Cage Warriors turns down BT Sport in favour of UFC Fight Pass deal

UK mixed martial arts promotion Cage Warriors has turned down a number of TV broadcasters in favour of a new, exclusive deal with UFC streaming service Fight Pass.

The company that helped launch the careers of Conor McGregor and Michael Bisping saw its broadcasting rights subject to a bidding war between existing partner BT Sport and at least two other traditional TV platforms, but the UFC’s over-the-top subscription service eventually won out.

Cage Warriors, founded by Dougie Truman in 2001 and currently owned by Irish businessman Graham Boylan, has reportedly signed a three-year deal with the world’s premier MMA organisation, which will see all of its live events streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

As reported by the Sunday Times today the @CageWarriors Live Broadcast media rights bidding war is over… @UFCFightPass out bid 3 Tv Networks to win the rights till 2022 ….. The future is bright, the future is CW 🥳 https://t.co/8bZC2YlY2P

— Graham Boylan 🇮🇪 ☘️ (@GrahamBoylan) December 30, 2018

The move represents a major coup for the UFC, whose subscription service currently attracts an estimated 450,000 users globally. With alumni including Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping, Gegard Mousasi and many others, Cage Warriors is considered the leading MMA organisation in Europe, and, on the basis of its video library alone, must be considered a hot property.

UFC hoping to turn CW fans into paying customers

From 2016 to the end of 2018, the promotion had been broadcast on BT Sport, allowing it to appeal to a wider target audience. Its most recent broadcast lineup consisted of Layla Anna-Lee and Dan Hardy, along with Josh Palmer and Brad Wharton on commentary. The UFC must surely be banking on the fact that it can draw some of these newer fans into paying customers of its monthly subscription service.

Cage Warriors plans to kick off 2019 with a bang, by holding four events in the first four months of the year. The first of these will be on February 16 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, when the promotion brings fans Tim Barnett vs Adam Ventre, Mick Stanton vs Jenaid Ebanks, and a full card to be announced.