Paramount CBS was initially set to take half of UFC’s broadcast rights in the form of 30 Fight Night cards. But the deal grew following the closure of a merger between Skydance and Paramount. In 48 hours, an agreement for rights to all of UFC’s events was struck, bucking the assumption that UFC would remain with ESPN or move to Netflix.

Paramount will become the new home to all UFC events in the U.S., while UFC's CEO says the White House may host a July 4 event broadcast on CBS.

In a major deal, Paramount scores exclusive rights to UFC events, signaling the end of the pay-per-view model currently used by ESPN.