BT Sports has pulled out of the bidding for the UFC rights for the UK.
In a move that may upset MMA fans in the UK, a BT spokesman told the BBC, “We won’t bid more than the rights are worth to us.”
BT secured the rights to the UFC from ESPN back in 2013 in a deal that has worked well for fans, who have not had to shell out for PPV events and with events on in early hours of morning fans have been able to record and watch next day.
MMA fans now could face the prospect of paying PPV events as well as extra subscription fees.
The front-runner for the rights appears to be Eleven Sports, first reported by Jim Edwards last week, with reports suggesting Eleven will show all Fight Nights and most PPV, with popular PPV (McGregor fights) appearing on either Sky or BT PPV.
As yet the rights have not been announced for Eleven or anyone else so we will have to wait for the final details to be confirmed.
The UFC will appear on BT Sports until December 3rd. Time will tell if BT will still have a presence in MMA by continuing Cage Warriors coverage or adding another promotion.
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