There will be plenty of channels for fighters to ham it up for.
Remember when the only way to watch the UFC was on pay-per-view? And even then, the preliminary fights were only available to the people in the arena? It wasn't that long ago. On Thursday, the UFC announced three deals that will give fans more ways to watch their fights.
-- Fox Sports 1 is going to launch in August, and the new station will devote plenty of airtime to the UFC. It will start with UFC on Fox 1 1, an event name that needs work. The program covering this show will run seven and a half hours, meaning that an entire UFC event will be on one channel.
-- That will just be the start of the UFC presence on this channel, that will be a rebrand of the Speed network. A live show is planned for August 28, and another live show leading into "The Ultimate Fighter" will run on Sept. 4, with TUF starting at 10 p.m. ET.
-- Cagereaders in the United Kingdom will start watching BT Sport, as the UFC agreed to a three-year deal with that station. Like with Fox Sports 1, it's a new station, and will air live events and programming specifically for the UK market. Let's all hope for a Michael Bisping reality series.
-- The UFC also announced a new channel on YouTube. The promotion will offer a pay-for subscription channel that will give fans the option to watch some of their best known fights, and shows like "UFC Unleashed" and "Best of PRIDE" for $5.99 a month.