One of the sport’s founding figures believes “a lot of things are going to change” for the UFC in the near future.
2026 will mark the start of the promotion’s new $7.7 billion broadcast deal with Paramount+, replacing their long-standing pay-per-view model with a subscription-based approach.
Paddy Pimblett vs Justin Gaethje headlines UFC 324, which will be the first major event available at no additional cost to Paramount subscribers.
But despite a card filled with big names, fan reaction has not been overwhelmingly positive. The promotion’s co-creator has suggested this could become a recurring theme in this new era.
Campbell McLaren suggests ways the UFC’s booking may change as a result of the Paramount deal
The UFC built their reputation on delivering fights fans wanted to see, even if it did not always manage it perfectly. That approach was central to their rise in popularity.
Recently, though, there has been growing concern that those priorities might be shifting, especially as they prepare for their transition to streaming under the new Paramount deal in 2026.
During an interview with Bloody Elbow, Campbell McLaren praised Dana White as one of combat sports’ most influential promoters, but also noted that White developed his style during the pay-per-view era, where every card needed to be worth buying. Now, things could drastically change.
“That training comes from the PPV business because if you don’t put on fights that the fans want to see, fans won’t buy it,” he began by saying.
“So, now moving his model to a subscription series, it’s going to be interesting to see if Dana is still so focused on putting on the fights the fans want to see or if he is maybe more interested in putting on fights that build a particular fighter or perhaps more of an economic advantage in that they get paid less. There’s a lot of things that are going to change I think with the Paramount+ deal.”
Combate Global set for a new direction under Campbell McLaren
McLaren is open about the fact that Combate Global cannot match the UFC in terms of roster depth or overall talent.
Instead, he has focused on carving out a different path, building a promotion around young strikers and targeting Latin American fans.
Combate Global will soon be moving their operations from Miami to Southern California.
The change is expected to open up more opportunities for growth while still keeping the core of what fans expect from Combate Global.
The promotion plans to stage 20 live events in 2026, all taking place at Estrella TV studios.
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