In a landmark announcement that marks the move of MMA‘s leading promotion to network television for the first time, the UFC and FOX on Thursday confirmed a deal that would put UFC programming on the FOX family of networks for the next seven years.
Under the terms of the agreement, FOX will broadcast four UFC events a year on broadcast television and six events on FX, their basic cable station that is available on 99,369,000 homes, almost the same number of homes that receive Spike.
The Ultimate Fighter will also air on FX in a revamped, live version, while other FOX-owned entities like FUEL and FOX Deportes will also carry UFC programming.
The historic deal was jointly announced at the FOX studios in Los Angeles by FOX Sports chairman and CEO David Hill, FOX Sports media group co-president and COO Eric Shanks, FX president John Landgraf, UFC president Dana White, and Zuffa chairman Lorenzo Fertitta.
“Television is about the next big thing, and that’s why we’re here this morning,” said Hill, who added that the UFC was “something we firmly believe in.”
Under terms of the deal, the first UFC event on FOX will air on November 12, while additional UFC programming on FOX networks launches on January 2012.
White lauded the deal as the highlight of his tenure leading the UFC.
“This was it for me, this is what I always wanted,” he said. “This is what I always felt was the pinnacle for us here in the United States. Not just to be on the No. 1 network in the country, but to be on a network with all the other real big sports: NFL, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, etc.”
The deal was brokered by the UFC’s agent Ari Emanuel. Though financial terms weren’t disclosed, Sports Business Daily reported on Tuesday that UFC will receive around $90 million per year in rights fees.
For a time, the UFC reportedly looked into launching its own network, a fact that was acknowledged during the press conference by Fertitta. But after considering all the available options including competing network offers, the FOX deal best fit their goals and needs.
“I think that a UFC channel would be very successful,” he said. “But we sat down, thought about it a little bit and said, ‘You know what we do best? Put on great fights.’ We’re not in the business of running a network. And as far as the life cycle of the company and where we’re at, it just made more sense for us to do this deal with FOX.”
FOX executives said they were drawn to the UFC by their ability to attract the coveted male to 18-34 year old demographic. Hill, who had in the past voiced no interest in MMA, said he had changed his tune over the past few years as he watched UFC continue to grow and market their brand and fighters.
White said that the UFC will use the deal as a “fresh start” to revamp all of their offerings, including pay-per-views. You know what we do best? Put on great fights. We’re not in the business of running a network. — Lorenzo Fertitta
The most significant changes may come to TUF, which will take place over a 12-week time frame and include live fights each week. As part of the deal, TUF will be moved to Friday nights. Each episode will feature taped footage from the four to five days prior, but the match between advancing fighters will be live. In addition to that, coaches will conduct their own training camps during the time and then fight at the end of the season.
While in the past, a network deal may have been undone by an advertisers unwillingness to sponsor mixed martial arts programming, FOX executives say that stigma is nearly gone.
“We would not have gone into the deal if we hadn’t canvassed large group of advertisers who are 100 percent behind it,” Hill said. “There might be one or two companies that have got a ‘do not buy.’ There is a hell of a lot more who have a ‘do buy’ on this sport.”
Under the terms of the deal, the UFC will continue to control production of its events, though FOX will have input. FOX will control pre- and post-fight shows.
All in all there will be 36 UFC fights a year on FOX-owned networks, which includes the 26 live TUF fights, 6 FX “Fight Night” events and 4 major events on FOX. White said that the promotion still considers itself a pay-per-view company, but there is no question that there will be many more expectations and much more scrutiny as a result of the major deal.
Landgraf said the deal makes great sense as their research showed that their is an 80 percent overlap between fans of the UFC and FX viewers.
“I can’t emphasize how thrilled I am to get this deal done,” Hill said. “If you look where Frank, Dana and Lorenzo have taken the group in last decade, imagine what’s going to happen in the next decade. I think the growth potential is explosive.”
In a landmark announcement that marks the move of MMA‘s leading promotion to network television for the first time, the UFC and FOX on Thursday confirmed a deal that would put UFC programming on the FOX family of networks for the next seven years.
Under the terms of the agreement, FOX will broadcast four UFC events a year on broadcast television and six events on FX, their basic cable station that is available on 99,369,000 homes, almost the same number of homes that receive Spike.
The Ultimate Fighter will also air on FX in a revamped, live version, while other FOX-owned entities like FUEL and FOX Deportes will also carry UFC programming.
The historic deal was jointly announced at the FOX studios in Los Angeles by FOX Sports chairman and CEO David Hill, FOX Sports media group co-president and COO Eric Shanks, FX president John Landgraf, UFC president Dana White, and Zuffa chairman Lorenzo Fertitta.
“Television is about the next big thing, and that’s why we’re here this morning,” said Hill, who added that the UFC was “something we firmly believe in.”
Under terms of the deal, the first UFC event on FOX will air on November 12, while additional UFC programming on FOX networks launches on January 2012.
White lauded the deal as the highlight of his tenure leading the UFC.
“This was it for me, this is what I always wanted,” he said. “This is what I always felt was the pinnacle for us here in the United States. Not just to be on the No. 1 network in the country, but to be on a network with all the other real big sports: NFL, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, etc.”
The deal was brokered by the UFC’s agent Ari Emanuel. Though financial terms weren’t disclosed, Sports Business Daily reported on Tuesday that UFC will receive around $90 million per year in rights fees.
For a time, the UFC reportedly looked into launching its own network, a fact that was acknowledged during the press conference by Fertitta. But after considering all the available options including competing network offers, the FOX deal best fit their goals and needs.
“I think that a UFC channel would be very successful,” he said. “But we sat down, thought about it a little bit and said, ‘You know what we do best? Put on great fights.’ We’re not in the business of running a network. And as far as the life cycle of the company and where we’re at, it just made more sense for us to do this deal with FOX.”
FOX executives said they were drawn to the UFC by their ability to attract the coveted male to 18-34 year old demographic. Hill, who had in the past voiced no interest in MMA, said he had changed his tune over the past few years as he watched UFC continue to grow and market their brand and fighters.
White said that the UFC will use the deal as a “fresh start” to revamp all of their offerings, including pay-per-views. You know what we do best? Put on great fights. We’re not in the business of running a network. — Lorenzo Fertitta
The most significant changes may come to TUF, which will take place over a 12-week time frame and include live fights each week. As part of the deal, TUF will be moved to Friday nights. Each episode will feature taped footage from the four to five days prior, but the match between advancing fighters will be live. In addition to that, coaches will conduct their own training camps during the time and then fight at the end of the season.
While in the past, a network deal may have been undone by an advertisers unwillingness to sponsor mixed martial arts programming, FOX executives say that stigma is nearly gone.
“We would not have gone into the deal if we hadn’t canvassed large group of advertisers who are 100 percent behind it,” Hill said. “There might be one or two companies that have got a ‘do not buy.’ There is a hell of a lot more who have a ‘do buy’ on this sport.”
Under the terms of the deal, the UFC will continue to control production of its events, though FOX will have input. FOX will control pre- and post-fight shows.
All in all there will be 36 UFC fights a year on FOX-owned networks, which includes the 26 live TUF fights, 6 FX “Fight Night” events and 4 major events on FOX. White said that the promotion still considers itself a pay-per-view company, but there is no question that there will be many more expectations and much more scrutiny as a result of the major deal.
Landgraf said the deal makes great sense as their research showed that their is an 80 percent overlap between fans of the UFC and FX viewers.
“I can’t emphasize how thrilled I am to get this deal done,” Hill said. “If you look where Frank, Dana and Lorenzo have taken the group in last decade, imagine what’s going to happen in the next decade. I think the growth potential is explosive.”
Since he’s on his way to Wisconsin for the lead-up media appearances for Sunday night’s UFC Live on Versus 5: Hardy vs. Lytle event, Dana White’s first video blog for the show is more of a recap of UFC 133, which is just as well.
It’s interesting to see Dana’s non reaction to Vitor Belfort’s win over Yoshihiro Akiyama. He can clearly be heard telling Lorenzo Fertitta that the finishing blows by “The Phenom” were to the back of “Sexyama’s” head. Neither UFC executive showed little emotion when Belfort came over to their side of the Octagon to let them know he’s back and White later said in an interview that the former UFC light heavyweight champion would have to chew on his loss to Anderson Silva for a while before he gets another title shot.
(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)
Since he’s on his way to Wisconsin for the lead-up media appearances for Sunday night’s UFC Live on Versus 5: Hardy vs. Lytle event, Dana White’s first video blog for the show is more of a recap of UFC 133, which is just as well.
It’s interesting to see Dana’s non reaction to Vitor Belfort’s win over Yoshihiro Akiyama. He can clearly be heard telling Lorenzo Fertitta that the finishing blows by “The Phenom” were to the back of “Sexyama’s” head. Neither UFC executive showed little emotion when Belfort came over to their side of the Octagon to let them know he’s back and White later said in an interview that the former UFC light heavyweight champion would have to chew on his loss to Anderson Silva for a while before he gets another title shot.
Another pair of interesting moments came when Rory MacDonald finished Mike Pyle and White was too busy texting or on tweeting to notice, and when Dennis Hallman came out in his grape smugglers and a disgusted Dana said that the shorts should be illegal.
Dana seemed genuinely freaked out when Rashad emerged from the dressing room wearing a splint following his win over Tito Ortiz, but according to Evans, it’s just a dislocation.
A couple of weeks before UFC 133 in Philadelphia, Dana White made an appearance on Philly’s Preston and Steve show on WMMR to promote the show. Preston and Steve, being the wacky morning radio show duo they are, invited local comic and YouTube star Ed Bassmaster down to meet the Baldfather as one of his many alter-egos. Dana obviously had no idea who this guy was, as he completely bought that Skippy was just your average TUF fan in khakis and comically thick glasses.
So what happens when you ask Dana why he frequently seems upset and angry?
Well, Dana was so amused that he decided to have Ed wander the locker rooms and hallways at the event, doing interviews and trying to put some moves on Chandella. Of course, what he really wanted to do was get Skippy in the same room with Lorenzo Fertitta and sit back and watch the big guy squirm.
A couple of weeks before UFC 133 in Philadelphia, Dana White made an appearance on Philly’s Preston and Steve show on WMMR to promote the show. Preston and Steve, being the wacky morning radio show duo they are, invited local comic and YouTube star Ed Bassmaster down to meet the Baldfather as one of his many alter-egos. Dana obviously had no idea who this guy was, as he completely bought that Skippy was just your average TUF fan in khakis and comically thick glasses.
So what happens when you ask Dana why he frequently seems upset and angry?
Well, Dana was so amused that he decided to have Ed wander the locker rooms and hallways at the event, doing interviews and trying to put some moves on Chandella. Of course, what he really wanted to do was get Skippy in the same room with Lorenzo Fertitta and sit back and watch the big guy squirm.
Props to Dana, Lorenzo, Chandella, and the fighters for being patient with the funny guy.
But hey, if Dana likes comedians, why does he hate us so much? Hey Dana, call us; we’ll punk anybody you want. If all it takes to make Dana laugh is “make Lorenzo uncomfortable”, we should be able to get backstage access for a decade.
Any time two heavyweights with a history of testing positive get into a bi-lingual war of words, you can book us for a ringside seat. Such was the case this week when Josh Barnett and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva launched into the now nearly obligatory online fighter beef session. Silva got the ball rolling during an interview with Sherdog, wherein (apparently apropos of nothing) he lashed out at Barnett for – among other things – ignoring Brazilian fighters on elevators. So … that was weird.
If we had to guess, we’d say Bigfoot is feeling a little lonely and cranky after being kind of overlooked in all the hype, speculation and gratuitous match-up fantasizing that’s gone on since the UFC-Strikeforce merger. After all, Bigfoot became the latest dude to slay the unslayable Fedor Emelianenko back in February. You’d think that was worth something, right? And then pictures of Barnett exchanging bro-grabs with Dana White show up on the Internet? Why, that’d be enough to set any giant’s blood to a boilin’. His attacks, along with Barnett’s response are after the jump.
(Hell in the ring, silent on elevators.)
Any time two heavyweights with a history of testing positive get into a bi-lingual war of words, you can book us for a ringside seat. Such was the case this week when Josh Barnett and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva launched into the now nearly obligatory online fighter beef session. Silva got the ball rolling during an interview with Sherdog, wherein (apparently apropos of nothing) he lashed out at Barnett for – among other things – ignoring Brazilian fighters on elevators. So … that was weird.
If we had to guess, we’d say Bigfoot is feeling a little lonely and cranky after being kind of overlooked in all the hype, speculation and gratuitous match-up fantasizing that’s gone on since the UFC-Strikeforce merger. After all, Bigfoot became the latest dude to slay the unslayable Fedor Emelianenko back in February. You’d think that was worth something, right? And then pictures of Barnett exchanging bro-grabs with Dana White show up on the Internet? Why, that’d be enough to set any giant’s blood to a boilin’. His attacks, along with Barnett’s response are after the jump.
“I’ve been fighting since 2004 and have never had any issues with another athlete, even the most stuck-up,” Silva told the Dog. “Friendship, for me, is everything, but Josh is a weird guy, a guy who doesn’t greet you when you enter the elevator, doesn’t even say ‘good morning.’ It’s how he treats Brazilian fighters especially. It’s the same thing with (Barnett and) Werdum …
“But when (Barnett) sees Fedor, Dana White or (Lorenzo) Fertitta, he runs to them and stays by their side all the time. He makes me sick. He’s the classic kiss-ass, a rude man … I really want to face Barnett and I’ve already said I consider him a filthy person, even though he is a great fighter, and that I’ll beat him up and close both of his eyes.”
Let’s just say for the record, if Barnett has been trying to be a kiss-ass, he’s been doing a pretty shitty job of it for the last, oh, nine years or so. More than a brownnoser, we’d describe Barnett as straight-up apathetic about his MMA career more often than not. Still, the silver-tongued Americano isn’t going to take this lying down. He quickly issued a retort via Twitter, simultaneously looking to defend himself and shore up his street cred on the Brazilian tip:
“Bigfoot sure has a lot of shit to talk it would seem,” he tweeted, “(He) thinks I got beef w/ Brazil. Go ask Babalu, Rizzo, Vitor, Feijao, Romulo, JZ (about that) …”
Yeah, not sure what Silva was looking to accomplish here, except to bait Barnett into a semi-high-profile grudge match. Unfortunately, both guys are on opposite sides of the mythical Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix (they’re still doing that, right?). So, assuming that tournament is not scrapped somewhere down the road by Our Octagon Overlords, the only way said grudge match would happen would be in the final.
Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsMixed martial arts’ most vocal critic in New York acknowledges that Zuffa’s new accident insurance for its fighters is a positive move but won’t go as far as saying it will help get MMA legalized in the Empire …
Mixed martial arts’ most vocal critic in New York acknowledges that Zuffa’s new accident insurance for its fighters is a positive move but won’t go as far as saying it will help get MMA legalized in the Empire State.
MMA Fighting contacted Assemblyman Bob Reilly to discuss whether Zuffa’s new insurance policy could help pave the way for the legalization of MMA in New York, and while he at first admitted to not hearing the news, he offered — for perhaps the first time — a compliment to the MMA promoters.
“I certainly wouldn’t disparage that,” Reilly said. “I think that’s a good thing.”
The praise ended there, though, as Reilly quickly questioned the motives behind the decision.
(“Minimum wage, child labor laws, eight-hour work day – that stuff’s for pussies.”)
For a couple of years now word has been percolating that the real reason MMA can’t seem to successfully find its way through the New York State Assembly might have less to do with the sport itself than with Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta’s purported anti-union business practices back home in Nevada. The Spark Notes version is this: The Fertittas’ Station Casinos group is reportedly the largest non-union company in Las Vegas and has a longstanding beef with a powerful nationwide hotel and restaurant workers’ union called Unite Here, which claims Vegas’ Culinary Union Local 226 as its largest chapter. That relationship turned even more icy in 2000, when the brothers allegedly fired 850 of 1,000 union employees working at a casino they’d just acquired. Ever since then the union has done everything it can to put political pressure on the Fertittas’ various business ventures, including bringing its considerable lobbying clout to bear in opposition to the UFC operating in New York.
Anybody who’s ever seen a Martin Scorsese movie knows you can’t piss off one of the country’s biggest labor unions and expect to do business in the Empire State, right? That’d be like publishing nude photos of one of the UFC’s ring girls on your website and expecting to still get press credentials. Just wrong-headed and crazy. Anyway, UFC Prez Dana White has long stayed mum about the Fertitta’s feud with big labor, but this week White mustered his usual political savvy and velvet-glove oratory skills to break down MMA’s New York legalization efforts thusly …
(“Minimum wage, child labor laws, eight-hour work day – that stuff’s for pussies.”)
For a couple of years now word has been percolating that the real reason MMA can’t seem to successfully find its way through the New York State Assembly might have less to do with the sport itself than with Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta’s purported anti-union business practices back home in Nevada. The Spark Notes version is this: The Fertittas’ Station Casinos group is reportedly the largest non-union company in Las Vegas and has a longstanding beef with a powerful nationwide hotel and restaurant workers’ union called Unite Here, which claims Vegas’ Culinary Union Local 226 as its largest chapter. That relationship turned even more icy in 2000, when the brothers allegedly fired 850 of 1,000 union employees working at a casino they’d just acquired. Ever since then the union has done everything it can to put political pressure on the Fertittas’ various business ventures, including bringing its considerable lobbying clout to bear in opposition to the UFC operating in New York.
Anybody who’s ever seen a Martin Scorsese movie knows you can’t piss off one of the country’s biggest labor unions and expect to do business in the Empire State, right? That’d be like publishing nude photos of one of the UFC’s ring girls on your website and expecting to still get press credentials. Just wrong-headed and crazy. Anyway, UFC Prez Dana White has long stayed mum about the Fertitta’s feud with big labor, but this week White mustered his usual political savvy and velvet-glove oratory skills to break down MMA’s New York legalization efforts thusly …
“It has nothing to do with mixed martial arts, the reason that we’re not in New York,” he told MMA Weekly. “It has to do with the Culinary Union. The Culinary Union is spending millions of dollars of all these people who pay dues to keep us out of there because my partners, the Fertitta brothers, are the largest non-union gaming company in the country … These union idiots, all these people work in the Culinary Union, paying all their money towards dues, this is what all their money’s being spent towards.”
According to a 2008 report from MMA Payout, Unite Here is a heavyweight on the New York political scene, with 90,000 members in that state alone. Payout reports “the union spent $100,000 lobbying the Albany legislature (in 2007) and made more than $130,000 in political contributions to the Democratic and Working Families parties. That financial commitment dwarfs the UFC’s reported $40,000 in donations to New York Democrats.”
We assume this is still going on today. So, if you were wondering how the UFC made some contributions to the campaign of New York governor Andrew Cuomo last year, only to have MMA legalization disappear from his annual agenda, that’s probably your answer. We hate to openly speculate (no we don’t) but given Dana’s quote above, it also sounds like we won’t be seeing MMA legalized in New York for some time. Or at least until the Fertittas become better bosses.
In a landmark announcement that marks the move of MMA‘s leading promotion to network television for the first time, the UFC and FOX on Thursday confirmed a deal that would put UFC programming on the FOX family of networks for the next seven years.
