ESPN raises price of UFC pay-per-views

UFC pay-per-views are going to be a little more expensive going forward, starting with UFC 246 on January 18. That card, and those that follow it, will cost $64.99 rather than the usual $59.99.

This price-hike can be attributed to ESPN, the promotion’s broadcast partner, as UFC pay-per-views are available exclusively through the ESPN app.

“This price change represents a return to the price that UFC fans traditionally paid, prior to ESPN+ decreasing the PPV price for most of 2019,” ESPN representatives said in a statement to Variety (h/t MMA Fighting).

As this statement suggests, this change represents a return to the previous price of pay-per-views. All the same, it’s unlikely to be well-received by fight fans. Skeptics will undoubtedly also wonder how much of this additional revenue will end up in the pockets of the fighters.

Here’s the official lineup for UFC 246, the first card to be available at this new, increased price. The card will be headlined by a high-stakes welterweight fight between former two-division champion Conor McGregor and fan favorite veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

UFC 246 Fight Card:

170 lbs.: Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone
135 lbs.: Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
155 lbs.: Diego Ferreira vs. Anthony Pettis
145 lbs.: Maycee Barber vs. Roxanne Modafferi
155 lbs.: Drew Dober vs. Nasrat Haqparast
145 lbs.: Grant Dawson vs. Chas Skelly
265 lbs.: Maurice Greene vs. Aleksei Oleinik
115 lbs.: Claudia Gadelha vs. Alexa Grasso
145 lbs.: Andre Fili vs. Sodiq Yusuff
125 lbs.: Askar Askarov vs. Tim Elliott
135 lbs.: Brian Kelleher vs. Ode Osbourne
125 lbs.: J.J. Aldrich vs. Sabina Mazo

What are your thoughts on ESPN’s decision to raise the price UFC pay-per-views? Join the conversation in the comments section down below.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 12/18/2019.