Sean O’Malley Calls Out Dana White After $7.7 Paramount Deal

UFC is heading to the new Paramount era, kicking off 2026 for the next seven years. CEO Dana White sounds very optimistic about making Paramount+ the exclusive home for all UFC events following the announcement. The combat sports world is also buzzing.

However, UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is still not clear about fighter compensation even though this new deal will increase the promotion’s global reach. It’s exhilarating for O’Malley, but as a longtime critic of fighter pay structure, he has questions for White about how the new era unfolds.

Sean O’Malley Calls Out Dana White, Demands Fighter Pay Boost

For the unversed, the $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount represents one of the largest broadcast agreements in combat sports history. It has put UFC’s annual media revenue alongside major leagues like MLB. And the new structure will allow fans worldwide to enjoy every show through a monthly subscription instead of paying $80 per pay-per-view event.

How these changes will result in future rooms remains to be seen, but for now UFC leadership celebrates the financial windfall. But the 30-year-old is concerned about whether increased company revenue translates to better paychecks for fighters. With billions of dollars now flowing into the promotion, he is demanding clarity on how the financial pie gets divided.

During his appearance on “One Night with Steiny,” O’Malley admitted uncertainty and sought answers directly about compensation under the new model. “That’s a question I have with UFC as well… I haven’t talked to them about it. No more pay-per-view – I’m still curious how it’s going to be,” he said, highlighting the information gap between management and fighters.

Suga is also concerned about whether UFC’s numbered cards will maintain their blockbuster status under the monthly subscription model. He wondered if the promotion might reduce star power on individual cards since subscription revenue remains guaranteed regardless of lineup quality.

“I’m curious how the cards are going to look,” O’Malley noted, referencing how PPV events typically stack top five fights with big names. Despite his concerns, he remains confident about the UFC’s global expansion with the Paramount deal.

 “I think at the end of the day, there are going to be more eyeballs on the fights, more eyeballs on the fighters. The UFC is going to become a bigger platform. More people are going to watch the UFC now than they did before. So, I think it helps fighters, it helps us,” O’Malley said.

Sean O’Malley Claims Piracy Forced UFC Into $7.7B Paramount Deal

Before the Paramount+ deal, UFC’s live streaming in the U.S. was primarily handled by ESPN+. O’Malley believes illegal streaming played a critical role in pushing the UFC away from the pay-per-view model and toward the Paramount partnership.

Piracy has long been a persistent issue for the UFC, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, it surged dramatically. UFC boss Dana White even shared a story about a bar owner who confronted him with a gun after being caught illegally streaming a PPV event.

So, “Suga” sees the new media deal as a strategic response to widespread piracy that caused massive losses in the promotion’s revenue. “The illegal streaming platforms were just taking over pay-per-view, so it makes sense to get away from that and to go the way they’re going,” O’Malley told MMA Junkie, explaining the business logic behind the shift.

He added, “But yeah, I was happy with where I was at pay-per-view wise.” Like O’Malley, many have the same feeling about ESPN’s pay-per-view system. But to fight piracy, this new subscription model was necessary. Though it won’t be a permanent solution, it will hopefully reduce the amount of illegal streaming.

main photo credit: IMAGO / PxImages