Report: UFC and Netflix were close to agreeing to broadcast deal before last-second speed bump

The UFC’s broadcasting rights were reportedly close to going to Netflix before a last-second snag in negotiations between the two sides.

The UFC is less than four months away from kicking off its newly signed broadcast partnership with Paramount and CBS. The promotion’s first event on its new broadcasting platform will take place in January.

The UFC and Paramount agreed to a massive broadcasting deal that set the standard for combat sports exclusivity. Joe Rogan and other top UFC personalities have high hopes for the UFC’s new broadcasting chapter.

UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that post-fight performance bonuses will increase once the deal goes into effect in January. The UFC has been with ESPN for almost a full decade.

But according to TKO, the UFC’s parent company, the MMA giant neared a deal with Netflix before things went south.

UFC-Netflix partnership fell apart after the streaming platform refused to broadcast smaller cards

During a recent interview with The Varsity, TKO President Mark Shapiro detailed what went wrong with the UFC’s negotiations with Netflix.

“There was one moment of disappointment. And that was when we were getting pretty close with Netflix, frankly, and they kind of stood by the fact that they didn’t want to have the volume,” Shapiro said.

“Over the course of conversations, they really didn’t come off of that. And that’s what opened the door for Paramount and CBS.” (h/t Awful Announcing)

Netflix has since promoted huge fights, including the boxing mega showdown last weekend between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez. Crawford defeated Alvarez by unanimous decision to win Alvarez’s super middleweight belts.

The upcoming matchup between Jake Paul and longtime boxing star Gervonta Davis in November will be broadcast on Netflix.

The UFC will hold several ‘major’ events annually on CBS, in addition to several UFC Fight Night cards. It’s uncertain if the promotion will still host events near-weekly or if the card volume will decrease.