Collectibles Market for UFC Up in the Air Without ESPN Contract
April 15th marked the end of an era, and the beginning of an unpredictable new chapter in the world of combat sports. The UFC’s exclusive negotiating window has officially closed, and the table is open for any company to offer CEO Dana White a new partnership.
In a press conference Dana White stated, “We’ll obviously start talking to a lot of different people and we’ll see what the options are out there.” Anyone who follows the UFC would be the first to attest to two things: The sport is absolutely on the rise, and Dana White loves a good deal.
“We’ll obviously start talking to a lot of different people and we’ll see what the options are out there.”Dana White
The UFC and ESPN agreed to a five year deal back in 2019 for domestic broadcast rights worth $1.5 billion. Before this deal, the UFC was broadcast across FOX channels. These networks typically use a paywall, called pay-per-view, for an audience to view popular fights. These prices have increased over the years, and have left many viewers to simply not pay for the events at all. However, the idea of taking pay-per-view away was proposed to Dana White by the media, in which he stated that those details would be left to the networks to decide.
You may be wondering, how does all of this relate to the UFC card market? And to answer your question I would say - it may be a little, but it may also be paramount. I personally believe that a deal with a platform like Netflix would result in a card market boom for the UFC. The bottom line is, the power of visibility cannot be understated. More airtime means more fans, which means more demand for fighter memorabilia and sports cards. And if you are someone who believes that it doesn’t matter which network is broadcasting fights, then you may want to look at these facts.
Record Viewership During the ESPN X UFC Era
- UFC 300 prelims achieved the highest ever viewership for UFC pay-per-view prelims across all ESPN platforms.
- UFC 276 prelims on ABC and ESPN averaged 1.8 million viewers, which made it the second most watched telecast of the ESPN era (the event also ranked as ESPN’s number one event of the week).
- UFC Fight Island 4 averaged 1.097 million viewers on ESPN in 2020, marking it as one of the highest-rated fight cards of the year.
The visibility of fighters has ultimately impacted and increased the value of their trading cards. For example, Conor McGregor has not only been notorious in the octagon, but he has been notorious in the card market. McGregor currently holds three of the top five card sales in the industry (his 2017 Topps Chrome Superfractor 1/1, PSA 10, sold for $79,200). The other two spots on the top five? Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov. The man who made Connor tap-out, not only has the remaining two spots on the top five, but the highest UFC sports card sale in history. His 2014 Topps UFC Knockout Autograph Rookie 1/1, PSA 7 sold for a whopping $79,200.
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Athlete popularity simply doesn’t happen overnight, and it certainly doesn’t grow when an audience can’t watch the sport in which they play. I had mentioned that the decision by Dana White could have very little impact on the card market, and that is very true. For all we know, ESPN and UFC could come to terms with another agreement and continue the sports’ growth at a decent pace. Or, (and the inner collector in me hopes this comes to fruition) the UFC could sign a contract with a streaming service which brings more eyes to the sport, more fandom to the athletes, and ultimately more hype for their sports cards. As for myself, I am very bullish on the market and I am buying and holding every chance that I can get.
Whether the UFC finds a new broadcast powerhouse or doubles down with ESPN, one thing is for certain: the value of visibility is real, and in the world of sports cards, exposure is everything.
Abram King is a Pittsburgh native, die-hard fan of all things Black & Gold, and a passionate sports card collector. With years of experience in the hobby, he brings a sharp insight, deep knowledge, and hometown pride to his coverage. This is your inside edge of the hobby, straight from the Steel City.