UFC star Garrett Armfield asked the key question that all fighters should be asking after the announcement of their massive new broadcast deal.
Social media has been abuzz today after Dana White announced that the UFC has signed a new $7.7billion deal for their US broadcast rights from 2026 to 2033. It sees their broadcast rights go from a $1.5billion valuation in their last seven-year deal up almost 500 per cent.
However, it remains unclear exactly how this will affect fighters in terms of payment. From the top level of a Conor McGregor down to newcomers making a minimum of $10,000 for a fight, there will likely need to be a restructuring.
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Garrett Armfield asks the most important question UFC fighters need
Middling bantamweight contender Garrett Armfield cut through the noise on social media this afternoon when he asked exactly what is going to happen to fighters under this new UFC deal. The promotion are now advertising the ‘death of pay-per-view’, which drastically affects top level fighters’ pay.
‘ESPN deal: 1.5 billion over 7 years,” Armfield noted in a tweet viewed a million times. “Paramount Plus: 7.7 Billion over 7 years.” After making a point of that monstrous difference, he simply asked: “Does this change anything for fighters?”
Fans mocked the question in the comments section, particularly given that fighter pay is one of the most divisive issues in the sport. The general consensus seemed to be that it wouldn’t make a major difference, despite the company now making significantly more to show the fights.
Jake Paul among the few critics of UFC’s new broadcast deal
In the aftermath of the deal being announced, most fans have just been delighted to learn that the entire UFC output for the year can be available for as little as $8 a month. However, Jake Paul wasn’t so sure, telling fighters they now must demand their worth with the waters no longer muddied by pay-per-view.
“Every fighter in the UFC now has a clear picture of what the revenue is…” Paul wrote on X after a longer message prior that slammed the promotion’s ‘hubris’ in their announcement. “No more PPV excuses. Get your worth boys and girls.”
Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions co-founder and former UFC COO Nakisa Bidarian added: “The less PPV the better for consumers and the fighters who actually move the needle.
“MVP has put on the biggest non-ppv fight since the advent of cable with Paul Tyson. But PPV is not dead at all. The UFC has not created a true star in the largest PPV market in the world (USA) since Conor McGregor. Just like the movie business, if you have big IP, you have big box office.
“UFC has created a consistent premium fight product with the best production in fight sports. They no longer have big global stars but maybe this deal helps change that. Most importantly this is great for fighter pay if fighter managers do their job right.”