Search this question, and you will be told, flatly and confidently, that pay-per-view is dead. The UFC killed it. No more $80 cards. It is over.
That is true if you live in the United States. If you don’t, you’re being given the wrong answer — and the sites telling you otherwise have not read past the headline.
Is the UFC Still PPV? (Pay-Per-View)
In the United States, no. Since January 2026, every UFC event has been included in a Paramount+ subscription with no extra fee. Outside the United States, pay-per-view still exists. The Paramount deal covers US rights only, and the UFC has confirmed it still runs pay-per-view businesses in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other markets.
This is the single most misreported fact in MMA right now. “The UFC scrapped pay-per-view” is a US headline that has been copied worldwide without the qualifier.
What Changed for UFC Pay-Per-View In the US?
UFC pay-per-view ended in the US on 1 January 2026, when Paramount+ became the promotion’s exclusive American home. Every event is now included in the subscription, with no extra fee — replacing a model where fans paid for ESPN+ and $79.99 per numbered card.
In August 2025, the UFC’s parent company TKO signed a seven-year deal with Paramount worth a reported $7.7 billion — around $1.1 billion a year, running through 2033.
Paramount+ became the exclusive US home of the UFC on 1 January 2026. ESPN and ESPN+ aired their last UFC event in 2025.
| Old model (through 2025) | New model (from 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | ESPN+ | Paramount+ |
| Numbered events | $79.99 each, on top of the subscription | Included. No extra fee |
| What you pay | Subscription plus a PPV fee per card | Subscription only, from $8.99/month |
| What’s included | Fight Nights on the subscription | All 13 numbered events + 30 Fight Nights |
| Free-to-air | None | Select numbered events simulcast on CBS |
PPV prices had climbed from $59.99 to $79.99 during the ESPN era. A fan buying ten cards a year was spending close to $800 on top of a subscription.
Does the UFC Still Have Pay-Per-View Outside the US?
Yes. The UFC still has pay-per-view outside the US. The Paramount deal is a US broadcast rights deal only, and the UFC has confirmed it still runs pay-per-view businesses in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other markets.
The UFC’s senior vice president for international operations, David Shaw, addressed this directly after the deal was announced. His point was that pay-per-view has not been abolished as a concept — the UFC has simply changed the distribution platform for its content in the United States.
He named Canada, Australia and New Zealand as markets where the UFC still runs what he described as healthy pay-per-view businesses, alongside a number of other territories.
So if you are in one of those countries and you have read that you no longer need to buy UFC cards, check your local broadcaster before you plan your Saturday night. The answer may not have changed at all.
Paramount has expressed interest in acquiring the UFC’s international rights when they become available. If that happens, the model could eventually extend beyond the US — but it has not yet.
Why Did the UFC Get Rid of Pay-Per-View?
The UFC got rid of pay-per-view for three reasons: predictable revenue (a guaranteed $1.1 billion a year is worth more to a public company than a stream that swings on who is fighting), subscriber retention, and reach.
- Predictable money. A guaranteed $1.1 billion a year is worth more to a publicly traded company than a revenue stream that swings wildly depending on whether a star is fighting. TKO’s investors prefer the certainty.
- Subscriber retention. Putting 43 events a year behind a single subscription is a powerful weapon against churn. Once a fan signs up, there is always another card in a few weeks.
- Reach. The UFC’s own argument is that removing the second paywall makes the sport dramatically more accessible, and simulcasting the biggest cards on free-to-air CBS puts fights in front of people who would never have paid $80 for them.
TKO president Mark Shapiro has been publicly dismissive of the old model, calling it outdated and antiquated. Whether you agree or not, the numbers made the argument for him: $79.99 a card was becoming a hard sell for a generation raised on monthly subscriptions.
How Much Money Does the Paramount Deal Save UFC Fans?
A dedicated US fan who bought ten numbered cards a year was spending well north of $900. In 2026, the same fan pays around $110 — the cost of a Paramount+ subscription. That is roughly a 90 per cent cut.
The scale of the change only lands when you put a year of viewing next to a year of viewing.
| A dedicated US fan, per year | Through 2025 | From 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Platform subscription | ESPN+ subscription | Paramount+ from $8.99/month |
| Ten numbered events | 10 x $79.99 = around $800 | $0 |
| Rough annual total | Well north of $900 | Around $110 |
A casual fan who only bought one or two big cards a year may pay something similar overall – but now gets the entire calendar for it.
That gap is why the change landed the way it did. For the fan who watched everything, the cost of following the sport in the US fell by roughly 90 per cent overnight.
How Much Does It Cost to Watch the UFC in 2026?
It costs the price of a Paramount+ subscription — plans start around $8.99 a month in the US. There is no upsell, no premium tier requirement for fights, and no separate charge when a title fight comes around.
Are UFC Prelims Included on Paramount+?
Yes. UFC prelims are included on Paramount+. Full cards stream in one place — early prelims, prelims and main card — which is a meaningful change from the old system, where a card was often split across three platforms.
What Happened to UFC Fight Pass?
UFC Fight Pass still exists as a separate product with its own library and its own events. What it is not, in the US, is the place you go to watch a numbered card.
Do UFC Fighters Still Get Pay-Per-View Points?
The end of pay-per-view has thrown this wide open, because for a handful of stars PPV points were the single largest part of their income.
Is the UFC Free to Watch on CBS?
Select numbered events are simulcast free-to-air on CBS, which you can watch through cable, satellite, a live-TV service or a digital antenna. Not every card, and not the whole card — but it is the first time in years that major UFC fights have been available free in the US.
FAQs
Does the UFC still have pay-per-view in 2026?
Not in the United States. It does in several international markets, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
How much is a UFC pay-per-view now?
A UFC pay-per-view costs nothing in the US — events are included in a Paramount+ subscription. Elsewhere, pay-per-view pricing is set by the local broadcaster.
Is the UFC still on ESPN?
No. The UFC is no longer on ESPN. ESPN and ESPN+ aired their final UFC events in 2025, and Paramount+ took over as the exclusive US home from January 2026.
How long does the Paramount deal run?
Seven years, through 2033, at a reported $7.7 billion.
How many UFC events are included?
43 a year in the US — 13 numbered events and 30 Fight Nights, all on the subscription.
To Conclude
“The UFC scrapped pay-per-view” is a headline about America. In the US it is completely true: since January 2026, a Paramount+ subscription gets you every card, with no second paywall and no $80 charge.
Everywhere else, the picture is unchanged for now. The Paramount deal bought US rights, not global ones, and the UFC has said plainly that pay-per-view remains alive in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. If a site tells you otherwise without asking where you live, it has not done the reading.
For more, see our guides to how much it costs to watch the UFC in 2026, how the UFC makes money, and the difference between a Fight Night and a numbered event.
