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USA President Donald Trump has already expressed his desire to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds
Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has confirmed the development. (AP Photo)
Hours after Paramount and UFC announced a billion-dollar rights deal, Dana White mentioned he hadn’t yet heard from his friend, President Donald Trump, regarding the fight company’s new streaming home.
White was unfazed by this. The UFC CEO planned to travel to Washington on August 28 to meet with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, to catch up and discuss logistics for the proposed Fourth of July fight card next year at the White House.
Last month, Trump expressed his desire to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds, attracting upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence.
“It’s absolutely going to happen,” White told The Associated Press. “Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS.”
The idea of cage fights at the White House seemed improbable when the Fertitta brothers bought UFC for $2 million in 2001 and appointed White to run the fledgling fight promotion.
White guided the company to a $4 billion sale in 2016 and secured broadcast rights deals with Fox and ESPN before achieving TKO Group’s richest deal yet — a seven-year agreement with Paramount starting in 2026, worth an average of $1.1 billion a year. All events will be on its streaming platform Paramount+, with select numbered events also simulcast on CBS.
Although ESPN, Amazon, Netflix, and other traditional sports broadcasters were considered for UFC rights — with White hinting at fights across various platforms — Paramount was a serious contender from the start.
The Paramount and UFC deal followed just days after Skydance and Paramount concluded their $8 billion merger, kicking off a new entertainment giant. White was impressed with Skydance CEO David Ellison’s vision for the global MMA leader early in contract talks, anticipating growth with Ellison now as chairman and CEO of Paramount.
“When you talk about Paramount, you talk about David Ellison, they’re brilliant businessmen, very aggressive, risk-takers,” White said. “They’re right up my alley. These are the kind of guys that I like to be in business with.”
The $1.1 billion deal marks a significant increase from the approximately $550 million ESPN paid annually for UFC coverage. UFC’s new home on Paramount will simplify offerings for fans, with all content available on Paramount+ (currently costing between $7.99 and $12.99 a month), eliminating various pay-per-view fees.
Paramount also plans to explore UFC rights outside the U.S. “as they become available in the future.”
UFC matchmakers were scheduled to meet this week to shape what White said would be a loaded debut Paramount card. The UFC boss noted it was still too early to discuss a potential main event for the White House fight night.
“This is a 1-of-1 event,” White said.
There are still some moving parts to UFC broadcasts and other television programming as the company transitions into the Paramount era. White mentioned that includes potentially finding new homes for “The Ultimate Fighter,” “Road To UFC,” and “Dana White’s Contender Series.” The traditional 10 p.m. start time for previous pay-per-view events is not necessarily fixed, especially on nights when cards also air on CBS.
“We haven’t figured that out yet but we will,” White said.
Regarding the issue of fighter pay, some established fighters have clauses in their contracts that increase their earnings with higher buyrates. Most of these issues remain to be determined as UFC and Paramount settle into the new deal, with $1.1 billion headed the fight company’s way.
“It will affect fighter pay, big time,” White said. “From deal-to-deal, fighter pay has grown, too. Every time we win, everybody wins.”
Boxer Jake Paul wrote on social media that the declining PPV model should give fighters a better understanding of their worth.
“Every fighter in the UFC now has a clear picture of what the revenue is… no more PPV excuses,” Paul wrote. “Get your worth boys and girls.”
White dismissed the notion that the traditional PPV model is dead.
There are still UFC cards on pay-per-view through the end of the ESPN contract, and White and Saudi Arabia have partnered to launch a new boxing venture next year, potentially using a PPV home. White is also part of the promotional team for the Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford fight in September in Las Vegas, airing on Netflix.
“It’s definitely not run its course,” White said. “There were guys out there who were interested in pay-per-view, and there were guys out there that weren’t. Wherever we ended up, that’s what we’re going to roll with.”
White mentioned that UFC archival footage “kills it” in repeat views, and those classic bouts needed a new home once the ESPN deal expires.
Just when it seems there’s little left for UFC to conquer, White insists there’s always more. Why stop at becoming the biggest fight game in the world? Why not aim to become the top sport globally in terms of popularity and revenue?
“You have the NFL, the NBA, the UFC, and soccer globally,” White said. “We’re coming. We’re coming for all of them.”
With AP Inputs
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
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