Conor McGregor’s 8-Word Reaction to UFC’s $7.7 Billion Deal With Paramount

A new era will soon be upon the UFC as it gears up to leave ESPN for new horizons at Paramount+, and with it, abandoning the pay-per-view model altogether. While many are excited for this future, one of the most prominent sellers of PPVs in years gone by for the American mixed martial arts company couldn’t help but give a fond farewell to the model on social media.

Monday brought the shocking announcement that UFC will be teaming up with the streaming service to bolster its sports output starting in 2026. The move is a lucrative one for Dana White and co., who unveiled a bumper seven-year deal worth a staggering $7.7 billion that is destined to change viewing habits and, according to White himself, “is a huge win for anyone who watches and loves this sport.”

While the deal covers the US rights for close to a decade, they do not reach a global market. However, Paramount have indicated that they would be keen to explore possibilities regarding the purchase of those rights when they become available.

Conor McGregor Reacts to UFC’s New Deal

One man in particular will be sad to see the metric for popularity disappear: self-proclaimed “king” of UFC PPV, Conor McGregor, who broke his silence in the early hours of Tuesday with a trademark tongue-in-cheek post.

In it, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion put it simply: “Goodbye UFC PPV! Proud to serve as King”.

Few could argue that the Irishman deserves the accolade, with the statistics backing up his claim to be the king of the UFC’s pay-per-view, with a mouthwatering sum of over one billion in revenue via buys throughout his career. The top four most popular events in UFC all have a common theme: they all feature the Irishman.

Unsurprisingly, UFC 229 comes in at the top spot with the long-anticipated showdown against Khabib Nurmagomedov taking the sport to new heights with an unprecedented 2.4 million buys. The list includes many of McGregor’s memorable bouts, such as the second face-off with Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 (1.6M), his two victories against Nate Diaz (1.6M) and Donald Cerrone (1.3M), and his final Octagon appearance to date back in 2021 which was brought to a premature end when he broke his leg in round one of his battle with long-time adversary Poirier at UFC 264, a reported 1.8 million people having purchased the PPV on that particular night.

McGregor still has unfinished business with the UFC – and if recent reports are to be believed, is aiming for a return in 2026 at the White House – rumours that only seem to be gaining traction with the 37-year-old posting training footage online.