The UFC has remained synonymous with ESPN, but over a decade ago, the MMA leader was looking for a mainstream splash. Its final two options, as 2011 was about to turn into 2012, were NBC and FOX.
UFC CEO Dana White appeared on the first-ever “What’s Your Story? With Steph McMahon” podcast, which premiered Thursday, to discuss a variety of life and fight-related topics, including the unique twist of fate the promotion had by signing with FOX.
“So I’m on the 1-yard line, we’re about to get a deal done with NBC,” White said. “One of my big deal points was that The Ultimate Fighter had to be on USA [Network]. We’re literally in New York for days hammering it out with all the executives over there. Finally they come back and say ‘we’ll do it, we’ll put The Ultimate Fighter on USA.’”
When it appeared the deal was figuratively done, the unthinkable happened.
“So the next day we come back, and we’re about to sign the deal and do all this stuff, and they’re like ‘we can’t believe this, we didn’t know this, we just found out — Vince McMahon has the right to determine whether another combat sport can come onto USA.’ I’m like what? How is that even f****** possible?”
Vince McMahon eventually squashed the request.
Of course, the rest is history. The FOX era began in 2012 and continued through the end of the 2018 event schedule.
The UFC is in the midst of figuring out its next U.S. media rights deal anyway, whether it’s with Amazon, Netflix, ESPN, or another partner beginning in 2026.
For now, only time will tell.
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