Marquette, MI – January 23rd, 2026 – This past August, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) finalized a landmark seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount+. Under the agreement, Paramount+ becomes the exclusive streaming home of the UFC beginning this weekend, carrying 13 numbered pay-per-view events and approximately 30 Fight Night cards each year. The deal brings an end to the UFC’s seven-year partnership with ESPN, which had served as the promotion’s primary broadcast home since 2018.
The move to Paramount+ is expected to save fight fans a significant amount of money by eliminating the traditional pay-per-view model, which typically costs around $80 per event. Instead, fans can watch UFC events with a monthly or annual Paramount+ subscription, which also provides access to movies, television shows, and other live sports programming. In addition, the UFC has announced that select numbered events will be simulcast on local CBS stations, further increasing accessibility.
The new era begins this weekend with UFC 324, headlined by a highly anticipated interim lightweight championship bout between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett. The co-main event features Sean O’Malley against Song Yadong, a matchup between two of the most dangerous finishers in the bantamweight division. O’Malley currently leads the division’s knockout list with six, while Yadong sits close behind with five.
The action gets underway with the early prelims at 5:00 p.m., featuring five bouts to kick off the evening. The prelims follow at 8:00 p.m. with three additional fights, setting the stage for the main card later that night. The five-fight main card will highlight some of the UFC’s biggest stars and marks the promotion’s official debut on its new streaming platform.
UFC 324 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, one of the sport’s premier venues for marquee events.
