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The UFC on ESPN era "kicks off in earnest" on Saturday night with Fight Night 143 at Barclays Center, marking a "remarkable change in philosophy toward MMA for the company," according to Dave Doyle of MMA FIGHTING. Over the past decade-plus, ESPN "remained at best a dabbler in the sport." There were "occasional forays" such as the "MMA Live" studio show and an early Bellator run on ESPN Deportes, but ESPN "never went all-in." ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro was one of the "first sports media executives to embrace mixed martial arts on a mainstream platform, as he oversaw the first fully staffed MMA coverage team for a major sports website at Yahoo Sports" beginning in '07. Pitaro said that his Yahoo experience "taught him the time was right for the UFC to come to ESPN." He added, "Combat sports is going to be an important facet of our business to ESPN+, and when the UFC’s rights became available, I mean to me, this was a no-brainer of a deal to make." Doyle noted many aspects of the broadcast will "remain familiar to regular fans," including announcer Jon Anik and a "revolving cast of active fighters" serving as analysts. ESPN said that fans can "expect to see more focus on the sport’s personalities, both in the lead-up to the fights and in the aftermath, across ESPN’s various platforms." ESPN VP/UFC & Boxing Glenn Jacobs said that there will be "programming catering to the hardcore fight fan." Doyle noted ESPN will soon begin an "X’s and O’s show called 'Unlocking Victory,' which will be filmed at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas." The show does "not yet have a designated time slot, but is expected to air on both linear cable and over ESPN+" (MMAFIGHTING.com, 1/17).
A NEW ERA: THE RINGER's Chuck Mindenhall writes the ESPN deal "feels like a graduation for the UFC, which is only 26 years old and still finding its way in a PC world." The UFC began airing on Fox in '11, and the last seven years have "been a feel-out period for how to handle the crossover to broadcast TV." The promotion now is "entering into a forward-thinking" five-year, $750M deal with ESPN. The partnership "makes sense for both parties," as ESPN "needs content for its new streaming platform and to get people beyond the ESPN+ pay wall, and UFC fans are used to shelling out to watch fights" (THERINGER.com, 1/18). ESPN's Ariel Helwani said the net's partnership with the UFC is a "massive deal for the sport in any respects." He noted this is "not just another rights deal," but instead is "validation" for MMA as a mainstream sport. Helwani: "We made it and the sport has made it. It's mainstream now. This is a massive deal for the sport and it feels like we've grown up" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 1/16). UFC President Dana White promoted the card on several different ESPN shows on Friday while wearing an ESPN+ T-shirt. ESPN’s Mike Greenberg called Saturday a "huge night for all us” ("Get Up," ESPN, 1/18).
PROGRAMMING PICKS UP: SI.com's Jacob Feldman noted ESPN this week "released a 30-minute documentary" on the Henry Cejudo-T.J. Dillashaw match for its app, and a "feature on 'The UFC's Must-See Moves' took the top spot on ESPN.com." UFC fighter Paige VanZant, who will fight Rachael Ostovich Saturday, this week appeared on ABC's "GMA." UFC Senior Exec VP & COO Lawrence Epstein said ESPN is "spending a tremendous amount of its energy, resources, and inventory to support the product." He added the UFC being the "flagship product so far" on ESPN+ has "brought a lot of benefits" (SI.com, 1/17).
INTERESTING CHOICE: Former NFLer Greg Hardy will fight Allen Crowder in the co-main event on Saturday, and THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch wrote that marks an "odd choice for ESPN’s first-ever UFC card given ESPN’s reporting on the nexus of domestic violence and sports." Hardy missed all but one game of the '14 season after a domestic violence change was filed against him.An ESPN spokesperson said, "UFC makes their fight cards and schedule, not ESPN." However, Deitsch noted ESPN has "significant leverage as a billion-dollar media rightsholder and they could have pushed back on Hardy being assigned to its first bout and all that comes with that optic." Hardy also comes with "notoriety -- and notoriety draws attention." Sports Business Journal's John Ourand indicated that ESPN "needs all the attention it can get on its UFC programming and ESPN+ platform" (THEATHLETIC.com, 1/17). ESPN's Helwani said, "The fans haven't been all up in arms. In fact, they often tell me quite frankly to stop talking about his past because they don't know who Greg Hardy is. MMA fans live in a bubble" ("OTL," ESPN, 1/16).
