The sport of mixed martial arts is inherently violent, but could 2026 be the year where the UFC turns the violence up another notch?
UFC’s Paramount+ Deal
UFC is heading into 2026 with a new home, and that is Paramount+. Subscribers of the streaming service will be able to see UFC Pay-Per-Views as well as Fight Night’s and a back catalog of older events. But, with the change from ESPN to Paramount, will the UFC somehow get more violent? That’s what UFC commentator and correspondent Laura Sanko believes.
There’s no secret that Dana White and the UFC brass would rather see a violent striking battle, than a technical wrestling bout, because a majority of fans, especially new fans, would categorize wrestling as “boring.” And with a ton of new potential eyes on the sport come January 24 and beyond, will the UFC reward violence and denounce a hug-fest?
While sitting down with Mike Bohn, UFC’s own Laura Sanko commented on UFC’s switch to Paramount+ with the idea that more violence is to come. “I think the trend is going to continue to be violence, there is so much talk now around rewarding violent fighters, and rewarding finishes, and the striving for finishes” Laura continued, “I think that there is this feeling in the atmosphere that with this new broadcast partner, we need to show these people what fighting really is. We are going to have a new audience without this paywall.”
While this may sound enticing for fans and fighters alike, will this actually end the days of holding opponents against the cage and more grapple-heavy bouts? Only time will tell.
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