As the UFC makes its debut this weekend in mainland China, MMA Payout goes in the wayback machine to a post the site did a little over 7 years about the hurdles of entering the Chinese market. The post was written by Kelsey Philpott and was part of his travels while a graduate student at […]
UFC
Report outlines Top Rank’s path to its ESPN deal
Last week’s Sports Business Journal reported on ESPN’s return to boxing. The article focused on Top Rank’s deal with ESPN this past July and how it transitioned from premium cable to basic cable. There was interest from Top Rank into obtaining a rights fee deal the likes of the UFC and Fox. A key point […]
UFC Fight Night 121 draws 815,000 viewers, prelims 775,000
UFC Fight Night 121 drew 815,000 viewers on FS1 Saturday night per Nielsen. The prelims which preceded the main card on the network drew 775,000 viewers on the network. The main event featured Fabricio Werdum as he defeated Marcin Tybura via unanimous decision in a heavyweight matchup. The prelims featured bout saw Ryan Benoit score […]
New sponsors sign with UFC thanks to Endeavor, Performance Institute
The Sports Business Journal had another issue dedicated to combat sports and the UFC was a part of it with an article about how the new owners have opened up new spaces for sponsorships. With the new ownership, Endeavor took over the role of sponsorship sales as the UFC’s department was cut as part of […]
As of now, no takers for UFC’s new media right deal
The Sports Business Journal reports the UFC’s current state of negotiating a new media rights package once its deal with FOX is up. Currently, the new asking price of $450M per year is a stiff increase that is not garnering a lot of interest at this point. The current deal with FOX is worth $120 […]