UFC On FOX? UFC On FOX. (Maybe?)

The multiyear deal would mark the first time the UFC will have consistent airtime on a broadcast network. Fox execs refused to comment on the deal, but sources with knowledge of the negotiations said bidding had gone as high as $90M per year. The Fox deal is believed to be for seven or eight years. As part of the deal, most of the weekly programming that UFC has on Versus and Spike TV will move to FX starting in January. That includes several fight cards, plus shows like the reality series “The Ultimate Fighter.”

So what does this mean for the UFC and MMA in general? Um… you would watch Fight Night cards on FOX or FX instead of SpikeTV or Versus. I guess there won’t be any more “Versus!? What channel is that? Do I even get Versus?” and “LOL MANSWERS DUDE!” I’d say FOX is a move to the bigtime mainstream for the UFC, but FOX has a 3 hour block of Seth MacFarlane cartoons on Sundays.

It’s not so much about mainstream legitimacy now as it is about making serious money in a non-PPV format. I’d venture to guess the same people who love or hate MMA before the (potential) FOX deal will still either love it or hate it. Now that I think about it, the big difference is those UFC ads you’ll be seeing during the NFC Playoffs. And let’s keep our fingers crossed that Gus Johnson doesn’t get involved.

[SBJ, Getty]