Fox Sports, ESPN Reportedly Submit Joint Bid for UFC TV Package

As the UFC continues to negotiate for a new television package, rival networks ESPN and Fox Sports have reportedly combined forces in their bid for rights to the mixed martial arts promotion. 

Per Variety's Andrew Wallenstein and Daniel Holloway, the proposal includes splitting events up, with at least 15 events to ESPN's new subscription service, ESPN+, and the total number of events on all Fox networks slightly decreasing. 

The report doesn't specify how much money is being offered in the joint bid between ESPN and Fox Sports, though it does note ESPN is willing to pay $120-180 million per year and Fox Sports could increase its current deal to a "little more than $200 million" per year. 

In August 2011, the UFC signed a seven-year contract with Fox Sports worth $100 million per year. The deal included four prime-time events per year on Fox, with FS1 carrying preliminary cards prior to pay-per-view events. 

Wallenstein and Holloway noted WME-IMG Endeavor, which purchased the UFC for $4 billion in 2016, is seeking a television deal worth between $300-400 million per year. 

ESPN's Darren Rovell confirmed last November that Fox offered the UFC a deal in the $200 million range last November. 

ESPN and Fox Sports have shared television rights to multiple sports in the past, including Major League Soccer, the United States men's national soccer team and Big Ten conference sports.