Dana White Reveals How UFC Will Evolve Alongside MMA With Paramount+ Deal

UFC 324 is only two days away and UFC CEO Dana White says he's starting to feel it.

Sitting down with Las Vegas Weekly, White said he is excited to begin a new era on Paramount+ to bring fans, new and old, to the forefront of a sport (MMA) and a brand (UFC) that is continuing to grow.

“You’re going to start to see us popping up in more places in entertainment and stuff like that,” White said. “Paramount and CBS are so fired up about being in business with us, which is what I love. People talk about the money, but I never look at the money or any of that s**t. We’re going to end up with money no matter where we end up. I look at how enthusiastic the Paramount and CBS people are to have the UFC."

The UFC is doing a bit of a rare schedule change as opposed to previous years. Instead of opening the calendar with a UFC Fight Night event, it's back-to-back numbered cards in two different territories (Las Vegas and Australia) with a few key title fights to look forward to. It is no different Saturday night when Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett meet for the UFC Interim Lightweight Championship, as the winner punches their ticket to fight Ilia Topuria later this year to keep the division moving.

UFC Welcomes New Era

The best part about the new era, though, is the elimination of extra pay-per-view costs. White agrees wholeheartedly.

“You want to talk about growth in America—how about getting rid of the pay-per-view barrier?” White said. “On ESPN, you had to pay for ESPN+, and you had to pay for the pay-per-view. So now, what it costs for one pay-per-view, you get everything UFC for the entire year. Just think about what that could do.”

Now, for one price, everything a UFC fan could ever dream of is accessible year-round. White said it's a game-changer for all involved, as the deal runs for seven years.

Dana White is Ready For UFC To Keep Exploding

“Twenty-five years ago, [UFC] wasn’t even allowed on pay-per-view,” White said. “Think about that. Our goal was to get on TV and, here we are in ’26, with an NFL-type deal. That was our dream, our goal, our plan. So here we are.”

It's a new era. It's real. It's finally time, after many years of waiting for accessibility to enter the picture. Fight fans know it. The UFC knows it.

Saturday night, it begins.

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