It's Official: The UFC Is Headed To Fox

Get ready. That’s all I can really say. In just a few short months, we will officially be entering into a new era in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Today, the UFC officially announced via a press conference that they had signed a deal with Fox Sports, which will see the UFC bring all its programming to Fox-owned stations FX, Fuel, and the nationally-broadcast main Fox channel. It’s the biggest new story of the year, and here are all the details.

Since the landmark announcement, the internet has been flooded with details surrounding this unprecedented deal. Here are some of the major highlights.

The deal is for seven years, for approximately one hundred million dollars per year. The first live event of this new partnership will be broadcast November 12 on the main Fox channel. The wildly popular “Ultimate Fighter” series will be shown on FX, and in a major change-up, the move to FX also means a move to a live format. The UFC will still be in control of its television and production, and Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan will continue to be the play-by-play team for all major UFC events. Finally, the “gladiator” intro that has started UFC live events and Pay-Per-Views for many years will officially be replaced.

As one would expect, UFC President Dana White has already stated that he is beyond happy and that he thinks this deal will be monumental to the UFC and the sport of MMA in general.

I’ve had my disagreements with Dana White in the past, but this is one subject where I wholeheartedly agree with him.

This is such huge news that I honestly don’t know where to begin.

First and foremost, I think this is a brilliant move and a major stepping stone for the UFC. This really will be the start of a new era. Fox Sports is one of the leading brands in sports broadcasting. The UFC joins the likes of the MLB, NFL, and NASCAR as well as many other sports. With this comes a shift in perception, a final message to all the cynics that this sport can be taken seriously and is being taken seriously.

I can’t wait to see how a live version of “The Ultimate Fighter” works out. I think that’ll be the shot in the arm that this series has really been needing. The “TUF formula” has honestly gotten a bit stale, but considering that it’s been going on for fourteen seasons, it was to be expected. I’m very glad that the UFC is looking to return their flagship series to the unforgettable, unpredictable weekly spectacle that it used to be.

I’m very, very, very glad that the UFC will be the ones in charge of production. I know that the UFC will work with Fox and that some changes will be made, but the fact that the UFC will be the ones with the power is very reassuring. That way, we won’t get stuck with some of the things Strikeforce gets stuck with, like throwing in Gus Johnson into Strikeforce broadcasts despite the fact that every time he speaks about MMA I want to cringe. The UFC product will continue to be the UFC product… it’ll just be bigger and better, with many more potential eyes watching it. Sounds great to me.

Overall, I’m incredibly excited about this news. If it all works out, this could be a colossal step forward on the road to MMA’s global acceptance and legalization. We truly have entered a new era.

Photo Credit – Esther Lin