Another day, another big media deal, with the UFC signing on with Paramount to the tune of $7.7 billion.
This is obviously a massive step for any number of reasons, not the least of which is it effectively kills — at least for the seven-year duration of the deal — the pay-per-view model.
Right now, the way to watch UFC events is … complicated. ESPN has the rights — at about half the price as Paramount’s. Prelims have been usually free, with higher-end bouts on the ESPN+ app (at $12 a month) and the marquee events on pay-per-view.
With Paramount, that’s over.
The subscription to Paramount+ costs $7.95 with commercials per month, $12.95 without commercials. There will be 43 cards a year — 30 “fight nights” and 13 marquee events.
And here’s a kicker: Some of the biggest cards will be available for free on CBS, which is owned by Paramount.
The deal starts next year, and I’m curious to see what happens in the world of gambling.
In short: There will be no barrier to entry if you want to watch UFC fights. You don’t need to subscribe to the ESPN+ app or plunk down $80 every month for the big PPVs.
Now, for as little as $8 a month — or free, if you’re just into the big fights on CBS — you can get all the UFC you want.
I’m not a Paramount+ subscriber, and I don’t know if it’s going to move the needle for me personally, but I do know this: Playing UFC daily fantasy is one of the better sweats out there. You have basically a six-hour event, and — assuming your lineup(s) are live — you could be in it until the final bell.
It’s fun. And it’s easy to put a lineup together. The so-called “toilet bros” are in heaven when it comes to the UFC. There’s usually 10-15 fights, pick six, enter lineup, rinse, repeat.
Plenty of fun
Betting on the UFC is also — theoretically — fun. There are tons of markets, from the typical sides to method of finish to how long a fight lasts to … well, everything. It’s sports betting. It’s all there.
That said, UFC action hasn’t exactly been a barnburner for the sportsbooks.
While most states don’t break down the action by sport, some do. A quick look shows UFC lags behind when it comes to wagering.
For instance, in April 2024, UFC 300 had what was widely regarded as the card of the year, featuring the fight of the year between Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje.
In Colorado, one of the states that reports by sport, UFC wagering came in at nearly $5.1 million.
Table tennis was at $13 million.
Leading the way was basketball at $169.6 million.
It’s not just a Colorado thing, either. In Maryland, UFC isn’t even broken out as its own. Just lumped into “other.” And “other” did less than 8% of overall handle in April 2024.
While UFC has a large share of fans — including President Trump — it hasn’t translated into sports betting.
This deal might change that.
More viewers, more dollars?
The math here is simple: More eyeballs means more potential bettors. And with the UFC’s entire slate suddenly living behind the cheapest paywall in major sports, it’s hard to imagine viewership not jumping.
It’s not just the hardcore fans who’ll benefit. The casuals — the people who know Conor McGregor, Sean O’Malley, or the fighter who drinks a beer out of a shoe — will stumble into fight nights simply because they’re on the same app they use to watch Landman. And if CBS is going to air a few of the mega-cards? That’s millions of potential new customers watching for free.
For the sportsbooks, this is basically a marketing campaign they didn’t have to pay for. The gap between “this is fun to watch” and “I’m betting 20 bucks on the next fight” is about the size of Bruce Buffer’s bow tie.
Sure, maybe UFC stays a niche wagering sport. Maybe people watch for the blood and drama and leave their wallets closed. But I doubt it.
Seven years, $7.7 billion. One giant leap for the UFC, and perhaps a big step toward making the sport matter as much in the sportsbooks as it does in the cage.
