UFC’s dramatic move to abandon its longstanding pay-per-view model in the U.S. media-rights deal with CBS Sports parent Paramount was less about a philosophical shift than it was about working closely with a network partner. 

As UFC parent company TKO Group Holdings struck a seven-year, $7.7 billion rights deal with Paramount, UFC president Dana White tells Front Office Sports that he and TKO officials discussed a variety of potential deals with network suitors that both included and omitted a PPV model.

“Wherever I do a deal, my goal is to build businesses, mine and theirs,” White says. “In the past, we helped build Spike TV, we helped build Fox Sports 1, and we helped build ESPN+. Now we’re doing the same with Paramount Skydance, and this is how we’re doing it.”

Ultimately, though, White acknowledges that shifting away from the PPV structure beginning next year will expose UFC to far more potential fans. In the current ESPN+ deal, UFC numbered events are an add-on option at $79.99 per event. In the new deal, all the numbered events and Fight Nights will be available on Paramount+, with “select” simulcasts on the numbered events appearing on the CBS broadcast network. A Paramount+ premium plan that includes live streaming costs $12.99 per month. 

“It’s going to be huge, and we’re incredibly pumped about being in business with Paramount, the history of the company, and working with [Paramount chair and CEO] David Ellison,” White says. “We intend to be a big part of their global aspirations.”

A specific number of linear simulcasts has not been finalized, but White says, “We’ll be ready to go whenever CBS and Paramount want to.”

Market Reaction

Furthering momentum from initial Monday trading, TKO shares surged more than 10% for the day, ending the session at $180 per share and nearing a company high. The newly formed Paramount Skydance, conversely, fell nearly 4% as analysts are still looking to sort out the long-term meaning of the deal for the company.

“For TKO, the most important thing is that the numbered fights are no longer behind an expensive paywall. As we’ve said numerous times, the UFC’s PPV price point was way too high. In turn, not enough people were exposed to UFC’s best content,” wrote LightShed Partners in a research note. 

“Licensing UFC is the second bold content move in the past week for the new Paramount Skydance team, following the decision to shift South Park from HBO Max to Paramount+. Whether or not these are standalone accretive investments is TBD. However, they clearly signal how long-term and big team Ellison is thinking. … They are trying to create a long-term imprint on the future of the media industry to win,’” LightShed wrote.

White House Fights

Meanwhile, White says a much-discussed plan to stage a UFC event on the White House grounds next July is “definitely happening.” The high-profile fight card will be held in conjunction with celebrations of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, and White said the event will likely be shown on CBS. The developing effort is in part an outgrowth of the close relationship between White and U.S. President Donald Trump.

“I feel really good about how that’s progressing,” White says. “We’re actually heading [to Washington] at the end of August for meetings about it. Ivanka [Trump, the president’s daughter] is also involved in this. We’ll be making a presentation and then will look to hear back about what they like about it and don’t like.”

The NBA has hit its quietest point of the calendar, but a few questions still surround some of its biggest markets—with most involving restricted free agents.

The Warriors are in a stalemate with Jonathan Kuminga, the 22-year-old they selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft. According to ESPN, Kuminga and his representatives are looking for a three-year, $82 million deal, which would cement him in the team’s long-term plans.

Golden State has reportedly offered him a two-year, $45 million contract that has a team option for the second year. That would be less total and annual money—but also make it easier for the Warriors to move on from the forward either in free agency or via trade.

Kuminga is reportedly even more interested in taking a $7.9 million qualifying offer that would make him an unrestricted free agent next year—giving him the ability to sign elsewhere. Very few restricted free agents accept the qualifying offer, generally signing long-term deals instead.

Chicago is also in a holding pattern with guard Josh Giddey, who was selected one pick before Kuminga in 2021. The Bulls offered Giddey a four-year, $80 million deal—$20 million annually—but he is seeking $30 million per year, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.

Fischer also reported there is outside interest for Giddey, but the Bulls are “not eager to discuss such scenarios” with rival teams.

Two other notable restricted free agents are Sixers wing Quentin Grimes and Nets guard Cam Thomas. 

The glaring issue for many of the restricted free agents is the lack of salary-cap space across the league. While they appear to be waiting to get their desired contracts, the limited options for their services across the league could prove advantageous for their teams.

Veteran Unrestricted Free Agents Remain

Golden State’s standoff with Kuminga has also stalled its pursuit of Al Horford, who many pundits have penciled in with the Warriors. The 39-year-old is reportedly still considering retirement, but he’d slot right into the minutes left by Kevon Looney, who signed with New Orleans.

Other veterans who are still without a home include Malcolm Brogdon, Russell Westbrook, Ben Simmons, and former Warriors guard Gary Payton II. 

Tennis stars have regularly complained about the sport’s hectic schedule, both on the ATP and WTA tours. Yet there is still an arms race over which combined 1000 tournaments could serve as the sport’s fifth Grand Slam.

The Cincinnati Open is making its strongest case this year, the first iteration of the tournament featuring its $260 million renovation supported by Ben Navarro, father of American tennis player Emma Navarro and founder of Beemok Sports, the tournament’s license holder. The renovation includes 10 additional courts—including a new, 2,000-seat sunken stadium—and a two-story players lounge.

Women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who won last year’s tournament, called the renovations “impressive” following her first-round win Saturday—though she also added that she was hoping for a bigger dining room.

“Other than that, oh my gosh, it’s even more enjoyable to be here,” Sabalenka said.

She’s far from the only player who has been complimentary of the improvements in Cincy. Asked whether it felt like the fifth Grand Slam, 2019 men’s singles champion Daniil Medvedev said, “Yes, it does.”

“It’s a great tournament, nothing bad to say, only good things,” Medvedev said.

Jeļena Ostapenko, the 2022 women’s doubles champion, also said it feels like the fifth Grand Slam, adding that she has “a lot of respect for the Navarro family.”

Major Hurdles

While there is no concrete way to determine the most prestigious of tennis’s combined 1000 tournaments, the Cincinnati Open does lag behind in one respect. Four of the other five tournaments are in major cities, while Indian Wells takes place outside Los Angeles. 

The Cincinnati Open doesn’t even take place in Cincinnati. It’s in Mason, Ohio, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati—with a population of fewer than 40,000 people.

Six combined 1000 tournament locations:

• Indian Wells Masters: Indian Wells, Calif.
• Miami Open: Miami, Fla.
• Canadian Open: Toronto (ATP) and Montreal (WTA)
• Italian Open: Rome
• Madrid Open: Madrid
• Cincinnati Open: Mason, Ohio

According to The Athletic, tournament director Bob Moran said the team “looked at every option” to hold the event, but settled on staying in Mason.

The timing of the event also makes it difficult to consistently attract all of tennis’s best players, given it’s just weeks before the US Open and overlaps with the Canadian Open. Victoria Mboko and Naomi Osaka, the women’s singles finalists in Montreal, both were last-minute withdrawals from the Cincinnati Open.

Its proximity to the US Open, however, could also be a positive. It has served as a spoiler for the New York–based Grand Slam for the last two years, as the two tournaments share the same men’s and women’s singles champions (2023: Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic, 2024: Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka).

LaLiga got one key step closer to hosting a regular-season match in the U.S. on Monday.

The Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) approved a request from clubs Villarreal and Barcelona to play their match the weekend of Dec. 20 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The match is currently scheduled for Dec. 21 at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica, but the Spanish federation said the game would be moved a day earlier. The Dolphins will host the Bengals on Dec. 21 for Sunday Night Football.

LaLiga has been pining for a match in Miami since 2018, but met resistance from the Spanish federation and FIFA.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has been eager to partner with LaLiga through his international soccer promoter Relevent Sports. After unsuccessfully trying to stage a LaLiga match, Relevent in 2019 filed an antitrust lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, claiming USSF banned it from hosting an Ecuadorian league game to protect MLS and its marketing arm. Relevent added FIFA as a defendant the next year. The suit was dismissed in 2021, but revived by a judge in 2023. FIFA settled in 2024, and USSF settled with Relevent in April. This will be the second straight December that LaLiga tries to play a match in Miami, after last year’s efforts fell through.

The request now moves up the food chain. UEFA, FIFA, USSF, and Concacaf will all need to sign off, although that appears increasingly likely.

FIFA has a long-standing ban on teams playing domestic league games abroad. But the rule has been under pressure in several courts, including the Relevent case and the Super League battle in the European Court of Justice, leading FIFA to form a working group last year to consider a change. Last month, the Italian football federation gave its approval to Serie A to host a February match between AC Milan and Como in Australia, which still awaits approval from other federations.