AXN to Broadcast Legend Fighting Championship

SINGAPORE/HONG KONG: Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia has secured the rights to air the mixed martial arts Legend Fighting Championship (LFC) events on AXN across 21 territories in the Asia Pacific.

AXN receives the first and exclusive rights to broadcast all events of the LFC from October 2012 through August 2013. Four of the most recently concluded LFC tournaments are headed to AXN first and exclusively in the coming months as well.

LFC sees professional martial artists of the highest level from China and the Asia Pacific competing in a freestyle tournament. The interdisciplinary martial arts featured include boxing, Brazilian jiujitsu, judo, Muay Thai, Sambo, Sanda, Taekwondo and wrestling, all in supervised matches under a strict set of rules designed to promote athlete safety.

Ricky Ow, the executive VP and general manager for networks in Asia at Sony Pictures Television, said: “We are very excited to be partnering with Legend to showcase some of the best and most established Asian MMA fighters. Many of these fighters are already household names in Japan, Korea and China, where LFC has a huge following. We have no doubt that our broadcast of these thrilling fights on AXN will further enhance the popularity of LFC, especially amongst our viewers across Southeast Asia.”

Chris Pollak, the managing director for Legend, added: "This partnership with AXN begins an exciting new chapter in the Legend story. Since Legend was established, we have dedicated ourselves to growing the sport of MMA here in the Asia Pacific and giving fighters from this region the opportunity to compete in a world-class organization. AXN is Asia’s premier platform for entertainment, and we are excited to bring the best in Asia-Pacific MMA to their audience, particularly since so many of Legend’s elite fighters hail from AXN’s key broadcast markets."