RMC Sport extends exclusive UFC deal in France, also covering Zuffa Boxing and UFC BJJ

RMC Sport will keep the UFC in France. The network announced on Friday, October 16, a multi-year extension of its exclusive UFC deal with TKO, the UFC's parent company, according to Sportcal. The new agreement also covers TKO's Zuffa Boxing and UFC BJJ.

Neither side has disclosed the length of the deal or its value, Matchs TV reported. It replaces the deal signed in 2023, which was due to run until 2027, according to Puremédias.

David Shaw, the UFC's executive vice president for content and international, said in the announcement, as quoted by Sportcal:

"UFC and RMC Sport have worked together to elevate MMA in France to new heights."

What's actually new

The UFC part is a renewal. RMC has shown the promotion since 2014, as the UFC said when the last deal was signed in January 2023. That contract covered France, Monaco and the French overseas territories, with every main card live and the prelims of every numbered event.

The boxing piece is less clear-cut. Sportcal describes Zuffa Boxing as a new acquisition, but Bbox Mag already listed it in RMC's programming on October 4. The one that looks genuinely new is UFC BJJ, the jiu-jitsu promotion Dana White started in 2025. RMC boss Karim Nedjari's own phrasing, "Zuffa Boxing et maintenant l'UFC BJJ", points the same way, per Puremédias.

The first UFC event under the new deal is UFC 333 on October 24, according to Sportcal. That card is in Abu Dhabi, headlined by Alexander Volkanovski against Movsar Evloev for the featherweight title. Tonight's UFC Edmonton card, Joaquin Buckley against Mike Malott, still airs on RMC at 2 a.m. French time, Matchs TV noted.

Puremédias lists UFC BJJ 13 on October 29 and Zuffa Boxing 12 on November 7. That boxing card is headlined by Chris Billam-Smith against Cheavon Clarke in London, according to Wikipedia.

Why it matters

The UFC's September 5 Paris card drew 97 million video views across RMC Sport's social accounts, according to Puremédias.

France also has a heavyweight champion. Ciryl Gane was promoted to undisputed champion after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt. He defends it against the unbeaten Josh Hokit (10-0) at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on November 14, Cageside Press reported.

Gane is 14-2. In June he stopped Alex Pereira in the second round at closing odds of −105, close to a coin flip. The market currently gives him a 69% chance against Hokit, as our Gane page shows, and that can move before fight week.

Nassourdine Imavov is the other French contender closest to a belt. He has won his last two as an underdog, at +132 against Israel Adesanya and +114 against Caio Borralho, according to our Imavov page. His title shot has stalled, though. Champion Sean Strickland was rumoured to have turned down a UFC 335 headliner against him over pay, Cageside Press reported.

Imavov has since offered to put "$500K of my own money on the line if you beat me in January", according to Yardbarker.

TKO already sells boxing alongside the UFC in the US, where Paramount+ holds both, as Cageside Press reported. We think France follows the same logic. The UFC is what a broadcaster really wants, and packaging it with boxing and jiu-jitsu gets TKO's newer, smaller properties onto French TV without having to find them a separate buyer.

Ownership and where to watch

RMC Sport changed hands this month. CMA Media, the group owned by Rodolphe Saadé, completed its purchase from Altice in early October, according to Puremédias.

The channel is also spreading beyond SFR. It has been on Free since October 14, according to Puremédias. Canal+ follows on October 22, with DAZN, Orange and Bouygues Telecom still undated, Sport Business Club reported.

RMC's streaming offer costs €15 a month on a 12-month commitment or €25 a month with none, according to Matchs TV. That price runs until November 8.