THE anxious wait to discover the destination of the next UFC UK and Ireland TV deal is almost over.

UFC vice president and managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa James Elliott confirmed to SunSport that a decision has been made over which broadcaster will carry the UFC's live events from the start of August.

3 Announcement imminent: James Elliott says the UFC has chosen its TV partner for the UK and Ireland Credit: UFC

The topic has generated plenty of discussion online, with current rights holders BT Sport and fellow sports broadcaster Sky Sports both thought to be in the mix for the new set of rights.

And after an exhaustive period of due diligence and negotiations, Elliott confirmed an announcement on the new deal will be made imminently.

3 Euro clash: Elliott keeps order as Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski face off ahead of their bout in Rotterdam earlier this year

Speaking to SunSport from the UFC's EMEA offices in London, Elliott explained: "We have made a decision and we're just at the point of finalising the contracts and there'll be an announcement very very soon."

And Elliott, who previously worked at The Football Association on their television partnership deals before joining the UFC to help spread the promotion's TV reach across the region, said there were many factors involved when making the decision.

"We have made a decision and we're just at the point of finalising the contracts and there'll be an announcement very very soon." James Elliott, UFC vice president and general manager, EMEA

"It's about that education process, about getting people to actually understand what the sport is," he explained.

"It takes our broadcast partners time to get up to speed with what we're doing, and we're looking to bring in new partners all the time - you saw the BBC Three agreement that we came up with at the beginning of the year.

SunSport Opinion: Simon Head, UFC/MMA Reporter The two man options for the UFC are to either remain with current partners BT Sport or switch channels and head to Sky Sports. The two options offer different benefits.

Joining Sky Sports would potentially open up the UFC to a new, larger audience and increase promotion using Sky's 24-hour rolling news channel Sky Sports News HQ.

Alternatively, a second term with BT Sport would offer continuity for fans and allow the UFC to build on their existing relationship with the Stratford-based broadcaster after their initial three-year partnership.

3 Elliott has overseen the last four European UFC shows as the promotion's vice president and general manager for EMEA Credit: UFC

"We've got a number of different parties who have been interested in the rights. And for us it's about choosing the partner who's going to help us with that education process, who's going to help support and service the fanbase we currently have, and help us to get more fans involved in the sport.

"It's not just about getting out (to) as many different places as we can. It's about getting it somewhere where people can access it and getting it in a place where people will feel the sport is people properly supported and we can help push it on and make this thing as big as we possibly can."

