UFC legend has serious problem with promotion ending pay-per-view model

MMA legend Georges St-Pierre has a major gripe with the UFC putting an end to pay-per-view events.

UFC announced Monday an agreement with Paramount and CBS on a seven-year contract, which will pay the fighting promotion over $1 billion annually for the rights to stream UFC events. Read about the UFC-Paramount deal in further detail here.

One inclusion in the deal was that Paramount will discontinue the pay-per-view (PPV) model the UFC has historically relied on to broadcast its top events. Instead, the UFC will provide Paramount and CBS with 13 annual marquee events and 30 “Fight Nights” that will be made available to Paramount+ subscribers.

On Monday, St-Pierre spoke to Covers about the UFC’s new deal. The former welterweight champion explained how the new model sounded “terrible” for fighters.

“It could be good for the UFC as a promoter, but terrible for the fighters,” said GSP, via Bloody Elbow’s Curtis Calhoun. “Because when I was competing, I was able to have a great argument to negotiate on my contract.”

“I could tell the UFC, ‘Hey, if you want me to do all of the promotion, I want to become a partner. I want a piece of the pie to negotiate a part of the pay-per-view revenue. Because if I’m doing all the promotion, I’m helping you, but you need to help me. You need to make me a partner.’ So it might be a bad thing for the fighters in a way that they have less leverage.”

St-Pierre added that the UFC’s “big names” would be hurt the most by the new model.

Top UFC fighters have historically been able to negotiate a percentage of ticket sales and PPV buys as part of their payout to headline an event. But with the PPV era coming to an end, it remains to be seen how marquee fighters can gain additional compensation in the new revenue model.