When you’re valued at $11 billion, you don’t just play the game—you set the rules. Perched at the pinnacle of the MMA world, the Dana White-led UFC is now exploring fresh broadcasting deals, with its partnership with ESPN officially expiring this Tuesday. With the slate wiped clean, the UFC is reportedly looking beyond the ESPN spectrum—potentially opening doors for streaming giants like Amazon and Netflix to step into the Octagon.

The UFC and ESPN have been at odds for some time now. Their relationship has become so strained that people are calling it a ‘bad marriage’. Now that the deal has lapsed, it has opened a new window for negotiations, but this time, ESPN will have to compete against Amazon and Netflix for UFC’s broadcasting rights. When asked about the fiasco at the UFC 314 press conference, UFC CEO Dana White emphasized that they are doing everything they can to work with a partner who can meet the fans’ demands.“When the window opens, we’ll obviously start talking to lots of different people and we’ll see what the options are out there.” said Dana White.

He further added, “We’ve said this every time. There could be a time when we end up on several different networks like all other sports do. I like ESPN. I’ve said it many times, we had a bit of a rocky start, which is normal in any relationship, but we’re in a great place with ESPN. If we re-sign with them or do not, I have nothing but great things to say about my time at ESPN.”

TKO’s CEO, Ari Emanuel, will spearhead the talks, just as he did before even owning the UFC. However, the UFC CEO, Dana White, will be an important part of the discussion. While ESPN isn’t out of the race, the pendulum seems to swing in favor of Amazon and Netflix as well. Well, the UFC is increasing its valuation as well as its revenue every single day. As per the last filings, the annual revenue of the UFC stands at $1.406 billion for 2024, and it’s growing at a pace of 13% every year.

The UFC CEO is aiming for a billion-dollar-a-year deal from its next broadcasting agreement, which is feasible given the organization’s size and strength. It’s important to note that the UFC has experienced significant growth, increasing from an average of $120 million per year during the FOX era to $300 million annually with ESPN.

Well, despite Dana White’s positive words about ESPN, the promotion is not happy about the recent mishaps that have been happening within the broadcasting network. The UFC 313 card was disrupted on ESPN+ due to a technical glitch, which prevented the fans from purchasing the pay-per-view. The network did issue a public apology, but the top brass of the promotion were unhappy about the unprofessional conduct. Let’s have a look at what the UFC CEO, Dana White, had to say on the topic.

Dana White says, “It doesn’t matter to me” on the broadcasting rights deal with ESPN

ESPN has been at a crossroads with the UFC for some time, as the channel’s revenue declines due to the growing trend of cord-cutting, and it is no secret that Netflix is being aggressive in grabbing all of the sports deals under its banner. The multi-billion dollar organization recently signed a massive $5 billion, 10-year deal with UFC’s sister company WWE to broadcast their flagship Monday Night Raw. As both the UFC and WWE share the same parent company, TKO, this situation becomes even more interesting.

When the UFC CEO was further inquired about the ESPN deal, he emphasized that the continuation of the deal solely depends on the broadcasting network and whether they want to renew it. “I don’t know [what the new deal will entail],” White said. “It depends on what ESPN or wherever else we go is looking for. Most of the times when you do these deals, you’re catering to what the network needs. Plus they’ll have other programming, other sports that they’re already committed to at certain times and seasons and whatever it may be. It always changes. It doesn’t matter to me.”

As the top brass of the promotion prepares for a hellish week of discussions, the MMA community will be waiting for the next update on the deal. Until then, we wait. Given that, what are your thoughts on it? Do you foresee Amazon or Netflix as the next broadcasting partner? State your thoughts in the comments below.