UFC lands major TV deal with FOX

[Dpantherman]

The UFC has a new television partner, and it's a huge one, as SportsBusinessDaily reports that they have signed a deal with Fox that will bring up to four UFC events a year to network television.

According to the report, Fox has agreed to a deal in the range of seven or eight years, with bidding for UFC content going as high as $90 million per year. While the UFC will obviously continue on pay-per-view, this new deal will bring the world's leading MMA organization to network television for the first time.

Additionally, SBD reports that most of the UFC's weekly programming, including live events and The Ultimate Fighter, will move to cable channel FX, with Fox-owned Fuel also getting some UFC content. The report says that the UFC had also been negotiating with Comcast/NBC to bring the organization to NBC and Versus, as well as turning G4 into a "UFC network" of sorts. However, those negotiations reportedly broke down.

http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_10169.shtml#.TkqlwtTEBTs.twitter

Great deal for all parties involved. I expect this to go over better than CBS and Strikeforce.

[Henne Given Sunday]

Wow fantastic. Now sign Gus Johnson

[Jase]

this had better not cut into So You Think You Can Dance.

[TheRealDeal]

It's called Bully Beatdown on MTV2

[Dpantherman]

Spike TV should invest...

[TheRealDeal]

Boxing puts on great fights all the time on ESPN...wait

[Dpantherman]

First UFC on FOX will be Nov. 12, "looking at Anaheim." No main event set yet.

https://twitter.com/#!/matterickson23/status/104243040989888512

Dana: Six UFC Fight Nights on FX and four UFC cards on FOX per year.

https://twitter.com/#!/MMAFighting/status/104245060220104705

RT @ufc: Dana says there may be championship fights on Fox, definitely big-caliber bouts, however: "No Speedo fights." #UFCONFOX #UFC

https://twitter.com/#!/UFCONFOXSports/status/104250247181647873

[Dpantherman]

There's already a twitter page up and running https://twitter.com/#!/UFCONFOXSports

[TheRealDeal]

Teeray mad

[Dpantherman]

Also TUF will be moved to Fridays and will be live with some footage shown from training during the week, etc. But there will be live fights on each episode.

[necroplasm]

Pretty cool I guess. We'll see how it turns out

*Not UFC related* But why didn't Conan just go to FOX as well? Don't get that...it would have been perfect.

[Dpantherman]

I think that was more on Fox's end than Conan's. They assed around like they didn't want him that bad. Not to mention the unofficial 'Fox Late Night Curse of Failure'.

[necroplasm]

I think that was more on Fox's end than Conan's. They assed around like they didn't want him that bad. Not to mention the unofficial 'Fox Late Night Curse of Failure'.

That's what I figured..but if it had been up to me, I would have wanted to compete with CBS & NBC...but then again, they're probably set with Seinfield reruns for the next 50 years.

[Mr. Scot]

I remember people telling me the UFC was a fad some years back.