UFC financially secure until 2023 with ESPN deal, but there are brand risks

The UFC’s deal with ESPN as its exclusive U.S. home that was recently announced by both groups is not just a game-changer financially for UFC, but also a notable experiment for sports in general.
While not a complete switch, the UFC will be the first major sports organization to cut back significantly on television time, while taking a big money deal to have the majority of its live programming on a streaming service.
At the same time, with the $300 million price tag, UFC joins most major