FOX & UFC Ink Seven-Year Deal

LOS ANGELES: FOX Sports Media Group has reached a multi-year deal with Zuffa, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brand, to bring coverage of the mixed martial arts league to several FOX-owned networks.

FOX will broadcast four major UFC events per year. FX will air four to six Fight Night events annually, and will also become the new home of the UFC’s reality show The Ultimate Fighter, starting in 2012. Fuel TV will also get select UFC programs via the deal.

“We’re excited to be part of the FOX family,” said Dana White, UFC president. “The UFC is finally where it belongs on the number one network in the country and aligned with the most prestigious sports properties in the world. I’ve always said that the UFC will be the biggest sport in the world and with this relationship it will become a reality.”

“My brother Frank, Dana and I always believed that our passion for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts would help us to build the UFC into a successful global brand and ultimately make it one of the premier sports properties in the world,” added Lorenzo Fertitta, the chairman and CEO of the UFC. “The partnership with FOX is a major step in making this a reality and also builds on the great relationship that we already have established with FOX in Latin America, Australia and Europe.”

“Mixed martial arts is not only the fastest growing sport in the world, but also the world’s most exciting form of man-to-man competition, and the UFC is the world’s premier MMA organization,” said Eric Shanks, the president and co-COO of the FOX Sports Media Group. “Since FOX Sports is America’s number one sports network and FOX is America’s number one network for young adults, the UFC on FOX is a perfect match.”

“UFC’s growth over the past decade is nothing short of phenomenal and it has become one of the marquee sports in this country,” commented John Landgraf, the president and general manager of FX Networks. “There is a reason for its rising popularity. It features some of the greatest athletes in the world, and we believe it will be a terrific addition to our schedule and look forward to our relationship.”