UFC’s US broadcast rights have been with ESPN since 2019, in a deal worth roughly $1.5 billion across the term. The agreement runs through 2025 with renegotiation ongoing for 2026 onwards. In the meantime, the US viewing map is split across three ESPN-controlled layers: linear ESPN, ESPN+, and the UFC Fight Pass over-the-top service.
The 2025-26 US UFC map
ESPN linear carries the Fight Night main cards, the numbered-event prelims and selected Saturday cards. Access is via cable, the ESPN app with cable login, or one of the live-TV streaming bundles that includes ESPN (YouTube TV at $82.99/mo, Hulu + Live TV at $82.99/mo, Sling TV Orange at $40/mo, Fubo at $79.99/mo).
ESPN+ at $11.99 per month carries the Fight Night prelims, the early prelims for numbered events, and a steady stream of Fight Night cards that go directly to streaming without an ESPN linear simulcast. These ESPN+ exclusives are typically the lower-profile international Fight Night cards (Brazil, Saudi Arabia, China, Mexico). For details, see our UFC Fight Pass guide.
ESPN+ PPV carries the numbered UFC events — UFC 300, UFC 301, UFC 302 and every other numbered card. Pricing in 2025-26 is $79.99 per card on top of the ESPN+ subscription. Both pieces are required. See the UFC PPV guide for the full breakdown.
UFC Fight Pass at $9.99 per month or $95.99 per year carries the live archive of regional MMA promotions, the UFC back library, Dana White’s Contender Series, and a selection of live international events that fall outside the ESPN deal. Fight Pass is not the place to watch tonight’s UFC card. It is the place to watch the back catalogue and the supporting feeder shows.
The minimum cost to watch a numbered UFC card
A first-time viewer with no existing subscriptions needs ESPN+ at $11.99 plus the ESPN+ PPV at $79.99, totalling $91.98 for the night of a numbered event. The subscription can then be cancelled after the card.
For viewers who only follow numbered events and skip Fight Nights, this monthly-cancel pattern is the cheapest route. Expect 12 to 13 numbered UFC events per calendar year, so the all-in annual cost on this pattern lands near $1,200.
The minimum cost to watch every UFC Fight Night
ESPN+ alone at $11.99 per month covers every Fight Night card that streams on ESPN+, plus the prelims for every numbered card. For ESPN-linear Fight Night main cards, the cable carriage or a live-TV bundle is also required. The cheapest legal path to every Fight Night is therefore ESPN+ plus a Sling TV Orange subscription at $40 per month for ESPN access, totalling roughly $52 per month for the full Fight Night calendar without PPV.
Fight Pass in context
UFC Fight Pass is often mistaken for the main UFC streaming service. It is not. Fight Pass is the company’s standalone archive and feeder-show service. Live UFC cards on Fight Pass are typically Contender Series matches, the Road to UFC series in Asia, and the smaller live international shows that ESPN+ does not carry. For the comprehensive Fight Pass breakdown, see our UFC Fight Pass guide.