The UFC is known for deals that almost happened but fell apart. Dana White revealed that Vince McMahon, the former WWE boss, played a key role in stopping a very important deal.
In 2011, the UFC needed a new TV deal because they were too big for Spike TV. Many companies were interested, but NBC made the best offer. Dana White said they were close to finalizing the agreement.
White explained on Stephanie McMahon`s podcast, “We were very close to a deal with NBC. A key point for me was getting The Ultimate Fighter on USA Network. We spent days in New York working out the details with NBC executives. They finally agreed to put The Ultimate Fighter on USA.”
The next day, ready to sign, NBC executives said, “We just learned something unbelievable. Vince McMahon can decide if another combat sport can be on USA Network.” White was shocked, questioning how that could be possible.
WWE was a major show on USA Network with Monday Night Raw. McMahon controlled WWE and had the power to stop any other combat sports, like UFC, from being on the network.
This situation made White and Lorenzo Fertitta, then UFC owner, fly to WWE headquarters to meet McMahon and try to convince him to allow the NBC deal.
White continued, “Lorenzo and I decided to meet Vince in Connecticut to try and fix this. We went to his office, explained everything, and he simply said, `I don`t want you on the network.` When we asked why, he repeated, `I just don`t want you on it.`”
This ended the NBC deal. UFC was even considering buying G4 network. Instead, they called Eric Shanks and made a deal with FOX in Los Angeles. The FOX deal became UFC`s next chapter.
G4 was a TV channel mainly about video games, known for shows like Attack of the Show, which helped launch careers like Olivia Munn`s.
Because McMahon blocked the NBC deal, UFC didn`t buy G4, didn`t partner with NBC, and instead signed with FOX for seven years.
Looking back, White thinks not buying G4 was a good thing, saying it might have been a terrible mistake for the UFC.
White reflected, “Life is unpredictable. We don`t know what would have happened if we bought G4, but we believe it could have been disastrous.”
Just three years later, G4 shut down and went out of business when NBC closed it.
The FOX deal was successful for both UFC and FOX. In 2018, UFC moved to ESPN for a seven-year, $300 million per year deal. Now, UFC is negotiating a new deal, reportedly asking for $1 billion per year.
Regarding McMahon`s decision to stop the NBC deal, White thinks McMahon saw UFC as a competitor, not a partner.
White added, “I think Vince McMahon felt he needed to create a rivalry with us. It was just his personality.”
Interestingly, McMahon later praised UFC and its owners when WWE was sold to Endeavor, merging the two into TKO Group Holdings. However, McMahon later resigned from TKO due to a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse and trafficking.
