Showtime Exec Expresses Interest In Partnership With UFC
The whirlwind that was the Aug. 26 boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor may have come and gone, but the partnership between the UFC and Showtime, which broadcasted the fight live on pay-per-view (PPV), may not be over.
Speaking on a recent edition of The MMA Hour, Showtime Executive Stephen Espinoza said that once the UFC’s deal with FOX expires, Showtime and the UFC will have a ‘conversation’:
“Whenever they’re free of their obligations there will be a conversation,” Espinoza said. “Dana and I have disagreed on some things, but my relationships over there are strong. He and I have had disagreements, which is fine. The NFL and I have disagreements sometimes. It happens.”
Prior to the match between Mayweather and McGregor, the UFC had never done business with Showtime, nor had they done any business of that kind before. And while the sides disagreed at times like Espinoza mentioned, the process seemed to be smooth overall.
The UFC’s deal with FOX, which was signed in 2011, will expire at the end of next year, and multiple networks are expected to join the race to land the UFC next.
What network do you expect the UFC to end up on at the end of 2018?
