issue was discussed in the UFC 324 post-fight press conference with UFC CEO Dana White at the 5:06 mark. I felt that they did a better job in UFC 325 in broadcasting the corner work, so it feels to me that Dana White and Paramount+ had targeted that as an area of improvement, and I expect that this will be a permanent change.
I previously wrote about how the UFC excels not only as a mixed martial arts company but also as a production company. With Paramount+, the UFC continues to provide undisputedly fantastic content and does so at an affordable price. Under Paramount+, I look forward to seeing further growth of the UFC brand as its fights become more accessible to general audiences. By extension, I hope this also results in the growth of the sport of mixed martial arts as a whole.
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