Because the UFC produces all its own broadcasts in-house, the company will still have control over who calls fights for Paramount+ and CBS after a historic $7.7 billion deal announced this week. And it sounds like not only will Joe Rogan continue on the call alongside Jon Anik, but Rogan is as excited as could be about the new audience that the UFC will reach.
In separate comments this week, UFC president Dana White confirmed that Rogan and Anik will return. Rogan sounded off on the growth potential with fights airing on Paramount’s streaming platform and the CBS broadcast network.
“All the events are going to be available to everybody for free. Every pay-per-view, every fight card that they have … everything is going to be available for free. It’s an amazing deal,” Rogan said on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
Rogan credited Paramount for recognizing the potential for the UFC’s ceiling to be significantly higher after its recent growth. As of now, the basic tier of Paramount+ costs just $7.99 per month while the “essential” package costs $12.99 per month.
If those fees stay even relatively static, fight fans are getting a tremendous bargain compared with the ESPN+ pay-per-view model. And that’s before arriving at the potential for anyone with a television to watch the fights on CBS.
“And it’s a super smart deal for Paramount. What a great move. To not just have the UFC for seven years, but have it for free,” Rogan said. “Let’s say it’s 10 bucks. That’s $120 a year, and you get to watch every UFC pay-per-view? Two UFC pay-per-views is like $140 bucks … so [now] you get all of them? Everything’s free? That’s incredible. This sport is going to go f*cking hypernova.”
In an interview on Barstool’s Pardon My Take podcast released Wednesday, White confirmed Rogan and Anik will continue calling fights for the promotion under the new arrangement.
“Everything’s good for Joe Rogan. Joe Rogan has no problems in life whatsoever,” White explained. “Joe Rogan isn’t here at the UFC because of the money. He did the first 12 events for free. Joe Rogan has a time problem; that’s the only thing Joe Rogan has.”
Rogan will call UFC 319 this weekend in Chicago.
Back on his podcast, Rogan expressed hope that the UFC-ESPN relationship will continue. The comedian and podcast host believes ESPN studio shows and digital content help drive growth for the sport as well.
“I’m kind of bummed out, I hope they don’t lose the relationship that they had with ESPN with all their MMA shows. I hope they don’t go like, ‘F*ck them, they went to Paramount,'” Rogan said.
“I hope it’s a mutually beneficial thing, like the UFC does some content still on ESPN, because I think that’s also a big factor in pulling people, like casual viewers that watch other sports that might occasionally watch a UFC fight. And then they see, like, Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway, and they’re like, holy sh*t. And then they’re hooked. Having that coverage on SportsCenter, that sh*t’s huge. Having those post-fight shows on ESPN+, that sh*t is huge. For the real dorks like me, that’s huge.”
No matter how you slice it, the UFC is getting greater exposure than ever before and reeling in a payday that nobody could have expected. It will be business as usual for the sport alongside its new partners at Paramount. All that’s left to determine is just how much bigger the UFC can get.
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.