Fear not, Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) fans. A new --and permanent-- home for all your Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) content is just days away.
This upcoming Canada Day (July 1, 2013), media giant Sportsnet will launch a brand new channel titled Sportsnet 360 that, among other things, will be the exclusive home to UFC content of all kinds.
Prior to this announcement, UFC content was spread across Sportsnet's regional channels as well as the alternative Sportsnet ONE; however, there will be no more confusion as Sportsnet 360 will be home to anything and everything UFC.
Here's how the UFC/MMA portion of the channel's programming was described in a press release:
UFC
• Beginning July 1, UFC will be front and centre on Wednesday nights with 4 hours of UFC programming in prime time headlined by exclusive Canadian coverage of The Ultimate Fighter. The UFC Wednesday night line-up will also feature UFC Central, UFC Wired and Unleashed.
• Saturday's all right for fighting: Sportsnet 360will provide coverage of more than 30 live UFC events on Saturday nights each year
• Debuting in 2014, Sportsnet 360 will also broadcast The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia, featuring some of the world's top welterweight (170 lbs) mixed martial arts prospects. Team Canada will be coached by Rimouski, QC's Patrick Côté, while Kyle Noke, a native of Dubbo, New South Wales, will coach the Australian team. (Broadcast details for The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia will be announced at a later date).
In addition to being the home of the UFC in Canada, Sportsnet 360 --previously known as The Score-- will also carry Toronto Blue Jays games, WWE Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown as well as Basketball, Soccer and college sports from across Canada.
The first major piece of UFC programming set to air on Sportsnet 360 will be the preliminary card bouts for next Saturday's (July 6, 2013) UFC 162: "Silva vs. Weidman" event.
For more on Sportsnet 360, including a video interview with UFC Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright, click here.