(This story was originally published at usatoday.com. Updated on 5/23/18 at 10 a.m. ET with independent confirmation of the deal’s details.)

ESPN wrested control of UFC’s television rights from FOX Sports as the Disney-owned network has agreed to commit $1.5 billion total over the next five years to broadcast and stream the sport, a person with knowledge of the agreement told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. The person requested anonymity because the deal had not been publicly disclosed.

ESPN will pay an additional $150 million to broadcast 27 events, the source said. Earlier this month, ESPN and UFC agreed on digital rights – also worth about $750 million over five years – that will be part of the network’s new streaming service, ESPN+.

The broadcast deal includes 10 full UFC cards along with prelims for a dozen UFC pay-per-view events. ESPN will carry more than 30 events between its broadcast and streaming outlets annually.

Both deals begin Jan. 1.

The unexpected departure from FOX comes nearly two years after Endeavor purchased UFC, known as WME-IMG when it acquired the MMA promotion for $4 billion.

The UFC-ESPN TV deal could be a major blow for FOX’s sports cable outlets, FS1 and FS2. Both channels relied heavily on UFC programming, and it is currently one of the few draws on FS2.

FOX Sports had an exclusive negotiation window for UFC’s TV rights that expired late last year. The loss of UFC could be cushioned some with FOX’s deal with WWE that is expected to be announced soon.

FOX leaned on UFC for the launch of FS1 and FS2 in August 2013. The fights were typically among the network’s most-watched shows as its daily mainstays of talking heads failed to gain traction against dominant ESPN.

With UFC’s TV rights in hand, ESPN has another tool as carriage agreements with cable and satellite companies expire. ESPN has undergone a series of cutbacks in recent years many attributed to a decline of its subscriber base.

ESPN, however, still remains highly profitably, largely because it commands more than $7 per subscriber each month just for the main ESPN network, and that number rises past $9 for ESPN2 and its other channels.

Fox, by comparison, gets less than $2 per month.

The addition of UFC to a mix that already includes agreements with every major sports league in the USA (except the NHL), along with major college sports properties such as the College Football Playoff, gives ESPN another reason to seek at least the same amount it charges to cable, satellite and over-the-top (OTT) video services (ie: SlingTV and DirecTV Now) providers.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, visit the UFC Rumors section of the site.