UFC 105 available in 400 million homes

The Ultimate Fighting Championship first took its show across the pond in the summer of 2002, when UFC 38 landed at The Royal Albert Hall in London.

It was nearly five years later before the Las Vegas based mixed martial arts juggernaught returned to the U.K., but it did so with UFC 70 at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England.

That was two-and-a-half years ago, and the sport has grown by leaps and bounds since. The promotion returns for a second go in Manchester with this weekend’s UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera.

“UFC 105 has exceeded our expectations. It’s already sold more tickets, generated more revenue than UFC 70,” said Marshall Zelaznik, the UFC’s president in the U.K. “I couldn’t be happier with where we are in terms of our growth over the last two-and-a-half years.”

UFC 105 will air on a tape-delayed basis in the United States on Spike TV, but is available live in the U.K. on ESPN and ESPN HD. ESPN is part of a newly acquired broadcast agreement in the U.K. that came to fruition after original television partner Setanta Sports failed earlier this year.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. According to Zelaznik, “The fight will be seen in over 50 countries and territories live. It will eventually be seen in 130 countries and territories and be available to 400 million homes around the world.”

That’s a marked improvement over the UFC’s television prospects when Zuffa purchased the flailing company in 2001. At that time, cable television companies wouldn’t even carry the company’s events on pay-per-view. The only way to watch it then was at the arena or on pay-per-view on satellite television.

“I think this is a testament to how big this sport is getting and how international it is,” stated Zelaznik.