{"id":277089,"date":"2018-05-25T06:39:28","date_gmt":"2018-05-25T13:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=277089"},"modified":"2018-05-25T06:43:25","modified_gmt":"2018-05-25T13:43:25","slug":"miesha-tate-feels-ufc-espn-is-incredible-but-feels-fighters-deserve-bigger-piece-of-the-pie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/miesha-tate\/miesha-tate-feels-ufc-espn-is-incredible-but-feels-fighters-deserve-bigger-piece-of-the-pie\/","title":{"rendered":"Miesha Tate thinks UFC-ESPN is “incredible,” but hopes fighters get bigger piece of the pie"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2019, the UFC will part ways with FOX and start broadcasting on ESPN<\/a>. The promotion’s product will also appear extensively on ESPN’s streaming service ESPN+<\/a>. This new deal between the two parties, which is set to span five years, is worth a hefty $1.5 billion dollars.<\/p>\n

Speaking on her radio show,\u00a0MMA Tonight on SiriusXM Rush<\/a>, former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate gave her take on this new UFC-ESPN deal. For her, the deal seems to represent the next step in the UFC’s evolution.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredible,\u201d Tate said (transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting<\/a>). \u201cIt\u2019s a big jump up. Just when you think the promotion has hit the ceiling so to speak, it\u2019s just a glass one that they appear to break through and go on to new levels. This is massive. This is a huge transition for the company and I think everyone is pretty excited about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that it\u2019s a five-year deal and there\u2019s just so much that ESPN has to offer,” Tate continued. “This isn\u2019t just a one road venture, there are multiple avenues. This is a tree of ventures with ESPN and lots of opportunities for the UFC to branch out in different shapes and forms and really grow the platform. We\u2019re putting MMA on the map in new places and growing the sport, which is awesome to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Miesha Tate is clearly excited about the UFC’s new deal with ESPN, she’s also hoping UFC fighters will see a significant piece of deal’s $1.5 billion price tag.<\/p>\n

UFC President Dana White has assured the deal will benefit fighters, though not in a particularly straightforward, tangible way. Based on his comments, fighters will benefit most from elevated levels of promotion.<\/p>\n

\n

Dana White, when asked how this ESPN deal will benefit UFC fighters: "ESPN has shown its commitment to not only UFC, but MMA. The amount of promotion our athletes are going to get now, and what ESPN is doing with this new platform, it's going to be very big for the fighters."<\/p>\n

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 23, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n