ESPN in Talks to Acquire UFC Fight Pass
The most complete library in MMA history, from UFC’s early days to PRIDE, WEC, Strikeforce, and beyond, could soon land inside ESPN’s new streaming empire.
Multiple sources confirm to The MMA Draw that ESPN is in active discussions to acquire UFC Fight Pass, with plans to fold the platform into the newly launched ESPN direct-to-consumer app. The talks are described as advanced but not finalized.
If completed, this move gives ESPN more than just another streaming add-on. Fight Pass is one of combat sports’ richest digital assets, a vault that houses:
The full breadth of UFC’s historical archive, spanning from the early no-holds-barred era to today’s modern supercards.
Extensive international events, offering a global footprint that goes well beyond U.S. broadcast deals.
Prelims and developmental content, which function as a pipeline for the next generation of fighters.
Libraries from affiliated promotions including PRIDE, WEC, Strikeforce, Pancrase, and Invicta FC, each carrying its own legacy moments and iconic athletes.
It is, in short, the most complete historical library of MMA in existence.
While UFC’s live U.S. rights are already locked up with Paramount and CBS beginning in 2026, Fight Pass stands apart as a property with deep historical, cultural, and international weight. Owning it would allow ESPN not just to showcase upcoming cards but to control the narrative of the sport’s past and future.
ESPN is already set to debut WWE PLE’s on its DTC app in September 2025 and has expressed strong interest in the WWE Vault. Add UFC Fight Pass to that stack, alongside possible rights to The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series, and the network’s direct-to-consumer offering becomes the central hub for combat sports storytelling.
Nothing is final until ink hits paper. But if ESPN closes on UFC Fight Pass, it won’t be your average rights deal. It’ll be the most precise consolidation of MMA’s history and future under one roof.
The International Question
No, ESPN acquiring Fight Pass wouldn’t automatically kill it internationally. Most likely, it becomes an ESPN product in the U.S., folded into the new DTC app, but remains Fight Pass abroad: a true hybrid. That’s the same playbook WWE used when it folded WWE Network into Peacock domestically but kept the service alive overseas. ESPN could also license the Fight Pass brand or archive internationally, creating regional hybrids: ESPN handling U.S. subscribers, while UFC/TKO or other partners continue operating it outside the States.
Why Hand Off Fight Pass Now?
It’s natural to ask why UFC would part with a platform as valuable as Fight Pass. The answer is that the product has changed. Once Endeavor sold off its streaming tech division, UFC no longer owned the infrastructure that made Fight Pass a true in-house platform. What’s left is the content: the archives, prelims, and international cards; that fits more efficiently inside a larger distribution system like ESPN’s DTC app.
There’s also a legal backdrop. UFC is currently facing an active class action lawsuit (Bloom v. Zuffa LLC) alleging that Fight Pass improperly shared subscriber data with Meta through the Facebook Pixel, in violation of privacy laws. Plaintiffs are pursuing class certification, and the case has been in court for some time. Transferring Fight Pass to ESPN wouldn’t erase the lawsuit, but it could reduce UFC/TKO’s direct exposure and shift how future liability is structured.
Ultima Sententia: ESPN’s Bounce-Back
For a while, ESPN felt like a rights battleground casualty: losing marquee packages and struggling to define its streaming identity. But the tides have shifted. ESPN is now securing MLB.tv rights (out‑of‑market games) into its new direct‑to‑consumer service, UFC Fight Pass (rich in historical and global MMA content) is in active discussions to be folded in, and it’s openly pursuing the WWE Vault media library. Taken together, these strategic plays signal a full‑scale rebound. By assembling the past (archives), present (live events), and developmental future (fight libraries), ESPN is transforming from a fading legacy brand into the dominant narrative engine of tomorrow’s sports streaming era. If Paramount is leaning on spectacles and events, ESPN is doubling down on content and substance, and that may prove the smarter long game.
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Blake Avignon is the pseudonym of a strategist and media executive who has worked across the UFC, F1, MLB, NBA, and NFL: building brands, brokering partnerships, and reshaping the future of sports and entertainment from the inside.
Really sharp breakdown, Blake. What struck me most is the way you framed ESPN’s play as not just “buying rights,” but curating the narrative backbone of combat sports. If Fight Pass gets folded in alongside the WWE Vault and MLB.tv out-of-market games, ESPN won’t just be a broadcaster—it becomes the historian and storyteller of entire sports cultures.
The international angle feels huge too. WWE’s hybrid Peacock/Network model is a great comp, but MMA has such a different footprint—regional promotions, grassroots followings, and fans who often only have Fight Pass access. I wonder if ESPN risks diluting that community feel, or if they’ll double down and use their scale to finally give global fans the kind of spotlight they deserve.
Curious how others here feel: would ESPN’s consolidation be a win for fans (everything under one roof), or does it edge toward losing the weird, scrappy, archival charm that Fight Pass always had?
Interesting, I wonder if this would include Premium Live Events (formerly ppv) on Fight Pass two weeks after they air live