“I will never retire. Ever. I will keep dogging this out until the day I drop dead. I love it, 100 percent,” declared the relentless UFC CEO Dana White. His passion appears to be paying off as, along with massive revenues, the promotion has another feather to its already shining throne.
In 2024, the UFC reigned supreme in the combat sports world, with little to no real competition. Neither the unified Bellator-PFL nor ONE Championship came close to what Dana White’s juggernaut accomplished. True to his words, White has never considered other MMA organizations as competition. “My competition is the NFL, college football, soccer, big movies that come out on Saturday,” he’s said.
And now, the UFC isn’t just competing with the big leagues—it’s outpacing them. Capping off an unforgettable year, the promotion has been named Sports League of the Year by the Sports Business Journal. CEO Dana White took to his Instagram handle to share it on his story with a caption that read, “UFC won sports league of the year.”
“The brand is wildly hot,” UFC Chief Content Officer Craig Borsari said. “I think we’re in a position right now where we’re really excited about continued growth, not just in the U.S., but all of these new territories.” Despite the allegations, such as the ‘MMA recession’ by Ariel Helwani, UFC is making huge strides for itself. UFC’s business year was headlined by a massive nine-figure global sponsorship deal with Monster Energy, locking in its title as the official energy drink through 2029, with branding rights at the center of the Octagon.
You think this is the end? Certainly not. The promotion has competed alongside the NFL, MLB, and NHL at the Emmys as well. At the 2025 Sports Emmy Awards, UFC Noche—also known as UFC 306 or UFC Sphere—won the award for Outstanding Studio or Production Design/Art Direction.
UFC 306 was up against strong contenders, including FOX Soccer on FOX, Games of the XXXIII Olympiad by NBC & Peacock, the 2024 NHL Draft, and Super Bowl LIX on FOX. That’s not all—the promotion also took home the award for Outstanding Graphic Design – Specialty. In addition to these accolades, the promotion was nominated for multiple Sports Emmy awards:
Outstanding Edited Special for UFC Year of the Fighter: Georges St-Pierre
Outstanding Digital Innovation for Noche UFC
Outstanding Technical Team Event for Noche UFC
Outstanding Music Direction for UFC 306
Outstanding Graphic Design – Event/Show for Noche UFC
Further, the UFC has landed its biggest tech partnership in its history. An eight-figure agreement with the tech giant IBM to boose the AI integration to the game. The promotion has also signed Meta’s Threads as its official fan partner, further increasing the UFC’s presence in the digital landscape, topping the whole thing off with White joining Meta’s Board of Directors. Verizon also joined in as the official wireless provider.
If one word could sum up the UFC’s last year, it’s ‘phenomenal.’ From the record-shattering spectacle of UFC 300 to making history as one of the first promotions to host an event at the Sphere, the UFC didn’t just raise the bar—it redefined it. The promotion broke new ground with its debut in Saudi Arabia and marked a powerful return to China.
Altogether, the promotion ventured into 11 countries and shattered multiple records across 25 venues. Doubling down on UFC’s global growth, Borsari added, “The sport has become even more global. The athletes are coming from different countries. The fan base has been growing, and we can go and sell tickets and sell out arenas all around the globe. You see it in every facet of the business.”
MMA: UFC Fight Night-Johnson vs Reis, Apr 15, 2017 Kansas City, MO, USA UFC President Dana White following the Demetrious Johnson not pictured and Wilson Reis not pictured fight during UFC Fight Night at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports, 15.04.2017 21:15:30, 10015017, UFC Fight Night, Wilson Reis, Demetrious Johnson, Sprint Center, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRonxChenoyx 10015017
Cementing itself as a major player in the sporting industry over the past decade, the promotion has become too big to fail. However, the only concern right now is the broadcasting deal, which is still unresolved. Let’s take a closer look at what’s happening on that front.
Dana White plans to disrupt the sporting industry with the upcoming broadcasting deal
The UFC’s multi-year broadcasting deal with ESPN came to an end this year, and the exclusive negotiation window with the network has officially closed. The promotion is now exploring new broadcasting prospects, which include platforms like Amazon, Netflix, and others. While having a conversation with Dan Rafael on his Fight Freaks Unite Podcast, the UFC CEO revealed his thoughts on the hanging broadcasting deal.
“And the question is ‘Who’s it gonna be?’ Is it gonna be Amazon, YouTube, Disney? The list goes on and on. That’s who the players are gonna be. But what’s fascinating right now is when you look in, you’ve got NFL college football, NBA college basketball, you’ve got the NHL, Major League Baseball, the NBA, you’ve got the UFC, WWE, and tennis… All these sports are looking for rights deals right now, right?” said Dana White.
The UFC CEO understands that the broadcasting market is currently quite challenging. NBA viewership numbers are declining, and MLB was forced to sign a new media rights deal at a significantly lower value after ESPN withdrew from a $550 million contract. While the market conditions may be tough, Dana White remains confident that his promotion will weather the storm and emerge stronger.
He further added, “I always go out and figure out how to build s— without the help of anybody. That’s what I do. Everybody is looking for a TV deal. Everybody is looking for money. I always try to figure out how do I take my thing to the next level and figure it out on my own.”
The UFC’s deal with ESPN is set to expire at the end of this year, and the promotion will need to secure a new broadcasting partner before then. Who do you think will land the next UFC rights? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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