Netflix Develops Dana White Documentary Amid UFC Talks
The streaming service is making a film about the UFC president after its bid for UFC streaming rights fell through.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Mixed Martial Arts
Netflix is developing a documentary centered on UFC president Dana White, directed by Gotham Chopra. The project emerged alongside Netflix's unsuccessful pursuit of UFC streaming rights.
Why it matters
The film signals Netflix's continued interest in combat sports content even after losing the UFC rights race. It also highlights how the UFC's media rights have shifted toward Paramount's seven-year deal.
Paramount's seven-year, $7.7 billion deal for exclusive U.S. UFC rights, announced in August 2025, sets the financial benchmark for the sport's media market. Netflix's pursuit collapsed over the volume of the package TKO wanted to bundle, and the film's release date remains unconfirmed.
The players
Dana White
The UFC president whose promotional career helped build the company into a global mixed martial arts brand.
Netflix
The streaming platform that approved the documentary and has carried WWE Raw since January 2025 through its TKO deal.
Paramount
The media company that secured exclusive U.S. UFC broadcast rights in a seven-year deal valued at $7.7 billion.
Bela Bajaria
The former Netflix chief content officer who greenlit the documentary before leaving the company.
Gotham Chopra
The filmmaker directing the Dana White documentary for Netflix.
The details
Netflix approved the Dana White documentary in 2025 while pursuing UFC streaming rights, but those talks failed because Netflix wanted only numbered events and TKO insisted on bundling them with Fight Night cards. The project began as a film about Las Vegas before shifting its focus to White, who persuaded the Fertitta brothers to invest $2 million in the UFC in 2001.
Timeline
2001: Dana White persuades Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta to invest $2 million in the UFC.
2025: Netflix approves the White documentary alongside its UFC pursuit.
August 2025: Paramount announces a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal for exclusive U.S. UFC rights.
September 2025: TKO's Mark Shapiro says Netflix talks were close but failed.
October 2026: Bela Bajaria leaves her role as Netflix chief content officer.
Industry Dynamics
Paramount's $7.7 billion, seven-year UFC rights deal in August 2025 set the market's reference point and left streamers like Netflix without the core package. Netflix's continued interest, shown through this documentary and its WWE Raw deal, reflects the ongoing contest among platforms for live sports and combat content.
Fans will need to watch the White documentary on Netflix, while UFC events remain exclusive to Paramount in the U.S. The split means the streaming service a viewer uses for fights and for behind-the-scenes content may differ.
The takeaway
The UFC's media rights are now concentrated with Paramount, so fans seeking fight coverage will need that platform while documentaries and other content may come from competing streamers. Following the film's confirmed release date will show where Netflix's combat sports ambitions go next.
What happens next
The Dana White documentary is projected to debut in the first three months of 2027, though no date has been confirmed.
Further reading
Explore more Mixed Martial Arts coverage for the wider context of the UFC's media rights battle.
