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Fox UFC Fight Night (previously referred as Fox UFC Saturday for broadcasts on Fox or FS1 UFC Fight Night for broadcasts on other Fox-owned properties) was the branding used for telecasts of mixed martial art competitions from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that were produced by Fox Sports. Previously, UFC on Fox was also used as a blanket title for UFC events aired on the Fox network, although since the concurrent launch of Fox Sports 1 and rebranding of Fuel TV as Fox Sports 2 in August 2013, all live UFC broadcasts on Fox-owned networks (including preliminaries, UFC Fight Night and The Ultimate Fighter Finale) have since used the name.
| Fox UFC | |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
| Also known as | Fox UFC Saturday FS1 UFC Fight Night FXX UFC Fight Night |
| Genre | Mixed martial arts telecasts |
| Presented by | (see section) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| Production | |
| Production location | All locations in arenas |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 180 minutes or until game ends |
| Production companies | Zuffa Fox Sports |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox (2011–2018) Fox Deportes (2011–2018) FX (2012–2018) Fuel TV (2012–2013) Fox Sports 1 (2013–2018) Fox Sports 2 (2013–2018) FXX (2017–2018) |
| Release | November 12, 2011 – December 15, 2018 |
| Related | |
| UFC on ESPN | |
History
edit
On August 18, 2011, the Ultimate Fighting Championship reached a seven-year broadcast agreement with Fox Sports, giving it the rights to televise matches sanctioned by the promotion through 2018, ending the UFC's relationship with cable channel Spike. Through the agreement, Fox Sports will air four live events per year in either prime time or late night, as well as other UFC programming (including UFC Fight Night, Road to the Octagon and The Ultimate Fighter) on its various broadcast and cable properties, including on Fox, FX and Fuel TV.[1] The deal was significant as it marked the first time that the UFC would televise its events on terrestrial television in the United States.
Incidentally, MyNetworkTV (a sister network-turned-programming service of the Fox broadcast network) previously carried events from the International Fight League, then a competitor to the UFC, from September to November 2007 under a time-buy arrangement[citation needed] until the UFC purchased that promotion (MyNetworkTV is not included in Fox Sports' UFC agreement). The first UFC event to air as part of the agreement was a title card between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, which aired on Fox on November 12, 2011.[2]
The broadcast partnership between Fox and the UFC ended at the conclusion of 2018 as the promotion signed a new broadcast deal with ESPN that began in January 2019.[3]
Commentators
editOn-air staff
edit- Jon Anik – commentator (2012–2018)[4]
- Karyn Bryant – reporter (2013–2018)
- Joe Buck – studio host (2011)
- Daniel Cormier – analyst/commentator (2014–2018)
- Dominick Cruz – analyst/commentator (2014–2018)
- Nicole Dabeau – studio host/reporter (2012–2013)
- Brendan Fitzgerald – commentator (2017–2018)
- Kenny Florian – studio host/analyst (2012–2018)
- Jay Glazer – studio host (2011–2013)[5]
- Mike Goldberg – commentator (2011-2016)
- Ariel Helwani – reporter (2014–2016)
- Curt Menefee – studio host (2012–2018)
- Joe Rogan – commentator (2011–2018)
- Jimmy Smith – analyst/commentator (2018)
- Brian Stann – analyst (2012–2017)[6]
Broadcast history
editAll matches listed are for those broadcast on the Fox network.
References
edit- ^ Mike Whitman (August 18, 2011). "UFC, Fox Announce 7-Year Broadcast Deal". Sherdog.com. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- ^ "It's Official: UFC and Fox Are Now in Business Together". MMA Weekly. August 18, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
- ^ ESPN Newswire (2018-05-23). "ESPN to broadcast 30 UFC events per year during 5-year deal". espn.com. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
- ^ "New commentator Jon Anik says broadcast partner will be a UFC fighter". MMAjunkie. November 2, 2011.
- ^ Damon Martin (November 10, 2011). "Fox Commentators Welcome UFC with Open Arms". MMA Weekly. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
- ^ "Brian Stann Hired as Analyst for Future UFC on FOX Events". Cage Potato. Retrieved January 25, 2015.