The UFC’s online network UFC FIGHT PASS is making strides. Launched in December, 2013, the online streaming service was (much like the WWE Network) created to offer the fans exclusive content and archived material for a pay-monthly subscription service.
With all the early flaws and bugs out of the way, it would seem that 2016 marks the beginning of a push towards online content for the UFC. For example, Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping, a PPV calibre fight is being offered to fans on FIGHT PASS.
Perhaps to mark the occasion, beginning February 26th, FIGHT PASS will now be home to an assortment of other combat sport organisations. Big ones.
The details were announced by UFC Senior Vice President and Fight Pass General Manager Eric Winter at a UFC Media Event in Los Angeles yesterday.
“We are proud to announce our new partnership with the GLORY kickboxing and EBI Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu organizations,” said Winter. “This is a huge development for FIGHT PASS. We haven’t just added some kickboxing and some BJJ to Fight Pass, we partnered with leaders in both sports. GLORY has established itself as the pinnacle of world kickboxing while EBI leads the way in exciting, fast-paced submission grappling. Both of these organizations are tremendous additions to Fight Pass.”
To put this into context, GLORY is the world’s premier organisation for kickboxing, a sport that seems to have suffered for attention for years. The introduction of the promotion to FIGHT PASS will give that sport a new platform, and hopefully bring new eyeballs to kickboxing.
“UFC Fight Pass is at the top of the global MMA world, and GLORY is the world’s leading kickboxing league,” said GLORY co-founder Scott Rudmann. “This is an unprecedented partnership that brings the best of MMA and the best of kickboxing together on a single platform that is available for fight fans around the world.”
Even more exciting, as part of the deal with GLORY, FIGHT PASS now owns the rights to over 2000 hours of kickboxing media, namely that of the (now-gone) K-1 organisation. In its time K-1 was home to the elite kickboxing talent in the world, such as UFC stars Mark Hunt, Mirko Cro Cop and Alistair Overeem.
This new fight library also includes the biggest names in kickboxing that perhaps MMA fans will only have heard about. Names such as Ernesto Hoost, Peter Aerts, Andy Hug, Semmy Schilt, Jerome LeBanner, Ray Sefo, Maurice Smith, Masato, Giorgio Petrosyan, or Tyrone Spong will now be available for streaming.
Also announced by Winter was the deal with Eddie Bravo’s jiu-jitsu’s organisation EBI, another leader in its field.
“The UFC Fight Pass partnership is nothing short of a dream come true,” said Bravo. “UFC is responsible for the explosion of popularity for BJJ around the world, and having EBI on UFC’s digital streaming service is the perfect fit for us. I am incredibly confident that MMA and Jiu-Jitsu fans will love the full-throttle entertainment EBI is going to deliver on UFC Fight Pass.”
Winter echoed Bravo’s sentiments.
“BJJ legend Eddie Bravo is well-known to UFC fans, having trained dozens of UFC athletes over the years, and also having served as a UFC broadcaster on occasion,” said Winter. “What Eddie has been doing with his EBI events over the last couple of years is make BJJ accessible to MMA fans. EBI uses the same weight-classes as we do in the UFC, and the rules are set up to encourage athletes to be very aggressive and go for submissions from start-to-finish. The result is an exciting product that I know our loyal Fight Pass customers are going to love.
“Including live and exclusive UFC Fight Night events like the Silva vs. Bisping February 27 event, and our exclusively live featured bouts on the UFC prelims, Fight Pass now presents live action from 10 of the leading combat sports organizations in the world,” said Winter.
The first EBI to be shown on FIGHT PASS is targeted for April of this year.
The deal now means Fight Pass has deals with 10 of leading combat organisations across the globe, such as Invicta FC, Pancrase in Japan, Victory FC, Shooto Brazil, Titan FC, Brace MMA and EFN.
With the FOX deal coming to it’s final stages for the UFC, it’ll be interesting to see how much emphasis the company puts into its online presence. Could we be seeing the beginning of a shift in focus? Either way, it can’t be argued; UFC FIGHT PASS is making strides.
