The UFC is the archetype of mixed martial arts. The fighting promotion has consistently put on an immaculate show for their fans, year in and year out.
There are a number of ongoing concerns facing the promotion primarily revolving around fighter pay. The promotion will now have to invest their time into the other complications too.
Mixed martial artists are without a doubt, the opulent commodity that fans are willing to pay for. But when the promotion they represent enhances the charges for a PPV, whilst simultaneously displaying reluctance to compensate their athletes, the issue becomes substantial.
While Dana White has been an incredible ambassador for the sport, there have been certain atrocities committed on his watch. The latest is the increase in pay-per-view prices once again. Suffice it to say, fans didn’t take too kindly to the announcement.
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The price of being a fight fan just went up exponentially.
Since the UFC struck a deal with ESPN for broadcast rights in 2019, the company has every year without fail, surged its PPV prices. What started out at $59.99 in early 2020, was increased to $64.99 by the time the year came to a close.
.@UFC PPVs on @ESPNPlus will increase in price from $74.99 this year to $79.99 next year, starting with #UFC283 in January, per @Disney.
🔲 Disney says the move reflects “the value of ESPN+ and the popularity and quality of UFC events,” and that it doesnt impact ESPN+ sub price. pic.twitter.com/PBf0cMTIUE
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) December 22, 2022
Without further ado, the promotion once again increased their prices at the start of 2021 to $69.99. To the dismay of supporters, before the current year kicked off, it was announced that there would be another increase in the prices, catapulting it to $74.99 to watch a pay-per-view.
And just when one would have thought that the promotion might have had enough, at long last, they have once again announced a surge in their PPV prices. Starting from UFC 283, the cost of a pay-per-view will be $79.99.
In addition, ESPN has increased the prices of their subscription, ESPN+ as well from $6.99 to $9.99 per month. An ESPN+ subscription is required to purchase the UFC PPVs.
An increase of $20 within the span of a couple of years. Insanity. White, in an attempt to deflect scrutiny last year, previously stated that while he wasn’t a fan of the enhancement in price, the decision was left out of his hands.
White stated:
“We don’t have any say in that. 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.”
The collective expense one will have to incur to be a UFC fan in 2023, is estimated to be north of $1000. A whopping figure for entertainment, when the entertainers aren’t even getting paid their fair due from it.
An astronomical blow to the fans, that have been avid supporters of the sport. And needless to say, they voiced their opinions about it without hesitation.
What’s next for the UFC?
The UFC does not have a record of backtracking from their announcements. So those expecting leniency or measures to implement previous prices are in for a surprise.
The silver lining in all of this hope is that, at long last, the fighters might be remunerated fairly. With concurrent pressure from the fans and the media, hopefully, sooner or later we might have a solution to a persistent problem.
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