UFC Ends PPV in Canada

Say goodbye to $69.99 UFC pay-per-views in Canada—starting in 2027, fight fans north of the border will get every main card live on Paramount+ for just C$7.99 a month. It’s a seismic shift: ditching pricey one-off buys for a streaming subscription that could bring in more eyeballs but squeezes average revenue per fan. Paramount+ scores exclusive rights, Sportsnet and TVA keep some prelims, and the UFC bets that bigger reach and slicker streaming will outweigh the old-school PPV cash cow.

But here’s the twist: to turbocharge those new subscriptions, the UFC is building a $60 million mega-event—Freedom 250—on the White House South Lawn, complete with a CBS simulcast and a field of free tickets for the military and the public. It’s a patriotic spectacle designed to flood the funnel with new fans, right before the July showdown between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway, which still leans on the old PPV model where it makes sense. The stakes? If Freedom 250 creates blockbuster buzz and pushes fans toward paying for McGregor–Holloway, UFC’s new playbook works. If not, expect more countries to copy Canada’s streaming switch sooner than later.

Featuring reporting and analysis from ESPN, UFC.com, and Sportsnet.ca.

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