With their current deal with BT Sport ending at the end of July, UFC boss James Elliott says they’re close to announcing the next TV partnership for the UK

THE UFC should be set to announce details of their next UK TV deal within

the next month, according to UFC vice president and general manager for

Europe, Middle East and Africa James Elliott.

Chatting to SunSport in Rotterdam, Elliott explained that the negotiations

between the UFC and the various interested broadcasters are approaching a

conclusion.

“We’re getting closer. We’re going to have to because we’re getting towards

the end of our contract!

“We’re talking to the guys. We have a lot of interested parties who are

involved in it.”

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And Elliott praised current rights holders BT Sport for their support of the

UFC over the course of their three-year broadcast partnership together.

“Obviously BT Sport have been great partners of ours,” he said.

“We’re delighted in what they’ve done to help support us.

“We’re a young business, they’re a young business. We’re kind of figuring it

out together. They’ve been very supportive of us, so we’ll see what’s going

to happen.”

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And Elliott revealed the announcement of the UFC’s new broadcast deal could be

imminent, with negotiations beginning to reach their conclusions.

“I think we’re entering the endgame of it all and I think everyone’s keen to

get it locked up as soon as we can,” he said.

“We’ll have some news on that in the next three to four weeks, I would say.”

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The UFC’s current broadcast deal – a three-year partnership with BT Sport –

finishes on July 31 this year.

“I think we’re in stronger shape than we’ve ever been.

“We have more regular shows, our media coverage is great, obviously we’re

talking to the likes of yourselves.

“At the London event we’ve had every major media outlet was present, which has

never happened before.

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“If you look at the column inches we’re generating, the TV coverage we’re

getting through BT Sport, the sheer weight of numbers is undeniable now.

“So I think this sport is beginning to get recognition publicly. We’ve always

had a strong fanbase there, I think it’s growing.

“Obviously Conor and Ronda and Holly Holm and all these athletes are helping

us to break through into the mainstream consciousness, which always helps.

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“But we’re in a good position. We didn’t win, sadly, but we were up in the

Sports Industry Awards for Brand of the Year and Marketing Campaign of the

Year.

“So that shows that not only from a sporting perspective, but from a business

perspective, that we’re being taken very very seriously now, which is great

news for us, but I think it will also drip down into all of MMA and we all

need to continue that drive to get it as accepted as we can.”

And with the sport booming Stateside, repeating that growth into mainstream

acceptance here in the UK remains a key goal for UFC boss Elliott, who says

it won’t be long before the UFC is as big as rugby union and boxing here in

the UK.

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“We’re in a position where we need to get it as high as we possibly can while

maintaining the credibility of what it is,” he explained.

“We are what we are and the sport is what it is, so I think there’s a natural

level for it.

“But I see no reason why we can’t be on the same level, if not bigger, than

the likes of boxing or rugby.

“We’d love to overtake football – I think it’s going to be some time until we

do that – but we have to have that as the goal.

“If you’re not setting your targets that high, what are you doing it for?”