The UFC has just signed a historic free-to-air deal with Channel 10, which means we’ll soon be able to watch UFC events as well as every The Ultimate Fighter: 28 episode without shelling out a single dollar (Sorry, Foxtel). Not a bad get for a media organisation that was supposedly on their way out last year…
Australia has been in the UFC’s sights for some time now, with a consistent stream of conversation regarding how the land down under is the next step for the mixed martial art organisation’s growth.
“Australians are spending as much on UFC as any other population, so there is interest here,” says UFC Senior Vice-President of International and Content, David Shaw.
So it’s no mere coincidence that this collaboration with Channel 10 comes in the year Aussie middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, is set to coach in the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter with a major event slated to take place in Adelaide on top of all that– and one that just so happens to be airing the day after The Ultimate Fighter’s finale.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2arXMHfV6E
Whittaker himself was once a contestant on a season of The Ultimate Fighter back in 2009, before he won the welterweight tournament and earned himself a contract. Since then, the Sydney native contender has risen to the ranks of UFC middleweight world champion, with a record of 20-4 under his belt.
All UFC related programming will air on Channel 10’s sports dedicated offshoot, One.
