The UFC’s deal with commercial broadcaster Ten in Australia will provide its middleweight champion Robert Whittaker with much-needed exposure ahead of his first title defence in December.
Whittaker (pictured), the UFC’s first Australian champion, will be a coach on the promotion’s Ultimate Fighter reality series. Ten will hold rights to the Ultimate Fighter, its Finale event on December 1, and the UFC’s Fight Night event in Adelaide, Australia on December 2.
It will not hold rights to Whittaker’s title defence, which will be pay-per-view on pay-television operator Foxtel and IPTV platform Fetch. Whittaker will face American middleweight Kelvin Gastelum on either December 7 or December 28.
The UFC is refocusing its efforts on international exposure now that it has secured a five-year, $1.5bn deal in the US with pay-television broadcaster ESPN – one of its key revenue streams.
Its deals in Australia, with Foxtel and Fetch, expire at the end of this year. The UFC and its owner Endeavor will expect a large increase should Whittaker remain champion going into 2019.