The UFC is returning to Sportsnet.
The UFC and Sportsnet announced Wednesday they have reached a multi-year agreement for Sportsnet to be the exclusive broadcast partner in English Canada for all global events.
That means all Sportsnet channels and Sportsnet+ will be, starting in January, the home of programming such as UFC Fight Night cards, pay-per-view preliminary events and The Ultimate Fighter. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
TVA will serve as the French-language broadcast partner in Canada.
The UFC was previously on Sportsnet and TVA from September 2011 through the end of 2014.
“UFC is absolutely thrilled we are returning to a partner in Sportsnet that has been, for many years, a supporter of ours,” said David Shaw, UFC executive vice-president, head of international and content, and president of UFC Canada.
“Sportsnet knows how to build great sports properties, great sports brands. … And it was important to us to partner with an entity that was going to be so focused on athletes, and Canadian athletes, to help the sport to grow in Canada.”
In addition to the fights, the content on Sportsnet will range from press conferences, weigh-ins, analysis, etc.
“This is something that we’re excited about because of the UFC fan base and what this content will bring,” said Greg Sansone, senior vice-president at Sportsnet. “This content runs 12 months a year, and that is what really makes it unique. We’re used to, in sports, dealing with the cyclical nature of a hockey season, the baseball season. There is no off-season in UFC, and to be able to have this type of content 12 months a year, that is, to me, one of the differentiators. That, and the passion of this fanbase.”
Sansone added having UFC back on Sportsnet was especially appealing because of the crossover of fan interest with other sports on the network, especially the NHL.
“This sport is absolutely electrifying, and we look forward to entertaining fans and growing UFC audiences with hundreds of hours of content and programming across all Sportsnet platforms,” Sansone said.
The first pay per view event under the new deal is scheduled for UFC 297 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Jan. 20, highlighted by the Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis middleweight title event.
“We’re back on Sportsnet,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a video statement to Sportsnet. “I love Toronto; I can’t wait to get back up to Toronto, I love Canadian fans. Thank you very much, Sportsnet, and we’re happy to be home.”
UFC 231 was the last major card held in Toronto, when Max Holloway defeated Brian Ortega in a featherweight battle for the ages on Dec. 8, 2018.
Since UFC 83, when Georges St-Pierre defeated Matt Serra by TKO in the second round in Montreal on April 19, 2008, UFC has held 32 events in 11 cities in Canada.
