[MMA] Centraal MMA topic #463 UFC in Bakoe

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0:00 Intro
1:03 PrizePicks Code: MIGHTYCAST
1:54 Welcome Muhammad Mokaev
2:37 Mokaev’s Next Fight
3:28 Why Did the UFC Cut Mokaev?
6:30 Did the UFC Try to Resign Mokaev?
9:22 Mokaev Got Caught in a BRUTAL Knee Bar
13:06 Mokaev’s Home Base
14:08 Mokaev’s Intro into MMA
17:18 Mokaev’s Extensive Amateur Career
18:42 Mokaev Turned Down the DWCS?!
23:05 Pantoja vs Joshua Van BREAKDOWN
26:59 Mokaev and Kape Still HATE Each Other?***
28:09 Mokaev has Made BIG Money Moves
34:09 Why DJ Doesn’t Like When People Stand and Bang
35:59 Mokaev Didn’t Deserve to Be Cut?
37:40 Mokaev is Glad He Got Cut?
38:56 Did Mokaev Like Fighting in Karate Combat?
40:32 One and PFL Tried to Sign Mokaev?!
46:27 Why Does Mokaev Want to Go Back to the UFC?
48:32 Mokaev Trained with Pantoja?!
49:51 Mokaev Fought in Brave WITHOUT A CONTRACT?!
52:02 Mokaev Fought KILLERS at 125
54:10 UFC is Not a Sport, but a Business?!
56:15 Flyweight is Harder than Bantamweight?!
57:01 Mokaev’s Weight Cut is BRUTAL
59:27 How Mokaev Would Have Fought DJ
1:01:40 Mokaev Breaks Down His Fight Style
1:03:24 Mokaev Never Gameplans?!
1:05:52 How to Support Mokaev!
1:07:20 MightyRecap!
1:07:27 Mokaev is a BEAST
1:10:14 DJ Breaks Down Mokaev’s Style
1:11:15 Mokaev’s Unique Martial Arts/Amateur Background
1:12:16 DJ Sounds Off on the UFC
1:12:52 Should the UFC Resign Mokaev?
1:13:31 DJ Loves Mokaev’s Business Skillset
1:14:04 Mokaev is on a Good Run Outside the UFC
1:14:32 Mokaev Should Move to 135?!

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Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET - 01:00 NL)
(185.5) Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez (186)*
(135.5) Steve Erceg vs. Ode Osbourne (135.5)
(115) Iasmin Lucindo vs. Angela Hill (116)
(146) Andre Fili vs. Christian Rodriguez (146)
(136) Miles Johns vs. Jean Matsumoto (136)
(186) Eryk Anders vs. Christian Leroy Duncan (185)

Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET - 22:00 NL)
(206) Julius Walker vs. Raffael Cerqueira (203)
(136) Elijah Smith vs. Toshiomi Kazama (136)
*(136) Joselyne Edwards vs. Priscila Cachoeira (134)
(171) Uros Medic vs. Gilbert Urbina (171)
(125.5) Gabriella Fernandes vs. Julija Stoliarenko (126)*
(202.5) Cody Brundage vs. Eric McConico (204.5)

*Hernandez, Edwards, and Stoliarenko all missed weight on first attempt, but successfully made weight on their second attempts

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BREAKING: UFC has agreed to a 7-year, $7.7 billion exclusive US media rights deal with Paramount.

Beginning in 2026, all UFC events will stream on Paramount+, with select events also airing on CBS.

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Agreement with mixed martial arts promoter is the largest since David Ellison took charge of Hollywood studio

Paramount has agreed a $7.7bn deal to become the exclusive US broadcaster of Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest agreement since David Ellison took the helm of the group.

Under the seven-year contract, which has an average annual value of $1.1bn and is weighted towards higher payments in later years, Paramount will stream all 13 of UFC's marquee numbered events and 30 Fight Nights annually on its streaming platform from 2026, with selected bouts also cast on CBS.

The UFC deal by Ellison, who took over as chair and chief executive last week following Skydance's takeover of the Hollywood studio, highlights the 42-year-old's willingness to invest heavily in reviving Paramount after years of struggle under its previous ownership.

Once derided as "human cockfighting" by late Arizona senator John McCain, UFC has been transformed from a niche combat sport into a mainstream global business.

Led by promoter Dana White, an ally of Donald Trump and board member of Instagram owner Meta, UFC's popularity could help attract new subscribers to Paramount+, the company's online platform.

"The UFC really is a unicorn sports asset that is year round, which is really critical to our overall sports strategy," Ellison said in an interview with the Financial Times.

"When you look at the incredible portfolio of sports that Paramount has with the NFL, Uefa, Masters and March Madness, there really was a lull in the summer, and now with the UFC, we really do have a very strong year-long sports offering on both Paramount plus and CBS," he added.

Ellison said that Paramount's combination of broadcast and streaming channels made it well placed to use live sports such as UFC to boost engagement, and attract subscribers and retain audiences.

"When you look at the growth rate, UFC basically has 100mn fans in the US, and basically, up 25 per cent since 2019 and the fact that it was doing all of that behind the double paywall at ESPN, underscore that by eliminating that paywall it's going to be an amazing experience for fans of the UFC," Ellison said.

As part of the agreement, Paramount has the right to create original content based on UFC -- similarly to how Netflix developed F1: The Movie -- with approval from the MMA group at the expense of the studio.

The deal is a landmark shift for UFC as it will end its long-standing pay-per-view model in the US, with premium fights made available at no extra cost to Paramount+ subscribers.

Ari Emanuel, executive chair and chief executive of UFC's parent company TKO Group Holdings, told the FT that Paramount won an extremely competitive race for UFC, which until 2026 will continue to be viewed on ESPN+ behind a pay-per-view model.

"We believe wholeheartedly in David's vision and look forward to being in business with a company that will prioritise technology as a means to enhance storytelling and the overall viewing experience," Emanuel said.

Mark Shapiro, TKO's president and chief operating officer, told the FT that part of the reason they picked Paramount was that "David really sees media, content, story, entertainment and sports through the lens of technology. He really believes the viewing experience will be enhanced by the right technological apparatus around it."

The MMA organisation stages about 43 live events each year, producing more than 350 hours of live content. Its fights are broadcast in more than 210 countries and territories, featuring a roster of around 600 fighters from 75 nations.

Ellison said last week that his top priorities for reviving Paramount include restructuring the company into three focused divisions -- studios, direct-to-consumer and TV media -- to improve efficiency; consolidating streaming platforms like Paramount+ and Pluto TV on to a unified tech stack; and harnessing AI and other tech tools for content discovery and virtual production.

The son of Larry Ellison, founder of cloud computing group Oracle and one of America's richest people, is working closely with Paramount's other co-owner Gerry Cardinale of private equity group RedBird Capital to cut about $2bn in costs.

The UFC-Paramount deal is the latest major media rights agreement for a TKO business.

World Wrestling Entertainment, which organises scripted bouts, on August 6 agreed for Disney's ESPN, which is launching a new streaming service, to become the US home of flagship live events including WrestleMania. The contract is worth over $1.6bn over five years, starting in 2026, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

TKO shares closed at $163.29 on Friday, up almost 40 per cent from a year earlier, giving it an equity market capitalisation of more than $32bn.

https://www.ft.com/content/92c52ee3-f6e9-465b-98ca-17a1adfe26ba

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Paramount is paying an average of $1.1 billion per year, totaling $7.7 billion, for UFC's full slate of 13 marquee events and 30 "Fight Nights," the companies said in a statement. All matches and events will be streamed in the U.S. via Paramount+, and select events will be simulcast on CBS. The deal payments are weighted, with Paramount paying less than $1.1 billion in the early years of the deal and higher values later.

Paramount won't charge users any additional fees for access to the events, eliminating the pay-per-view model that ESPN+ has used for certain premium UFC events. Disney's
ESPN had been paying an average of $500 million for five years of UFC rights. That deal expires at the end of 2025.

"The pay-per-view model is a thing of the past," said Mark Shapiro, TKO Group's president and chief operating officer, in an interview. "What's on pay-per-view anymore? Boxing? Movies on DirecTV? It's an outdated, antiquated model. So, it was paramount to us - forgive the pun - where it's one-stop shopping, especially for our younger fans in flyover states. When they find out, 'Wait, if I just sign up for Paramount+ for $12.99 a month, I'm going to automatically get UFC's numbered fights and the rest of the portfolio?' That's a message we want to amplify."

It's been a busy few days for both Paramount and TKO. Paramount officially sold control of the company to Skydance Media on Thursday, bringing in new leadership led by Chief Executive Officer David Ellison. Also last week, TKO signed a five-year, $1.6 billion deal with ESPN for the U.S. rights to WWE's premium live events. UFC and WWE merged to become TKO in 2023.

TKO leadership initially believed it would sell just the 30 "Fight Night" events to Paramount and the premium numbered events to another media partner, said Shapiro. When the Skydance-Paramount deal closed Thursday, the two sides negotiated this deal in 48 hours, he said.

It was important for Ellison to buy the entire UFC package given the scarcity of sports rights available in the coming years, he said in an interview. With Formula 1 rights likely earmarked for Apple and Major League Baseball waiting until 2028 to reorganize its major media packages, there won't be many top-shelf sports assets coming to market for Paramount to acquire.

"UFC is a unicorn asset that comes up about once a decade," said Ellison in an interview. Ellison described himself as a UFC fan.

UFC events are desirable for streamers because they take place year-round -- keeping fans paying for monthly subscriptions with less incentive to cancel seasonally than with other sports. There are 43 live events annually, consisting of 350 hours of live programming.

Paramount is interested in buying UFC's international rights to pair with U.S. rights, the company said in a statement. Those rights arise on a rolling basis, with about one-third of them available each year. UFC matches are currently available in more than 210 countries.

Paramount will have a 30-day exclusive negotiating window for each country's rights when they're up for renewal, Shapiro said.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025(...)skydance-merger.html

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Op maandag 11 augustus 2025 15:03 schreef THEFXR het volgende:
Is dat world wide?

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'Wait, if I just sign up for Paramount+ for $12.99 a month, I'm going to automatically get UFC's numbered fights and the rest of the portfolio?' That's a message we want to amplify."

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Op maandag 11 augustus 2025 16:46 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Maar fantastisch nieuws toch?

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Op maandag 11 augustus 2025 18:54 schreef FundsAreSafu het volgende:
Krijgen de vechters nu ook meer geld of steekt Dana alles weer in eigen zak ?