UFC Lands Network TV Deal in the UK

by VikingPhotography on Sep 7, 2009 5:24 PM EDT Comment 25 comments

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Luke Thomas.

Yes, it's real - the UFC will now be on network TV... in the United Kingdom.

Gareth Davies broke the exclusive news on his Telegraph Blog and it's been confirmed by UK UFC VP Marshall Zelaznik via Facebook.

The shows will be called UFC: Main Event and will be shown regularly at midnight Sunday/Monday

Each show will be one hour long, and kicks off with fights from UFC 102, showcasing Nogueira vs. Couture, Marquardt vs. Maia and Jardine vs. Silva to start.

Personally as a UK resident this is great news - whilst it's not a primetime spot, it's still a development that will expand the reach of the sport into the mainstream without stepping on the toes of the deal that has been done with ESPN UK.

Update [from Luke Thomas]: The channel now scheduled to run this programming is channel FIVE. Wiki background here.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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Comments

Aww why did you have to do that to us! :~(

Keep firing Assholes!

ZE GOGGLES! ZAY DO NOZING!!!!

by Ubernoober on Sep 7, 2009 5:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You guys didn’t see that coming?

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Sep 7, 2009 5:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

VOTE DOWN

by fozo on Sep 7, 2009 5:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

So what you’re telling me is that this is the UK’s version of UFC Wired?

http://twitter.com/FlyByKnite

by FlyByKnight on Sep 7, 2009 5:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

we get wired

and unleashed..have done for a few years

"he's the best punchy face man in the buisness"

by blubber_guard on Sep 7, 2009 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We are delighted to partner up with FIVE – who are trailblazers in their approach to both sports and programming

LOL

by An0nymous on Sep 7, 2009 5:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Indeed. Five trailblazed the friday night softcore though, I’ll give them that.

Considering its only 5, they could have surely got a better slot. Theres nothing but shit on that channel. Case in point – right now, 10pm, they are showing America’s Toughest Prisons.

by -Sam on Sep 7, 2009 5:42 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

LOL, wow.

by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 7, 2009 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yea but if you look at there sport line up

which nobody has mentioned, they’re the channel on free tv, that show baseball, most of the european football, nfl, college ball games of every and all kind, boxing, not to mention they have a huge library of programming from espn and regularly bring us friday night fights etc

so they show some lame shit for a monday night, would you rather watch some retarded re run of a home grown show nobody cares about?

"he's the best punchy face man in the buisness"

by blubber_guard on Sep 7, 2009 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

errr….

Baseball – no one here cares.

European football – they are one of 3 (if I recall) channels that show the minor european competition (UEFA Cup).

NFL – Only have a highlights package, sky have live games. Barely anyone cares.

College ball – Noooooooooooooooo one cares.

Never noticed boxing on there tbf, none of the big fights are on though.

The point was that their programming is full of filler and that a better slot than the one acquired should surely have been attainable.

by -Sam on Sep 7, 2009 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes

you say no one cares
so no one does

im sorry what should i have for dinner, oh wise one

"he's the best punchy face man in the buisness"

by blubber_guard on Sep 7, 2009 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is what FIVE actually did show:

Baseball – 2 Full Live games a week plus the entire World Series

European Football – All UEFA Cup games that include a English team

NFL – 2 Live games a week (Sunday & Monday) during the regular season, but only highlights once it’s the playoffs (SKY actually covers alot of NFL, 3 Sunday games and all the playoff stuff)

Basketball – Numerous NBA games, 2 or 3 a week during regular season / playoffs and the entire finals

Boxing – ESPN Friday Night Fights is shown on FIVE, sure it’s not the biggest but it’s the only “Network” TV station to have a weekly Boxing show that isn’t a package highlights show.

I just wanted to point all this out because i am English and a fan of most sports, including what we call the “American” sports, i was out of work for 8 months due to recession causes, and moved houses 1 month into that, did the sensible thing and didn’t pay for SKY until i was working again at the new place, and frankly channel FIVE’s sports coverage was one of the few things that keep me sane during that time! While it would be true that a large proportion of Brits don’t care for these sports, there was still a sizable community of people that do, there was a channel FIVE sports forum, that i don’t know numbers, but had a lot of people there, and most UK Universities have a (American) Football team now-a-days.

Sorry about the rant, i just wanted to give FIVE some credit, because they are very much considered a joke channel (and if it wasn’t for the sport, they are!). FIVE are the only network TV channel that have done anything right with their sporting coverage in the last 15 years, all the BBC or ITV have done is lost nearly all of it’s football and boxing, and then other main events in a lot of sports, I’m not saying they could have helped it much, SKY has clearly thrown a lot of money around, but at least give FIVE credit for trying different things, just as they deserve credit for being the first channel to bring free MMA to the UK.

by Barry619 on Sep 7, 2009 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Every single person in the UK gets channel five, even if you don’t have cable, a satellite dish or a digital box you can still plug an aerial into your tv and get it. Only five channels in the UK can do that as I understand it, BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV, Channel Four and Five.

This is big news.

by Donk696 on Sep 7, 2009 5:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

^

this man is on the right track

"he's the best punchy face man in the buisness"

by blubber_guard on Sep 7, 2009 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good find – thanks for the post.

by Poindexter on Sep 7, 2009 5:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What a fantastic time slot

by Shaun32887 on Sep 7, 2009 5:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Strikeforce has similar or worse (too lazy to look it up) that airs on NBC (correct me if I’m wrong…as previously stated…too lazy. lol) and it does pretty good. Don’t count out the late night viewers.

"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate

by kyfm621 on Sep 7, 2009 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Even on a sunday?

I’m a late night guy myself, but I’m always the unusual one around my friends

by Shaun32887 on Sep 7, 2009 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The negativity here is hysterical.

This is pretty much the same thing as SF on NBC. That deal was giving people wet dreams. Now that it’s the UFC it’s shit because it’s a bad time slot, get real people.

by Phildo on Sep 7, 2009 7:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

considering how many people watch baseball around that hour and nfl

its a terrific time slot

its also EARLIER than all large events and fight night events

i dont see the big deal
its earlier, its free and its gonna be awesome

"he's the best punchy face man in the buisness"

by blubber_guard on Sep 7, 2009 7:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wish I had a TV license...

What kind of country makes you PAY for free to air TV
=-(((

'He built his whole reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes' - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko

by Well Read Idiot on Sep 8, 2009 5:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Pretty much every country in Europe, Asia, Africa, Brazil and even Canada, it’s a myth that only we pay for our free to air TV.

by Barry619 on Sep 8, 2009 8:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Canadians have to pay for free to air TV?

That’s news to me, and I’ve been watching TV here for over 30 years.

We have to pay to get other countries’ free to air TV. If I want to watch ITV or NBC, I need to pay for that.

I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.

by Llewdor on Sep 8, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry, i should have said “previously even Canada”, which i got from Wikipedia as i thought all North America had never had too, but apparently Canada did in the past. Anyway my main point was a lot of us British people moan about TV Licensing as if it has only ever applied to us, and that’s just not true.