The UFC will be going all out when the White House hosts an event on June 14, dubbed UFC Freedom 250.
The event, celebrating 250 years of America, on President Donald Trump’s birthday, features some of the best in the company competing for bragging rights. Fans in Washington can watch the fight right outside the White House, while those outside it can watch on Paramount+.
UFC CEO Dana White is expecting Super Bowl-like numbers for this event.
The Super Bowl was watched by about 125 million people. Paramount+ has over 35.8 million subscribers in the U.S., per Dave Meltzer. About 80 million people have the streaming service.
If the event was also on CBS, White’s Super Bowl prediction could feel more fact than fiction. However, it doesn’t appear the main network under Paramount Skydance will feature UFC Freedom 250.
Here’s all you need to know about UFC Freedom 250, including why one of the biggest events in MMA history won’t air on CBS.
Why UFC Freedom 250 isn’t on TV
Several fights have aired on both CBS and Paramount+ after the UFC agreed to a $7.7 billion deal with Paramount for over seven years. The fights on CBS were free.
White made sure to initially mention that UFC Freedom 250 would be exclusively on Paramount+.
“It won’t be on CBS, it’ll be on Paramount+,” White told The Mac Life in December via MMA Fighting. “100%, that fight will be on Paramount+. Maybe we do some prelims on CBS, but that fight will be on Paramount+… There will be fights on CBS, but we’re on Paramount+.”
Outside White’s comments, there were plenty of quotes from TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro about a potential 50/50 split. President Trump even provided thoughts, though he didn’t know how it would all work.
MORE: Why Joe Rogan thinks ‘too many problems’ will ruin UFC White House card
Days before the event, White officially confirmed what many predicted: All fights will air on Paramount+, part of a subscription that’s owned by a massive audience.
“There’s only X number of fights, and it starts from the first one,” White said via USA Today. “We start at the beginning of time, and like the Mexican Independence Day fight that we did, we’re going to tell the story of America from the first fight to the last. So no, they’ll all be on Paramount+.”
The UFC produced a show from Sphere in 2024 for Mexican Independence Day. The prelims aired on ESPN+, with the main card on PPV. It was a full fight card.
Unlike that event, UFC Freedom 250 features seven fights, with the event starting at 8 p.m. ET.
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