Dana White has revealed early indications are that UFC\u2019s debut on Paramount+ was a success.<\/p>\n
Once UFC\u2019s broadcast deal with ESPN expired, the top MMA promotion secured a seven-year, $7.7 billion streaming deal with Paramount. The deal marked the end of the pay-per-view era for UFC. On Saturday, UFC 324 marked the promotion\u2019s debut on Paramount+.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters during the UFC 324 post-fight presser<\/a>, White didn\u2019t have the streaming numbers available. Still, White was given some promising early indicators.<\/p>\n \u201cI just talked to Ari [Emanuel], Ari said we\u2019ll have numbers on Monday or Tuesday,\u201d White said. \u201cThis exceeded expectations beyond belief for Paramount. We know it killed it, we just don\u2019t know the exact number yet. They\u2019re saying it exceeded by double.\u201d<\/p>\n UFC 324 was headlined by an interim lightweight title fight. Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett went the distance, and Gaethje captured the gold by earning a unanimous decision<\/a>. Gaethje has earned a title unification bout against main titleholder Ilia Topuria, who is currently on hiatus from pro MMA competition.<\/p>\n The show was supposed to feature Amanda Nunes\u2019 comeback. \u201cThe Lioness\u201d was scheduled to challenge Kayla Harrison for the UFC Women\u2019s Bantamweight Championship. Things didn\u2019t go as planned due to Harrison\u2019s neck surgery.<\/p>\n