Joe Rogan sees the UFC’s deal with Paramount helping the sport grow exponentially.
This week, the UFC signed a massive seven-year, $7.7. billion U.S. broadcasting rights deal exclusively with Paramount that will bring all 43 annual events to streaming on Paramount+, including select “marquee” events that will simulcast on Paramount’s flagship network, CBS.
With fans no longer having to pay for monthly pay-per-view events, Rogan thinks the viewership numbers will inevitably increase.
“Through the roof,” Rogan said in a recent episode of his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. “And it’s a super smart move for Paramount. What a great move to not just have the UFC for seven years, but have it for free. How much does it cost a month? Let’s say it’s 10 bucks. That’s crazy. That’s a $120 a year, you could watch every UFC pay-per-view? Two UFC pay-per-views is, like, 140 bucks, right? Isn’t it? Aren’t they, like, $70? So you get all of them. Everything’s free? That’s incredible. This sport is going to go f*cking hypernova.”
Rogan, who Dana White confirmed will be sticking around, hopes the UFC doesn’t sever its relationship with ESPN as he still sees value in having some aspects broadcasted there.
“By the way, ESPN has everything, too. It’s great. I’m kind of bummed out, and I hope they don’t lose the relationship that they had with ESPN with all their MMA shows,” Rogan said. “I hope they don’t go, like, ‘F*ck them, they went to Paramount.’ I hope it’s a mutually beneficial thing, like the UFC at least does some content still on ESPN.
“Because I think that’s also a big factor in pulling people from casual viewers that watch other sports that might occasionally watch a UFC fight and then they see, like, Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway and they’re like, ‘Holy sh*t,’ and then they’re hooked. Having that coverage on ‘SportsCenter,’ that sh*t’s huge. Having those post-fight shows on ESPN+, that sh*t is huge for the real dorks like me. That’s huge.”
