ELEVEN SPORTS WILL be the new home of the UFC for Irish and British fans in 2019 after the broadcaster secured the rights to the promotion from next year.
The British-based streaming platform will take over from BT Sport as official rights holder and show all 42 live UFC events from January. As part of the multi-year agreement, Eleven Sports will have access to UFC original and archive programming.
“UFC has become a massive brand which has built a hugely dedicated and engaged following over 25 years, making it a perfect fit for our fan centric strategy,” said Danny Menken, Group Managing Director of Eleven Sports.
“We are a big supporter of combat sports across our global markets and the fresh and innovative approach that we have taken with our properties has been very successful.
We are looking forward to creating the same added value for the legions of MMA fans in the UK and Ireland.”
UFC Fight Night events will also be available on demand in full after the event.
The broadcaster adds the UFC to their coverage of La Liga, Serie A and Dutch top flight Eredivisie among others – which they will broadcast for the next three years.
A monthly pass for Eleven Sports is €6.99 and an annual subscription will cost you €69.99.
“We have worked very successfully with Eleven Sports in Belgium and Luxembourg and we are looking forward to extending our partnership here in the UK and Ireland,” said David Shaw, UFC Senior Vice President of International and Content.
“The UK and Ireland are amongst UFC’s strongest markets globally and with Eleven Sports making a significant impact here, it made perfect sense to partner with them to showcase our thrilling product to our loyal and passionate fans.”
Conor McGregor headlines the UFC’s next landmark card in Las Vegas next week. The Dubliner meets lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 on 6 October.
This move appears to be a coup for the broadcaster, with the promotion’s biggest draw in McGregor signing a new six-fight deal just last week.
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