It was an update no one expected. Out of the blue, news emerged that the UFC had decided to part ways with ESPN. The corporate move was announced on August 11, 2025, when TKO/UFC and Paramount revealed a seven-year, $7.7 billion U.S. media rights agreement that will move the promotion’s full U.S. slate to Paramount+ with select marquee events simulcast on CBS beginning in 2026.

In 2018, the mixed martial arts promotion and the sports network forged a partnership to air 42 events each year through television and pay-per-view. This agreement was announced in May 2018 and went into effect in January 2019, moving UFC programming from Fox to ESPN platforms. The new Paramount arrangement, however, represents a major redistribution of those rights. But in what many deem a landmark decision, the

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