[thehype]

UFC PARTNERSHIP WITH FOX INCLUDES 4 EVENTS AND LIVE TUF BROADCASTS WITH VIEWER PARTICIPATION

As expected, UFC President Dana White, along with UFC executive and part owner Lorenzo Fertitta, FOX Sports Media Group Chairman and CEO David Hill, Co-President and COO Eric Shanks, and FX President John Landgraf all made the announcement offical that the UFC and Fox have agreed to a partnership. The deal includes 4 major event broadcasts on FOX, 32 events on FX, as well as 2 LIVE runs of The Ultimate Fighter that will feature audience participation, allowing viewers to select the fights each week. "This is revolutionary television right here," remarked Dana White.

http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content10561.html

Let's hear everyone's thoughts. The FOX execs took a couple jabs at boxing...basically saying it's too boring and behind on the times when it comes to marketing. I think it says a lot that a sport that's perceived to be more "barbaric" than the Sweet Science by most non-fans can make it's way back to network television (for the second time mind you) relatively easy. Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

For the record, I think it's going to be very interesting to see the new LIVE format of TUF (The Ultimate Fighter), where viewers get to vote on the matchups before they happen that week.

[gravytrain]

i think the promoters are 100% responsible for boxing continuing to lose ground to MMA. and as long as people like DLH and Arum are making their money they just sit back and smile without caring about anything.

[caneman]

How about make boxing big on The Wild World of Sports again? My Daddy told me years ago it was going all PPV and I know your Daddy says fuck my Daddy ! lmao

[MoneyMay]

Whose headlining that UFC card? Cause if it ain't Brock lesnar it's not going to compete with pac

[Hotsauce]

boxing is dead?

[sduck]

I think if boxing were to change it style, like generally be more tournament-like, like bracket line-ups and whatnot, it'd draw much more attraction.

[King Eugene]

Believe it or not I've saw a lot of free boxing on TV besides Friday Night Fights. Golden Boy and Top Rank show cards on Fox Sports Net. Not the best of fighters but they have some damn good prospects on there like Jessie Vargas, Gomez, and Mikey Garcia. Fights come on, of course not mainstream basic cable if that makes any sense but you just have to find them.

[Romulus9]

NBC televises figure skating and gymnastics on Saturday afternoons. You're telling me that a title fight wouldn't easily trump those ratings?

It was only 1997 when Hopkins defended his belt against Glen Johnson on CBS! You've got too many people in television who live and die by a Nielsen ratings system that frankly hasn't been accurate or relevant in a long, long time. When your average viewer has, what, 150 channels available to them in addition to streaming media all over the place, the Nielsen numbers that would have been dreadful when there were only 30 or fewer channels around are now pretty successful. They can't figure it out. Why should they? They get paid anyway. As long as millions of people keep tuning in to mind-numbing "reality" TV, nothing is going to change.

Frankly, there are fights on PPV that need to me main events on HBO or Showtime (if that), HBO main events that should be undercards or ESPN2/Network main events, and main events on ESPN2, etc., that should be co-features. I still can't get over Jones-Hopkins II being a $50 PPV fight because that's what Jones wanted. With those two 'names' getting into the ring, I have to think that would do pretty well on ABC or NBC or CBS on a Saturday afternoon in June, as opposed to gymnastics, figure skating, or another God forsaken golf tournament.

[zucrates]

Believe it or not I've saw a lot of free boxing on TV besides Friday Night Fights. Golden Boy and Top Rank show cards on Fox Sports Net. Not the best of fighters but they have some damn good prospects on there like Jessie Vargas, Gomez, and Mikey Garcia. Fights come on, of course not mainstream basic cable if that makes any sense but you just have to find them.

Yeah I catch those fights on Sats when there is not a Premium Cable fights on or i'll record them on the dvr
I've caught some scraps and funny Kos too

[zucrates]

Yeah I catch those fights on Sats when there is not a Premium Cable fights on or i'll record them on the dvr
I've caught some scraps and funny Kos too

To be on topic though its good it's enough money out there for everyone to eat who knows the future could be a major boxing match and a major mma fight on the same card in a stadium or something (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dntknw.gif)