The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®), the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation, has announced an agreement to broadcast its inaugural EMEA FIGHT NIGHT, from the O2 Arena in London, on Channel 5. The agreement is in part due to the incredible demand for UFC programming in the UK and will be the first time a UFC event will be broadcast live to a terrestrial audience in the region.
Live broadcast of the UFC FIGHT NIGHT LONDON: GUSTAFSSON vs. MANUWA main card on 8th March will begin at 9 p.m. and will be followed by highlights of the rest of the card until 11 p.m.
The popularity of the UFC is soaring throughout Europe, with the event at the O2 Arena selling out in a matter of hours. Last year three events were held throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), with that number doubling to six in 2014, starting with London and then Abu Dhabi on 11th April.
UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages.
Garry Cook, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of UFC EMEA, said: “This gives the entire British public the opportunity to watch UFC programming live on free to air TV and we are very excited to be working with Channel 5 to provide this experience.
“The UFC are incredibly proud of the EMEA FIGHT NIGHTS that will we will be hosting throughout 2014, showcasing some of our incredible talent at Saturday primetime, across the regions to millions of existing and new fans.”
Channel 5 Commissioning Editor Factual, Simon Raikes said: “UFC is the best of mixed martial arts, ideal to complement our existing fighting stable. We’re genuinely excited to welcome such a riveting sport to Channel 5.”
UFC Fight Night London: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa will be on Fight Pass for viewers in the US
