Georges St-Pierre believes the UFC’s new $7.7 billion broadcasting deal with Paramount can be helpful for the promotion, however detrimental to its fighters.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the Final Preventing Championship’s broadcasting deal will finish on the finish of the 12 months. Beginning in 2026, Paramount+ would be the unique house for all UFC occasions, together with premium numbered struggle playing cards usually reserved for pay-per-view.
It was an thrilling bit of stories for followers bored with shelling out over $1,000 per thirty days on prime of an ESPN+ subscription. Nonetheless, whereas the brand new deal could also be an enormous plus for followers and the UFC itself, it might show to be problematic for fighters.
“I feel it’s going to take off some leverage for the large names to have an argument to barter extra money,” former welterweight champion, Georges St-Pierre, instructed Covers. “It could possibly be good for the UFC, as a promoter, horrible for the fighters as a result of after I was competing I used to be in a position to have an important argument to barter on my contract. I might inform the UFC, ‘Hey, if you need me to do all of the promotion, I wish to turn out to be a accomplice. I need a piece of the pie to barter part of the pay-per-view income.
“As a result of if I’m doing all of the promotion, I’m serving to you, however it’s worthwhile to assist me. It’s essential make me a accomplice.’ So it is likely to be a foul factor for the fighters in a approach that they’ve much less leverage.”
UFC Vet Matt Brown Echoes Georges St-Pierre’s Warning
Usually, UFC champions and prime stars with the promotion would obtain pay-per-view factors based mostly on what number of PPVs a specific occasion bought.
Based on a report from Sportskeeda, fighters would obtain $1 for each PPV ticket bought between 200,000 and 400,000. It might then bounce as much as $2 per ticket from 400,000 to 600,000 and at last $2.50 per ticket for all bought past 600k.
It stays to be seen how or if the promotion will substitute PPV factors in 2026, however UFC vet Matt Brown warns fighters to not get their hopes up.
“They don’t must pay fighters extra,” Brown instructed MMA Fighting. “They don’t. I promise you that. They are going to get away with it. So simply recognizing that, you may make your individual resolution if you wish to name your Congressman or no matter to attempt to repair this. However that’s what the info of the case are. There’s no counterbalance. The UFC does what they need, when they need, how they need, as huge as they need and no one is saying ‘hey motherf*cker what about us?’
“It simply the info of the matter. It simply must occur. There must be a counterbalance. There’s no historic stats saying something goes to alter. When you’re a fighter, don’t get your hopes up.”
