The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will return to TVA Sports next January.
The sports broadcaster and mixed martial arts organization announced Wednesday that TVA Sports will be the long-term broadcaster for French-Canadian audiences. The Sportsnet network will play the same role in English Canada.
“I’m excited about our return to Sportsnet and TVA Sports,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a statement. When we think back to the golden days of GSP [George Saint-Pierre], Sportsnet and TVA were among those who helped build this business in Canada. We love Canadian fans and are excited to be back home.
TVA Sports will broadcast live main card fights from 22 events in the UFC FIGHT NIGHT series, in addition to presenting preliminary bouts from 12 pay-per-view events.
The galas will be broadcast primarily on TVA Sports and TVA Sports 2, while some will be exclusive to the TVA Sports Direct digital platform.
“TVA Sports proudly becomes once again the official French-language broadcaster of the UFC, one of the most famous sports organizations in the world. The content presented is of high quality and fits perfectly with our offering. We are excited to have the opportunity to welcome UFC fans back, both on television and on our digital platform,” said Louis-Philippe Neveu, CEO of TVA Sports.
It is commentator emeritus Jean-Paul Chartrand Jr. who will describe the UFC fights. He is accompanied by veteran Patrick Côté for analysis.
The first meeting for fans will take place on January 13th at 7 p.m. on TVA Sports 2 for a UFC FIGHT NIGHT.