UFC parts ways with broadcast partners in Brazil, has no TV deal there for first time in over 20 years
The UFC has decided to end its broadcast deal with Band in Brazil, MMA Fighting has learned. The MMA promotion’s three-year TV deal with the major network kicked off in January 2023, airing a dozen of Fight Night cards a year, but the company has now parted ways with Band with 12 months still left on the deal.
The UFC occasionally aired preliminary bouts on Brazilian YouTube channel GOAT, too, but that deal has also come to an end, MMA Fighting has learned.
The 2025 calendar starts for the UFC this Saturday with Brazilian strawweights Amanda Ribas and Mackenzie Dern battling in the main event at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, and Brazilian fans can only watch it through UFC’s own streaming platform UFC Fight Pass.
UFC’s seven-year deal with ESPN in the United States will come to an end in 2025, and the promotion is anticipating a very lucrative deal wherever it goes next. Brazil, the No. 2 country in terms of fighters under contract with the company and home for global stars like Alex Pereira and Charles Oliveira, is also in a crucial moment.
Brazil’s giant Globo has had talks with the UFC about bringing back the partnership that lasted two decades and came to an end in 2023, but it’s still unclear if they will come to an agreement. Netflix, another player in the U.S., could also be an option in Brazil as it has tens of millions of subscribers in the country.
The UFC plans on returning to Brazil for a Fight Night event in Brasilia on May 31, a year after the last trip to the country for UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro. It remains to be seen if the company will have a new broadcast deal signed by then.
Brazil has one of the cheapest Fight Pass price tags in the world, with the promotion currently offering a yearly subscription at a discount for just $2 a month to watch every UFC show, plus other events on the streaming platform’s library.
At the time of the launch, UFC CEO Dana White said Fight Pass would “take our business to the next level by delivering all our content directly to our fans”, and Band would “provide massive exposure for UFC and help us grow our fan base and make this sport bigger than ever.”