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Jun 23, 2009 - 8:46:38 AM By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief The UFC has left Setanta Sports, the U.K. broadcasting home for UFC events since January of last year, according to a report from the U.K. based Fighter's Only.
The move comes after weeks of turmoil with the broadcasting company, headed by costs getting out of control and the loss of other sporting rights including those of Premiership Football. The UFC served a termination notice on Tuesday.
The UFC's UK Division President Marshall Zelaznik spoke much in the report, assuring fans in the U.K. that they won't miss any of the major events this summer and a new home for the UFC will be announced soon.
"...Over the last two years, Setanta has helped the UFC become the biggest indoor sporting event in the British Isles...They were the right partner for us at the right time as we continued to build the sport of mixed martial arts and our brand...We will be announcing the new home of UFC shortly but assure our [UK and Eire] fans they won’t miss any of the upcoming super-fights."
Penick's Analysis: It's good news for the fans overseas that the UFC seems to have taken a proactive approach to this to ensure they don't miss any of the big stuff coming up. There was concern over whether or not the UFC would get UFC 99 airing on Setanta just over a week ago because of all that's going down so the next step will be seeing just exactly what type of a TV deal, and with whom, they've secured.
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