Paramount+ is bringing The Ultimate Fighter back on Sunday, June 14, with UFC Hall of Famers Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping serving as coaches for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Cormier vs. Team Bisping. The long-running reality competition remains one of the most important pipelines into the UFC, helping launch the careers of stars like Forrest Griffin and Kamaru Usman.
What to Expect From the New Season
- Premiere: Sunday, June 14
- Streaming home: Paramount+ (exclusive)
- Coaches: Cormier vs. Bisping
- Fighters: 16 prospects (men’s bantamweight & women’s strawweight)
- Episode rollout: Weekly episodes every Tuesday
- Bonus: Past seasons of The Ultimate Fighter arrive on Paramount+ in late May
The new season also fits into the bigger UFC-Paramount+ partnership that continues to build. Previously, it was reported that Paramount+ would become the exclusive home for new seasons of The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series in the U.S., Latin America, and Australia, creating a single pipeline from UFC prospect shows to live fight cards.
The Octagon’s push has already spilled onto CBS, too. In March, CBS aired a special UFC simulcast, and UFC said the telecast added 2.468 million viewers. The broadcast averaged 2.809 million viewers during the one-hour window and peaked at 3.207 million viewers, making it the most-watched linear UFC telecast in a decade.
For years, UFC has been closely tied to ESPN and ESPN+, but this new deal signals a shift toward a more diversified media strategy. The UFC on Paramount+ era includes access to marquee numbered UFC events and Fight Night cards as part of the subscription, with the new rollout beginning earlier this year with UFC 324 on January 24.
By adding the UFC, Paramount+ is positioning itself as a serious competitor in the sports streaming space. The MMA promotion has attracted younger, sports-focused subscribers while boosting engagement with weekly content drops.
With a $7.7 billion UFC deal, a growing slate of live events, and now exclusive reality programming, Paramount+ is quickly transforming into a legitimate destination for fight fans.