For the first time in two decades, the UFC does not have a TV deal in Brazil, despite the country being one of the sport's biggest markets.
The promotion first took place in Brazil in 1998 for UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil, and the event involved some of the sport's future stars such as Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort and Frank Shamrock.
Since then, the UFC has held 40 events in Brazil, with some of the biggest fights in the promotion's history taking place in the country.
Photo by Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC has no TV deal in Brazil for the first time in twenty years
In January 2023, the UFC signed a three-year broadcast deal with Band in Brazil, agreeing to broadcast a dozen Fight Night events per year, but the promotion has now opted to terminate the deal with twelve months remaining to go.
In addition to the deal with Band, preliminary fights were occasionally broadcast on the Brazilian YouTube channel GOAT, but that deal has also been canceled according to MMAFighting.
Unfortunately for Brazilian MMA fans, the first UFC event of 2025 arrives this Saturday, and the main event will see two Brazilian women clash as Mackenzie Dern takes on Amanda Ribas.
Currently, the only way for fans in Brazil to watch the events is through the UFC's streaming platform, UFC Fight Pass. Luckily, though, Brazil has one of the cheapest Fight Pass subscription costs, with fans able to subscribe for just $2 per month if they opt for the annual subscription.
The promotion is planning a return to Brazil for the first time since UFC 301 last May, with an event in the capital Brasilia reportedly set to take place on May 31.
It is unclear at this time if the UFC will sign a new broadcast deal in the country before returning with the rumored event.
Fans believe the broadcast restriction in Brazil opens the way for a global Netflix deal
Former broadcast partner in Brazil, Globo, had discussions with the UFC about bringing the product back to their network, but it is still unclear if they will make a new deal.
Earlier this week, the WWE aired its first show on Netflix after signing a historic deal with the streaming platform late last year, making their Raw shows exclusive to Netflix.
With the WWE and UFC both under the TKO banner, MMA fans believe the recent hiatus of UFC broadcasts in Brazil could open a path for them to strike a global deal with Netflix.
The promotion is in the final year of its seven-year deal with ESPN as its broadcast partner in the United States, with an extremely lucrative deal expected next wherever it ends up.
“They're probably going to go the Netflix route like TKO did with the WWE,” one fan commented on X.
Another fan agreed, saying, “This basically confirms the UFC/Netflix deal.”
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“UFC will only be available on Fight Pass in Brazil…big question: Does this UFC pave the way for a multinational pact with Netflix, similar to the WWE deal?” another fan wondered.
Brazil is the country with the second largest number of fighters signed to the promotion and has, of course, produced current global superstars such as Alex Pereira, Charles Oliveira and Alexandre Pantoja.
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