Dana White Says The Ultimate Fighter Will Continue With ESPN Deal

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Dana White said that The Ultimate Fighter will continue after all, as part of the UFC’s new deal with ESPN. Here are highlights:

On the status of the The Ultimate Fighter: “‘The Ultimate Fighter’ will continue. There’s still a huge market for ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ still does well.”

On the ratings of the show: “People will look at the ratings, and they’ll come in at a half-million, 600 (thousand), 650, but that’s the initial rating. Now, with DVR and stuff like that, the numbers are much bigger. Last season’s ‘Ultimate Fighter’ (27) averaged about a million viewers. That’s a lot of people. It’s still a big show and a big brand. Yeah, it’ll go on.”

On if it will be on ESPN: “Yup. We can do it with ESPN, ESPN+.”