Dana White Claims UFC Worth $7 Billion After ESPN Deal

UFC president Dana White claims the promotion is now worth $7 billion.

It’s no secret that WME-IMG, now known as Endeavor, took a big shot on the UFC with its $4.2 billion purchase. The dollar signs were evident whenever Conor McGregor or Ronda Rousey were competing. Now, Rousey is the WWE Raw women’s champion, and McGregor is set for his first mixed martial arts bout since 2016. The buck doesn’t stop with those two, however, as White recently said the ESPN deal is a game changer.

With the ESPN deal starting in 2019, White and UFC officials have high hopes for the future. During an interview with Tony Robbins, White said that the UFC’s worth just got even greater (via MMAJunkie.com):

“When you think about it we haven’t even scratched the surface yet of how big this thing can be. We just did a TV deal with ESPN for $1.5 billion for five years. Now the company is worth $7 billion. Obviously this ESPN deal is going to be massive for us, expose us to millions of people just here in the U.S. that haven’t been exposed to the UFC. We’re going to continue to go into markets we haven’t been, we’re going to continue to find the best talent in the world. I love to find up-and-coming talent. I love to find the next guy or girl. Continue to build the sport. That’s it. That’s my focus. It’s not rocket science, it’s nothing crazy. Just continue to do what we do and get bigger and bigger.”

UFC content will be available on both major ESPN networks and the sports streaming service ESPN+. Those who enjoyed watching Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series on UFC Fight Pass will have to make the transition to ESPN+ next year.