UFC chief Dana is reportedly aiming for a blockbuster media rights deal worth billions with Netflix as their partnership with ESPN appears to be in bad shape near its end.
The UFC signed a $1.5billion deal with the world leader in sports in 2019. However, the partnership has led to much frustration around pay-per-view streaming glitches.
During UFC 313 earlier in March, the issues continued to cause problems with viewers, prompting White to address them in the post-fight press conference.
‘Oh yeah, it made it to me. They were having problems buying it on ESPN+. I don’t know what happened with their platform tonight,’ White said. ‘There were a lot of pissed-off people.’
Moreover, the UFC brass is reportedly unsatisfied with ESPN, while the network is unhappy with the pay-per-view numbers being ‘way down’ for UFC cards. As a result, the leading MMA promotion is said to be looking for a new home in 2026 if the mishaps continue.
Reports have since suggested that Netflix is a frontrunner for the UFC media rights deal. Furthermore, the UFC is allegedly ditching its traditional PPV model to potentially have a separate monthly subscription with the Netflix framework.
Dana white is reportedly eyeing a deal with Netflix as the UFC’s ESPN deal nears its end
The New York Post’s Eric Richter shared that ‘When I put that article out on Sunday night, I got a call from somebody who’s pretty well connected, and he said almost definitely Netflix. Almost definitely. Surely I believe that was the exact word. So I would venture to guess that the UFC will do anything in their power to go to Netflix.’
On March 12, White appeared on the Fight Freaks Unite Podcast with Dan Rafael and addressed the ongoing auction for the UFC’s TV rights deal.
‘And the question is ‘Who’s it gonna be?’ Is it gonna be Amazon, YouTube, Disney? The list goes on and on,’ White said. ‘That’s who the players are gonna be. But what’s fascinating right now is when you look in, you got NFL college football, NBA college basketball, you got the NHL, Major League Baseball, the NBA, you got the UFC, WWE, and tennis… All these sports are looking for rights deals right now, right?’
‘I always go out and figure out how to build s–t without the help of anybody. That’s what I do. Everybody is looking for a TV deal. Everybody is looking for money. I always try to figure out how do I take my thing to the next level and figure it out on my own.’
Furthermore, renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani believes a UFC-Netflix deal could materialize. During an interview, Helwani stated:’Oh yeah, there is a strong possibility (Netflix).’
‘The biggest story for me in 2025 as far as the business of MMA, is what happens to the UFC’s TV contract here in the United States because their deal with ESPN Plus is up at the end of the year.’
The frustrations with ESPN reached a breaking point during the UFC 313 card earlier in March
Netflix invested $5billion to land a decade-long deal with WWE’s show Monday Night Raw
‘And they’re going to make a boatload. It is going to be the biggest deal in UFC history,’ Helwani added.
A billion-dollar agreement with the UFC would be a significant investment for Netflix, which has already committed to a $5b, decade-long deal for WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw.
The streaming giant hosted their first live boxing event with the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight in November.
As Netflix continues to expand, ESPN appears to be shifting priorities toward basketball after announcing their plans to drop MLB coverage in 2026 and focus on NBA, WNBA, NFL, and college football.
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