On a recent podcast (of course), Dana White stated that the UFC is a “part of the four major sport organizations in the United States. As a result, he will be looking at $10B in the UFC’s next media rights deal.
Per the Sports Business Journal, White made these statements on the October 5th episode of Diary of a CEO with Stephen Bartlett.
Of course, White may be correct. The UFC signed a 7-year, $7.7B deal with Paramount now known as Skydance after its merger. He stated that the UFC adds value to the company and touted the UFC as “the biggest fight brand to ever exist.” White stated that if the Lakers sold for $12.5B in 2026, then the UFC is “worth $50B.”
He also touted that the UFC’s competitors “are the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NHL and the NBA.”
Payout Perspective:
It’s noteworthy that the competitors White names all have a collective bargaining unit. But, I am not sure that the UFC is on par with the other sports leagues. While the UFC does have a lucrative media deal similar to that of the major leagues, he does not mention he has achieved a lot of where he is at based on his ties to the current administration as well as the Fertitta brothers. The UFC’s ties to conservative causes is one of the primary reasons why the organization is where it is at this point. Frankly, the product has suffered over the last couple of years due to the lack of star power (except White) and the oversaturation of fights. Yet, it has persevered with a UFC at the White House event, garnering millions of conservative-leaning companies as sponsors and the lag in fighter pay in comparison to the major sports leagues.
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