White Blames ESPN For PPV Price Hike

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White wants all the credit for creating a $7 billion mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion — but refuses to take any responsibility for how it got there.

That’s why White shrugged off complaints about the recent pay-per-view (PPV) price hike, which takes effect for the UFC 270: “Ngannou vs. Gane” event this Sat. night (Jan. 22, 2022) inside Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

The cost increased from $69.99 to $74.99.

“We don’t have any say in that,” White told reporters at the UFC Vegas 46 post-fight press conference (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “We gave the pay-per-views to ESPN, so yeah, that’s their decision. You know how I feel about that stuff. I don’t love when prices get raised, but it’s not my decision. It’s theirs.”

So who do we blame for this increase?

UFC moved its PPV programming to the ESPN+ digital network in early 2019, part of a landmark deal with the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” that is expected to last until 2025. Non-PPV “Fight Night” cards are typically split between ESPN and ESPN+, depending on the fight calendar, but PPV orders require a standalone purchase, as well as an existing subscription to ESPN+.

Which costs $6.99/mo or $69.99/yr.

To see the updated UFC 270 fight card and PPV lineup click here.