UFC 326 will represent the next step in the partnership between UFC and Paramount+ as it was announced Tuesday that two hours of UFC action from the third numbered event on the deal between the parties will be simulcast live on CBS.
Taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 7, UFC 326 will be headlined by former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira looking to become the fourth-ever BMF champion when he takes on former featherweight champion Max Holloway in the main event.
Early prelims for UFC 326 begin at 5 p.m. ET with prelim fights starting at 7 p.m. and the main card kicking into gear at 9 p.m.
The final hour of prelims and the first hour of the main card will be simulcast live on CBS from 8-10 p.m. The final two hours of the UFC 326 main card will stream exclusively on Paramount+.
It has not yet been announced which fights will be a part of the first UFC on CBS simulcast.
Sign up for Paramount+ and watch UFC 326 live on Saturday night for no additional fee — every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night is included with the price of your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!
UFC 326 fight card
- Max Holloway (c) vs. Charles Oliveira, lightweights (BMF title)
- Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder, middleweights
- Gregory Rodrigues vs. Brunno Ferreira, middleweights
- Rob Font vs. Raul Rosas Jr., bantamweights
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Xiao Long, bantamweights
- Cody Durden vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel, flyweights
- Donte Johnson vs. Duško Todorovic, middleweights
- Yoo Joo-sang vs. Gaston Bolanos, featherweights
- Luke Fernandez vs. Rodolfo Bellato, light heavyweights
- Su Mudaerji vs. Jesús Santos Aguilar, flyweights
CBS has a long history of airing mixed martial arts. In 2008, CBS aired the first live MMA event in primetime American network TV history with EliteXC: Primetime, headlined by a bout between legendary street fighter Kimbo Slice and James Thompson. The event averaged roughly five million live viewers.
Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith headlined a second EliteXC event on CBS before Slice returned to headline a third CBS event that November, losing to late replacement Seth Petruzelli in just 14 seconds. Petruzelli stepped in to that main event slot after Ken Shamrock suffered a cut the day of the fight.
One year later, CBS announced a deal with Strikeforce with the promotion airing its first event on network TV in November 2009. Former PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko faced Brett Rogers in an event that peaked with nearly 5.5 million viewers. The following April saw the infamous “Nashville Brawl” in which Jake Shields’ team brawled with Jason Miller and others after the main event, effectively ending the promotion’s time on network TV.
Now, CBS brings MMA back to the network. This time, it’s the biggest promotion in the game airing a marquee UFC 326 event headlined by some of the sport’s biggest stars.
CBS will whet fans’ appetites for UFC 326 with the debut of “This is UFC,” airing on Friday, Feb. 20 starting at 8 p.m. The hour-long special traces UFC’s rise from underground spectacle to global powerhouse through conversations with UFC president and CEO Dana White, iconic fighters and rising stars.
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