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UFC and ESPN signed an exclusive TV rights deal worth a $300 million a year over five years giving UFC a whopping $1.5 billion. Fox got the rights to air UFC in 2011 spending $100 million a year.
The UFC has transformed significantly since 2011 and has way more cash cows today than it used to have five years back, making everything way more expensive.
Starting in 2019, all of the UFC’s pay-per-view prelims and 30 Fight Nights will air exclusively on either ESPN or ESPN+. This is a huge deal for ESPN, who are picking up UFC at the perfect time as its going through tremendous growth.
Fox and ESPN are very different entities and has an entirely distinct modus operandi, So once ESPN takes command, UFC may need some makeover and it may get some new benefits out of it. This article analyses the top 5 breakthrough changes in UFC after the ESPN deal.
#5 Increase in Visibility
One should underestimate the machine that is ESPN, it's a 24 hour a day production which has a lot of viewers around the world and has a higher rated network, premium content and way more visibility.
And it will become a daily talking point on ESPN's talking head shows such as PTI, Around the Horn, First-Take, Highly Questionable making it further noticeable. The analysts take will be way more casual than the hardcore panel Fox had, but they'll get a lot more eyes on the sport in the long run.
ESPN has top combat sports analysts like Joe Tessitore and Max Kellerman with them but only time can tell us if they can get into the nuances of other aspects of martial arts such as ground fighting.
Another issue is, how much airtime does ESPN really have, with all their college basketball and other obligations which also fall on UFC timings.
#4 'Fight Pass' losing its spot
UFC Fight Pass is not only the live stream service offered by the promotion but, also the ultimate repository of all fights taken place inside the octagon from the day of its inception.
Fight Pass also streams and hosts fights and past events of other promotions such as Invicta FC, Glory Kickboxing and EBI jiujitsu series. Subscribers also get access to fights from defunct promotions like PRIDE and WEC also in its library
Once all the exclusive streaming move to ESPN+ in 2019, Fight pass will no longer be a necessity for American fans and it will become a luxury preferred only by the hardcore fans of the sports.
This move can significantly reduce the importance of Fight Pass service, which even had Fight Pass exclusive card in the past which can only be viewed by the subscribers.
#3 It's 'Ariel Helwani' time
Ariel Helwani, arguably MMA's most-respected journalist, is headed to one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's new homes, ESPN in June to cover MMA.
The 35-year-old Canadian MMA Journalist was one of the first picks by ESPN after it acquired the TV rights for UFC and he is all set to be the new face of MMA reporting under ESPN banner.
In addition to covering UFC on multiple platforms for ESPN, he will be hosting a new weekly MMA podcast on ESPN+ along with the former UFC contender and 'The American Gangster' Chael Sonnen.
The Duo is two of the most listened voices in the MMA world, and together, can put up an amazing program. The show will air for 30 minutes and its named "Ariel and The Bad Guy".
Ariel is also a seven-time winner of 'MMA Journalist of the Year' at the World MMA Awards and has a unique style of interviewing. He has been covering the sport since 2006 and is undoubtedly the most reliable source of insider information.
He is considered as the most respected MMA journalist by everyone other than the UFC president Dana White, who has a long history of conflict with the 'voice of MMA' Ariel.
Dana White, who has banned Ariel from UFC in the past, is not going to be that happy seeing him around way more than usual in the coming days.
#2 The Joe Rogan Factor
Joe Rogan is the longest-serving MMA analyst and commentator in the combat sports business. He had a cardinal role in making UFC the best promotion in the world.
His interpretation of various moves and maneuvers were very significant in inferring the game for newer fans especially in the earlier days of the UFC.
He is an advanced taekwondo practitioner and a dual black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His knowledge of martial arts is second to none and he has a huge fan following inside and outside the combat world.
Rogan is a critical asset for the UFC and brings a lot of eyes to the game, but he has his own style of doing things which may not please many T.V producers who don't realize the value of this man. He also had conflicts with them a couple of times.
Joe Rogan is a very busy man and has a lot of fun things going on in his life, the UFC and its fans need him more than he needs the UFC.
So if the new ESPN management fails to provide him a favorable atmosphere to express himself, the odds are really high that he stops showing up at the commentary box.
But again Uncle Dana White, The president of the UFC and also a close friend of Rogan will always make things favorable for his best buddy. So as long as Dana is around, it's a sure thing that fans will get to see 'Powerful' Joe Rogan breaking down their favorite fights.
#1 Doom of 'The Ultimate Fighter' (TUF)
The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar delivered a miracle to the company in the form of one of the most incredible fights ever held on free TV.
Both fighters gave everything they had in a razor close fight which skyrocketed UFC's popularity like never before. In the following seasons also TUF presented a lot of world-class fighters to the UFC roster.
According to Dana White, The UFC's prime reality show which served as its the feeder of new talents for the past 13 years may not survive its new multi-Billion dollar deal with ESPN. Instead, 'Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series' (DWTNCS), will make the move from YouTube to ESPN.
TUF was an entertaining show and it meant a lot to the UFC fans, but for the past couple of years, it failed to produce any big stars like it used to, and DWTNCS has been a very successful endeavor for the UFC.
The indemnifying popularity of TUF and the rise of DWTNCS makes the ESPN deal the perfect occasion to bid farewell to the TUF and welcome its new avatar in DWTNCS.
