UFC's TV Deal Evolution

A story about how the UFC evolved from paying for TV airtime to securing their first major broadcast deal.

"We came in right before the first rights deal was actually paid. The UFC was paying to be on Spike prior to the Fox deal. They were actually paying for that airtime, so the original Ultimate Fighter and everything broadcast on Spike back in the day - they were not only funding their own production but paying for the airtime.

Fox was that really first paid deal that the UFC garnered, which was a monumental milestone for the sport and for the promotion. The sport wouldn't be here without the UFC which was the catalyst for where the sport is today. Now you have other promotions competing, though promotion is very synonymous with leagues.

That first Fox deal was really the main economic driver, just like it is for any professional sports organization whether it's the NFL or NBA. It completely changed things for the UFC."