Major Network Closing In On Deal With TKO And Zuffa Boxing

On Monday, Dana White signed a whopping $7.7 billion deal to move the UFC onto Paramount Plus in 2026. He appears to be continuing that momentum and heading in the same direction with TKO Group's new boxing promotion.

White announced earlier in 2025 that he was launching a new boxing promotion with Saudi chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh. The promotion, which has since been confirmed as a second attempt to launch Zuffa Boxing, is now close to signing a multi-year broadcast deal with Paramount, according to Front Office Sports.

Paramount Plus is currently the "front-runner" to land Zuffa Boxing, per Front Office Sports. Specifics of the deal were not reported, though it will likely not be anywhere close to as lucrative as the UFC deal.

Zuffa Boxing is scheduled to hit the ground running on Sept. 13 with the massive Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight card serving as its inaugural event. Alvarez signed a four-fight deal with Alalshikh and Riyadh Season in February before agreeing to the bout with Crawford, which the Saudi chairman noted would be promoted by White.

Until its official launch, White continues to hold boxing events on UFC Fight Pass. The UFC CEO has been promoting Irish contender Callum Walsh for several years. Walsh was recently announced to return in the co-main event of the Canelo-Crawford fight card against Fernando Vargas Jr.

Dana White, UFC's massive Paramount deal

White and the UFC made waves on Monday with the shocking deal that shook up the combat sports world. After seven years with ESPN, the company's new deal offered up a new perspective on the current pay-per-view model.

While White noted that he will still have certain events behind a pay-per-view paywall, the majority of the UFC fight cards will be available to stream on Paramount Plus without an additional fee. Select events will also be broadcast live on CBS.

MORE: Milestone UFC Paramount Deal Sparks Boxing World Debate On PPV's Future

The deal delighted fans, who expressed their positive reactions on social media. Many celebrated the purported "death" of pay-per-view, though that was before White noted that he would still use that model for certain events. Regardless, the UFC will soon be available to watch at a substantially lower price than it has been in the last decade.

The UFC's deal with Paramount is set to take effect in January 2026, following the expiration of its current contract with ESPN. Should White and Zuffa Boxing ink a similar contract, they could be targeting a similar launch date.

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