Sony Pictures retains media rights of UFC till 2023

Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPN) has retained the exclusive media rights for the premier mixed martial arts promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) till 2023.

The extended partnership with UFCO will help SPN to build on the enduring popularity of combat sports in the Indian sub-continent.

Fans can watch the LIVE telecast of all the UFC Fight Nights and PPVs, featuring the best MMA talent battle it out inside the world-famous Octagon, live and exclusive on SONY TEN 2 and SONY TEN 2 HD channels. UFC content will also be available on SPN's premium video on demand (VOD) service, SonyLIV.

Top MMA fighters like UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, UFC women's bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm, and UFC heavyweight Derrick Lews, along with past fighters such as former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will be prominently featured.

"UFC is the gold standard for the sport of MMA across the globe and features the highest level of talent in their roster. Over the past few years, we have seen a steady growth in consumption of the sport and around 100 million viewers watched UFC on Indian television in 2018," said Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head - Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India.

"UFC has garnered a dedicated fan base over the past few years and is one of the most watched fight sports properties in India. To meet the growing demand for UFC content, we will telecast both live events and non-live content on the SONY TEN 2 channels," he added.

( With inputs from IANS )