Following a year of electrifying MMA finishes and stunning upsets, punctuated by the cheers of the fans and the clash of bodies, 2025 promises to be about the rise of a new generation across the UFC divisions. While fighters will face tough challenges, Dana White and his team will also be confronted with a monumental decision—one that could potentially shift the dynamics of the MMA world forever. UFC’s five-year, $1.5 billion partnership with ESPN is nearing its end, leaving an open opportunity for the promotion to go with Netflix as their partner from next year.

Renowned MMA journalist, Damon Martin, recently came forward to emphasize that a lot of the MMA experts within the industry are optimistic that Netflix is the frontrunner in securing a multi-billion dollar long-term deal with UFC next year, “A lot of industry folks seem to believe Netflix is the leading candidate to land at least part of the UFC’s broadcast rights after 2025. Next year is gonna be very big for the UFC.”

Dana White asserted that he didn’t trust Netflix’s ability to manage huge viewership simultaneously, but this appeared to have changed after Netflix’s Tyson vs. Jake Paul match, which successfully pulled in a massive 100 million viewers to watch the boxing match. Netflix did suffer from server breakdowns and slow broadcasting during that time, but according to its Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, the entity has learned from its mistakes and is committed to providing a seamless experience to its 282 million subscribers worldwide.

“We expected a big number, for sure. It was a big number. But again, you don’t know, and you can’t learn these things until you do them so you take a big swing. Our teams and our engineers are amazing, moved super quickly, and stabilized it, and many of the members had it back up and running pretty quickly. But we learn from those things. And we’ve all obviously done a lot of stuff to learn and get ready for the NFL and Beyoncé at halftime and so we’re totally ready and excited for WWE,” said Bajaria.

Netflix is expanding its portfolio from a traditional entertainment media house to a massive live streaming giant, which also includes live sports within its portfolio. The top brass of the multi-billion dollar entity chose to invest a massive $150 million to broadcast two highly anticipated NFL games on Christmas Day. This marks the first time the streaming platform will host live coverage of one of America’s most beloved sports.

In addition, WWE also has already inked a 10-year-worth deal for $5 billion to move Monday Night Raw to Netflix from the USA Network and as the company comes under the same parent management as the UFC under TKO, the promotion might ditch ESPN in the future to woo a partnership with Netflix. Setting a goal as ambitious as securing an NFL-like TV deal is no small feat. After all, the NFL’s current $111 billion contract far surpasses the UFC’s $1.5 billion agreement with ESPN.

What matches were broadcast by the streaming platform, you ask? It’s the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens facing the Houston Texans. Why did the platform decide to spend such a massive cash flow on the sport, you ask? Well, it is a part of the long-term agreement with the NFL. Netflix will also air Christmas Day games in 2025 and 2026. However, what is Dana White’s opinion on it? Let’s find out.

Netflix might be a potential suitor for the UFC broadcasting deal as per Dana White

The UFC has generated massive revenue during its partnership with ESPN. However, as the promotion continues to gain global prominence, Dana White might explore partnering with a platform that offers broader access to everyday viewers, potentially surpassing ESPN’s reach. Now, it seems that Netflix might be the perfect match for the UFC head honcho in this case. Moreover, the White didn’t shy away from emphasizing that he knows the value of his company.

While talking to the media, Dana White was asked about his broadcasting deal, which will end next year. The UFC CEO asserted that they have a good relationship with ESPN and Disney, but the scope is still open for other broadcasters to grab the billion-dollar deal if they want. “We’re the biggest pay-per-view provider on the planet,” White said. “I think we’re going to do very well going into this next deal.”

He further added, “I think as we go into our negotiations in 2025, this thing could play out in a lot of different ways. Obviously, we could be with Disney and ESPN for however many years or you could see all our content get chopped up like WWE and NFL does and different products going to different networks. I don’t know how that’s going to play out as we get closer to getting into these negotiations, but it is a possibility.”

Let us assume Netflix did land a deal with the UFC for broadcasting deals. Then, it would be a massive step by the multi-billion dollar entity toward broadcasting live events. Regardless, what’s your take on this? Do you believe Dana White will dance with ESPN or will choose a new partner this time? State your thoughts in the comments below.