DAZN has added a Hispanic MMA franchise to its lineup. (Courtesy of DAZN)
DAZN, the Perform Group-owned sports streaming service that recently launched in the U.S., is adding a hispanic MMA sports franchise to the lineup.
The live and on-demand sports platform, which already has streaming deals with Bellator MMA and Matchroom Boxing, announced a multi-year distribution deal in the U.S. and Canada with Combate Americas, a Spanish-language MMA franchise.
As part of the deal, which brings Combate Americas to English-language viewers for the first time, DAZN will stream a minimum of 13 Combate Americas fight nights a year, starting with the Gustavo Lopez v. Jose Alday bantamweight bout, streaming live from Phoenix on Friday night, Sept. 14. The winner of the bantamweight (135 pounds) matchup will be crowned the first Mexican MMA world champion in history, according to DAZN.
“Chapter one of DAZN’s entrance into the U.S. market is focused on combat sports,” said Joseph Markowski, DAZN’s senior vice president of North America in a statement. “And with 80 percent of Combate Americas’ fights ending in a stoppage, we are excited to bring that type of action to fight fans.”
Following earlier deals inked across Matchroom Boxing, Bellator MMA, and the World Boxing Super Series, the Combate Americas deal significantly increases the number of fight nights on DAZN to more than 80 a year.
DAZN, which recently launched in the U.S. for $9.99 a month, has aggressively pursued the fighting world in North America. It has been hoping to leverage the rocketing popularity of fight sports, such as mixed martial arts, to carve out a niche in the U.S and differentiate itself from other streaming services.
Combate Americas has long broadcast on Univision Deportes. While its English-language broadcast will stream on DAZN, its Spanish broadcast will remain on Univision, according to MMA Fighting.
“We are thrilled to be in partnership with an innovative and global entertainment leader like DAZN, and to be able to showcase the fast-paced, aggressive and in-your-face style of fighting that Combate Americas offers and that, 25 years after I launched the UFC, has re-defined MMA as ‘Mucha Mas Accion,'” said Campbell McLaren, Combate Americas CEO in a statement. “We continue to break new ground in this sports industry, and this deal speaks directly to our pursuit of reaching new heights.”
SportTechie Takeaway
The latest news from DAZN comes the same week that SportsCastr, a social streaming service, announced its first expansion into MMA by signing the North American Muay Thai League. SportsCastr differentiates itself from DAZN by serving primarily as a social streaming service like Twitch where users can act as color commentators and amass followings. Both companies are underdogs attempting to enter the U.S. at a time when many major media companies, such as ESPN and CBS, are also entering the streaming ring with their own platforms. One way DAZN and SportsCastr are attempting to gain a competitive edge is to target sports, such as MMA, that they believe have been underserved in the U.S.
