UFC icon doubts Paramount deal benefits fighters, Dana White confirms White House event, Dricus du Plessis talks pre-fight faceoffs: MMA News Roundup

Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda MMA News Roundup! UFC veteran Matt Brown casts doubt on whether the UFC’s $7.7 billion Paramount+ deal will benefit fighters. Dana White offers fresh update on historic UFC event at the White House. Meanwhile, Dricus du Plessis opens up about the intense nerves he faces during pre-fight faceoffs. Let's break them all down:

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UFC veteran Matt Brown doubts Paramount deal benefits fighters

UFC veteran Matt Brown recently shared his thoughts on the promotion’s new broadcasting deal with Paramount. While Brown acknowledged that the deal would be a huge boost for the UFC as a company, he questioned whether fighters would reap any rewards from it.

With the ESPN deal expiring at the end of this year, the UFC recently announced a bumper $7.7 billion broadcasting deal with Paramount. On an episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, Brown said:

“I mean, like another brilliant, gigantic win for the UFC. The main question is going to come up: are we rewarding fighters more? Is the UFC sharing more of the benefits? … Is this something that’s actually going to benefit the fighters, or is it just another good for the [UFC] brand?”

He added:

“Of course, we’re not in the deal. We just heard about it today. If history tells us anything, it’s that the money doesn’t often go to the fighters. Hopefully we’re going to have to see how this plays out.”

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Dana White confirms UFC White House event

Dana White has confirmed that the UFC will stage an event on the White House grounds as part of the highly anticipated America250 celebrations in 2026. White revealed that he met with the White House to discuss his plans for the event, which will coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States.

White told CBS Mornings:

“It is definitely gonna happen. I talked to him last night, like having the president. I’m flying out there at the end of this month, and we’re going to sit down and walk through what the plan and execution will be. We’re talking about doing it during the week of America’s 250th birthday… live on CBS from the White House.”

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Dricus du Plessis talks about pre-fight faceoffs ahead of Khamzat Chimaev clash

South African UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has admitted that pre-fight faceoffs push his nerves to the limit. Ahead of his UFC 319 clash against Khamzat Chimaev, du Plessis revealed that he has visualized the moment countless times.

Speaking to FULL SEND MMA, he said:

“Absolutely! I visualized [standing across the cage against Chimaev]. I’m getting goosebumps thinking about it… Every fight I visualize it. But you can visualize all you want, but when you get in there… I can’t wait for that moment. It is the most terrifying moment on earth.”

He continued:

“I’ve done some crazy stuff in my life [but] there is no moment as terrifying as that… I did it with [Sean] Strickland twice. And I have been more terrified the second time. Everything comes out there, the last three months, everything that I’ve done in my whole life comes down to this moment.”