How to Watch UFC in 2026 in the US
The biggest change in years for American UFC fans: the UFC left ESPN and moved to Paramount+ for 2026 — and in the process, US pay-per-view is gone. If you were used to buying each numbered card, you don't anymore. Here's exactly how it works now.
The short answer
In the United States, the UFC is exclusive to Paramount+ under a seven-year deal (reported at about $7.7 billion) that began January 1, 2026. Paramount+ carries all 12 numbered events and all 30 Fight Nights — early prelims, prelims and main card — live and on demand. There is no separate per-event charge.
UFC is not pay-per-view anymore
This is the headline. Under the Paramount deal there is no PPV upsell in the US — every numbered event (yes, including the big ones) is included in a standard Paramount+ subscription at no extra cost. The old $70-ish pay-per-view model for UFC in the US is finished.
What Paramount+ costs
- Paramount+ Essential (with ads): $8.99/month or $89.99/year.
- Paramount+ Premium (ad-free, adds live CBS + Showtime content): $13.99/month or $139.99/year.
Both tiers include the full UFC slate. Note that Paramount+ ended its free trials around the UFC launch, so there's no longer a no-cost week to sample it.
Some cards are free on CBS
Select numbered events are simulcast live on CBS — free over the air with an antenna, or through any cable/satellite/live-TV package. The catch: CBS carries a window of the card, not the whole thing. The first-ever UFC-on-CBS event, UFC 326 (Holloway vs. Oliveira 2) on March 7, 2026, is the template — CBS aired the final hour of prelims and the first hour of the main card, while the complete event streamed on Paramount+. Which other 2026 cards get a CBS window is announced per event rather than in advance, so check the card's page.
Where UFC Fight Pass fits now
UFC Fight Pass still exists as a separate subscription (about $10.99/month), but it is not where the marquee 2026 UFC cards live — those are on Paramount+. Fight Pass is the home of the UFC's fight library and archives (UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, WEC) plus live regional and partner promotions like LFA, Cage Warriors, GLORY and Invicta. Think of it as a combat-sports catalog, not the UFC event home.
International cards and odd US start times
UFC events from Europe, the Middle East and Australia can air in the early afternoon US time — or run late — rather than the usual prime-time Saturday slot. Every card on our UFC schedule shows its start times in US Eastern and converts them to your local zone automatically, so an overseas card doesn't catch you out.
The bottom line
One home, one price: a Paramount+ subscription (from $8.99/month) gets you every UFC event in 2026 with no pay-per-view. Cord-cutters can also catch the free CBS window on select marquee cards with an antenna — but the full card is on Paramount+.