UFC CEO and President Dana White isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
There has been a lot of talk in recent years about when White, 56, might choose to walk away from his position as MMA’s most recognizable and successful promoter.
White infamously convinced Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, owners of Station Casinos and high school friends of his, to buy the UFC in 2001. White became the promotion’s president and also had an ownership interest.
In 2016, the UFC was sold to WME-IMG (now Endeavor) for just over four billion dollars. White made money but didn’t make money, staying on board and eventually earning a CEO title when the company was later merged with the WWE of pro wrestling under the banner of TKO Group, a subsidiary of Endeavor.
On Sunday, following UFC 323, the final UFC Pay-Per-View event of the ESPN era, White confirmed he had signed a contract extension sometime in 2025.
“I’ve been extended,” White said That was said during the post-fight press conference on Saturday. “Five years. Another five-year extension. Literally this year.”
There is undoubtedly a good reason for white to stay. First, a major card is planned for the White House in June, a historic event where the promotion will literally distribute a card in the US president’s backyard. On the other hand, the PPV model will be done at least in the US, as the promotion switches to streaming service Paramount+.
“There’s no way the sport won’t get bigger. It cost $1,200 or $1,300 a year to be a fan this year. Next year it’ll be $120, something like that, for the whole year,” White said. “And there are huge battles coming. The battle in the White House alone will be madness.”
White also discussed how the promotion is dealing with the loss of PPV bonuses. Historically, headliners of UFC PPV events have received “PPV points,” essentially a bonus based on the number of sales the event broadcast generates. These can result in significant salary increases, sometimes in the millions of dollars.
According to White, the UFC has figured out how to deal with the loss of the PPV model, with Paramount+ paying $1.1 billion per year for the UFC’s broadcast rights and offering all events under their usual subscription plan.
“Yes, there is a model that we’ve come up with that can figure out how we can still pay people on a Pay-Per-View basis,” White said.
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