04 Jan Cage Warriors ink new exclusive deal with UFC Fight Pass to continue EMEA growth

Europe’s leading MMA promotion will be broadcast exclusively in the UK and Ireland on UFC Fight Pass, the world’s largest fight sports OTT platform, for three years from 1st Jan 2019.

Cage Warriors’ storied history has seen some of the world’s biggest fighting stars forge their careers, such as two-weight champion Conor McGregor, British MMA legends Dan Hardy and Michael Bisping, and former UFC champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Now the promotion has announced the next step in its development with a brand new and exclusive deal in key territories, which will see every Cage Warriors event – and their roster of Europe’s top rising names – broadcast live in one place: UFC Fight Pass.

As first reported by the Sunday Times, Fight Pass now hold exclusive rights to broadcast Cage Warriors events across the UK and in other territories including Ireland, Australia, the Americas and Russia. The first event under this new deal will be CW101, Cage Warriors’ first show of 2019 on February 16th live from the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool.

“This is a strong new deal for us – and by extension for European MMA,” says Cage Warriors CEO, Casimir Knight. “We now have a clear 3 year pathway to build Cage Warriors as the number one promotion in Europe and the Middle East. We were in advanced discussions with three more traditional broadcast partners, but I’m delighted with the outcome”.

Cage Warriors’ mission to showcase the best of European MMA and provide local heroes with a platform to achieve global greatness is showing no signs of slowing, with this new deal ensuring that their fighters will have a consistent and respected platform to showcase their skills to worldwide audiences. With four shows already announced for 2019 in Liverpool, London, Copenhagen and Wales, and many more in the works, emerging athletes can be sure of a consistent, solid pathway to follow.

Cage Warriors President Graham Boylan said: “We have delivered on everything we promised the MMA community since we took control of the business in 2016. We are here to stay and to reinvest revenue in more shows and more value for fans.

“A deal like this means that we can continue to give fighters stability and to help them make a career from the sport and promote the core values we share with other elite promotions, like fighter safety and an incredible fan experience.”