The UFC’s groundbreaking $7.7 billion broadcasting agreement with Paramount may have surprised the entire sports entertainment industry. However, one MMA icon believes the massive deal could spell trouble for the athletes who step into the octagon.
Georges St-Pierre, the former welterweight and middleweight champion who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020, has voiced serious concerns about how the seven-year partnership will impact fighter compensation and negotiating power.
The deal represents a seismic shift in how mixed martial arts content will be consumed in the United States. With 43 shows planned annually, including 13 numbered events, the traditional pay-per-view model that has defined UFC’s revenue structure for decades will become obsolete in American markets.
While the UFC celebrates securing $1.1 billion annually in media rights revenue, St-Pierre sees a darker side to this financial windfall. The Quebec native argues that the elimination of pay-per-view sales removes a crucial bargaining chip that top-tier athletes have historically used to secure better compensation packages.
“It could be good for the UFC, as a promoter, terrible for the fighters because when I was competing, I was able to have a great argument to negotiate on my contract,” St-Pierre explained to Covers. “I could tell the UFC, ‘Hey, if you want me to do all the promotion, I want to become a partner. I want a piece of the pie to negotiate a part of the pay-per-view revenue. Because if I’m doing all the promotion, I’m helping you, but you need to help me. You need to make me a partner.’ So it might be a bad thing for the fighters in a way that they have less leverage.”
The former champion’s perspective highlights a fundamental shift in the sport’s economic landscape. Under the previous model, marquee fighters could point to pay-per-view sales figures as concrete evidence of their drawing power and market value. This data provided tangible leverage during contract negotiations, allowing star athletes to demand a larger share of the revenue they helped generate.
With streaming taking center stage, that direct correlation between individual fighter appeal and quantifiable sales metrics becomes significantly more complex to measure and argue. St-Pierre believes this change will particularly impact the sport’s biggest names, who previously could command premium compensation based on their ability to drive pay-per-view purchases.
“That’s what I think,” St-Pierre continued. “I think it’s going to take off some leverage for the big names to have an argument to negotiate more money.”
The timing of these concerns is particularly noteworthy given the massive financial scope of the Paramount deal. While the UFC organization stands to benefit enormously from the guaranteed revenue stream, questions remain about whether any of these substantial gains will trickle down to the athletes who provide the entertainment that drives viewership.
UFC executives have remained notably silent on the topic of potential fighter pay increases despite the organization’s significantly improved financial position.
