Ultimate Fighting Championship in TV Deal with BSkyB

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today announced an exclusive television distribution agreement with British Sky Broadcasting [BSkyB] to air Ultimate Fighting Championship in the UK and Ireland.

A one-hour, UFC fight show will be broadcast on Sky Sports at 11pm on Thursdays for 23 consecutive weeks, beginning February 7, 2002. The agreement represents a landmark for UFC’s international distribution strategy and, for British sports fans, brings a unique opportunity to watch the world’s best mixed martial arts fighters.

Ultimate Fighting Championship has received official governmental sporting recognition in the United States, with both New Jersey State Athletic Board and Nevada State Athletic Commission sanctioning Ultimate Fighting Championship events. UFC holds sell-out events in the United States on a regular basis at major sports-entertainment venues, including Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey, and MGM Grand Casino and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Airing for the first time ever on British television, and hosted by UFC’s Mike Goldberg, Ultimate Fighting Championship, will feature top UFC matches and UFC championship fights from the US in each of its five weight divisions. The show will also offer fans an insider’s view into the sport of mixed martial arts with exclusive interviews of UFC fighters.

‘Today starts a new era in our history and is recognition of UFC’s development in the past year,’ said Dana F. White, UFC president. ‘This agreement with Sky will increase the international growth of our sport. Great Britain has some of the world’s most knowledgeable fight fans and we look forward to entertaining them each week.’

For more details contact:

Chris Glover
RDA
+44 (0) 207 376 3292
chris@rda.tv

Juliet Dawson
RDA
+44 (0) 207 376 3292
juliet@rda.tv