With ESPN set to lose broadcast rights for the UFC at the end of the year, longtime analyst Chael Sonnen announced his contract with the network is also coming to an end.
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show with his former ESPN co-host, Sonnen expressed disappointment that his time at the Worldwide Leader was finishing up. The former professional MMA fighter also appeared uncertain as to his future commentating on UFC cards, saying he was not sure of Paramount’s plans when the company takes over broadcasts starting on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas.
“I don’t know if Paramount is even bringing in a crew,” Sonnen said, indicating the UFC could stay in-house for studio coverage going forward. “I don’t quite know, from a production standpoint, how that all works or what that means to me.”
Chael Sonnen says his ESPN deal expires on January 1st. Doesn’t know if he’ll be part of the Paramount deal. #HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/hv5ttj8Upz
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) December 16, 2025
Paramount took over UFC rights earlier this summer as a surprise entrant into the negotiations, paying a monster $7.7 billion for a seven-year deal. The newly acquired company will air UFC cards on its Paramount+ streaming service, bypassing the longstanding pay-per-view model to distribute fights directly through the app.
Even during its ESPN deal, the UFC handled production internally. Sonnen and Helwani were hired by the Worldwide Leader to provide reporting and commentary on the pre-fight shows and shoulder programming like SportsCenter. As often happens at ESPN, when the company loses rights to air a sport, they largely stop covering it.
“ESPN really was a great bunch of people,” Sonnen said. “I will miss it on a personal level. I believe I’ve had the good fortune of being at every pay-per-view for seven years.”
So far, Paramount and UFC parent TKO Holdings Group have not confirmed the announcer lineup for their broadcasts. Maybe Sonnen will eventually get a call.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.