Earlier this year, ESPN reached a multi-year tv and streaming deal with Dana White's UFC, which calls for up to 15 live "UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night" events per year, with 12 bouts on each card. ESPN also acquired UFC’s television rights from Fox Sports as part of a $1.5 billion deal over the next five years.
Both of the new deals, which will cover a total of 30 fights per year, are scheduled to go into effect starting in early 2019. According to Dana White, that TV deal has made the UFC a $7 billion company.
"When you think about it we haven't even scratched the surface yet of how big this thing can be," White said on Tony Robbins' Business Mastery, (H/T MMA Junkie). "We just did a TV deal with ESPN for $1.5 billion for five years. Now the company is worth $7 billion."
“Obviously this ESPN deal is going to be massive for us, expose us to millions of people just here in the U.S. that haven’t been exposed to the UFC,” White said (H/T MMA Junkie). “We’re going to continue to go into markets we haven’t been, we’re going to continue to find the best talent in the world. I love to find up-and-coming talent. I love to find the next guy or girl. Continue to build the sport. That’s it. That’s my focus. It’s not rocket science, it’s nothing crazy. Just continue to do what we do and get bigger and bigger.”
According to ESPN, the company will also air UFC content across multiple platforms, including a 30-minute special before every UFC pay-per-view event, as well as re-airs of previous fights. ESPN+, which launched last month at a price of $4.99 per month, will also carry the UFC's Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series beginning in June 2019.
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