The UFC and ESPN struck a deal earlier this year that saw the premier mixed martial arts league land 15 live "UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night" per year featuring 12-bout cards. The five-year deal worth $1.5 billion saw ESPN acquire the television rights from Fox Sports as well. According to Dana White, the deal with ESPN has already had a major impact on the company's valuation. "When you think about it we haven't even scratched the surface yet of how big this thing can be," White said while appearing on Tony Robbins' Business Mastery. "We just did a TV deal with ESPN for $1.5 billion for five years. Now the company is worth $7 billion."
White continues:
“Obviously this ESPN deal is going to be massive for us, expose us to millions of people just here in the U.S. that haven’t been exposed to the UFC, [...] We’re going to continue to go into markets we haven’t been, we’re going to continue to find the best talent in the world. I love to find up-and-coming talent. I love to find the next guy or girl. Continue to build the sport. That’s it. That’s my focus. It’s not rocket science, it’s nothing crazy. Just continue to do what we do and get bigger and bigger.”
ESPN plans to air additional UFC content including a 30-minute special before every pay-per-view event, re-air fights on ESPN+, as well as the Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series launching Summer 2019.
Source: hotnewhiphop.com