We Are Not The Same: Dana White Claims UFC Is Now Competing Directly With The NFL, NBA, MLB And NHL
A $7.7 billion media deal changed how the UFC sees itself. Dana White says NFL executives were stunned when the number came out, and that the UFC is no longer a niche combat sport. It is a direct competitor to the biggest leagues in America.
Dana White has never been shy about positioning the UFC as more than a fighting promotion, but his latest comments push that argument further than usual. Speaking about the UFC's seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount, White claimed the announcement caught rival leagues off guard. "We are not the same. We are literally competing with the NFL, the NBA, Major League Baseball, and the NHL right now. The day we announced the $7.7 billion deal, executives at the NFL said, 'How the f**k did we not get this money, and how the f**k did we not know that kind of money was sitting there?'"
How the UFC's $7.7 Billion Paramount Deal Reshaped the Business
The deal, signed in August 2025, hands the UFC's full US media rights to Paramount starting in 2026, ending a relationship with ESPN that began in 2019 and eliminating the pay-per-view model in the United States entirely. Thirteen marquee numbered events and 30 Fight Night cards will air on Paramount+, with select cards also airing on CBS, giving fans access to fights for far less money than the old PPV structure required.
The number itself effectively doubled UFC's previous broadcasting revenue under ESPN. White told 60 Minutes earlier this year, "I have a deal here that would make Roger Goodell and every other guy go, 'Holy s**t,'" directly invoking the NFL commissioner's name as the standard he believes the UFC has now matched.
Why UFC's Comparison to NFL, NBA and NHL Still Has Limits
The financial picture is not as simple as White's framing suggests. The UFC's overall business is valued north of $15 billion, smaller than the NFL but in the same broad tier as MLB and the NHL. Where the comparison breaks down is fighter compensation: UFC athletes receive an estimated 13 to 18 percent of total revenue as independent contractors with no union, compared to the 48 to 50 percent NFL, NBA and NHL players collect through collectively bargained deals.
White has said publicly that increasing fighter pay is under consideration following the Paramount windfall, though he has also stated plainly that union representation for fighters is something that will not happen while he remains in charge. Whether the UFC's broadcasting numbers translate into genuine parity with America's oldest major leagues is still very much an open question, fighter pay included.