For the first time in 20 years, the UFC doesn’t have a TV deal in Brazil despite the country being one of the largest markets in the sport.
The promotion first touched down in Brazil back in 1998 for UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil, and the event included some future stars of the sport like Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, and Frank Shamrock.
Since then, the UFC have held 40 events in Brazil with some of the greatest fights in the promotion’s history going down in the country.
UFC has no TV deal in Brazil for the first time in 20 years
In January 2023, the UFC signed a three-year broadcast deal with Band in Brazil, agreeing to air a dozen Fight Night events a year but the promotion has now opted to cut the deal with 12-months left on the deal.
As well as the deal with Band, preliminary fights were occasionally aired on Brazilian YouTube channel GOAT, but that deal has also be cut short according to MMAFighting.
Unfortunately for Brazilian MMA fans, the first UFC event of 2025 is coming up this Saturday, and the main event will see two Brazilian females clash as Mackenzie Dern takes on Amanda Ribas.
At the moment, the only way for fans in Brazil to watch the events is through the UFC’s streaming platform, UFC Fight Pass. Fortunately, though, Brazil has one of the cheapest Fight Pass subscription fees, with fans able to subscribe for just $2 a month if they opt for the yearly subscription.
The promotion is planning a return to Brazil for the first time since UFC 301 this past May, with an event in the capital, Brasilia rumoured to be taking place on May 31.
It is unclear as of now whether the UFC will strike a new broadcast deal in the country before they return with the rumoured event.
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Fans believe the broadcast cut in Brazil opens up a path for a global Netflix deal
Former broadcast partner in Brazil, Globo, had talks with the UFC regarding bringing the product back to their network, however, it is still unclear whether they will strike a new deal.
Earlier this week, the WWE aired its inaugural show on Netflix after signing a historical deal with the streaming platform at the end of last year, making their Raw shows exclusive to Netflix.
With the WWE and UFC now both under the TKO banner, MMA fans believe that the UFC’s recent broadcast cut in Brazil could open up a path for them to strike a global deal with Netflix.
The promotion is in the final year of its seven-year deal with ESPN as the broadcast partner in the United States with an extremely lucrative deal expected next, wherever it lands.
“They’re probably going the Netflix route like TKO has with the WWE,” one fan commented on X.
Another fan agreed, saying: “This basically cements UFC/Netflix deal.”
“UFC will only be available on Fight Pass in Brazil… big question: is this UFC clearing the deck for a multinational pact with Netflix, similar to WWE deal?” another fan questioned.
Brazil is the country with the second most amount of fighters signed to the promotion and of course has produced current global superstars like Alex Pereira, Charles Oliveira, and Alexandre Pantoja.