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UFC Takes On the World

Even with Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon dangling global deals, TKO is betting on its in-house partner IMG and U.S. cash.

UFC
It obviously helped that David Ellison and Paramount eventually offered a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal for U.S. rights alone—too good for UFC to refuse. Photo: Elsa/Getty Images
John Ourand
September 18, 2025

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When TKO was marketing its UFC rights this year, the streamers naturally showed a lot of interest. After all, UFC represents the sweet spot of the modern sports media market—it’s eventized, not subject to rainouts or other vagaries, and satisfies the erogenous zones of the political zeitgeist. Unsurprisingly, Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon showed interest and offered something that the legacy players couldn’t—a single, all-encompassing deal that would extend UFC’s brand around the world.