WEC gets Mexican TV deal, EliteXC gets on FSN
July 31st, 2008, 5:13 pm · Post a Comment · posted by CARLOS ARIAS
Mexicans and Mexican-Americans are some of the most devoted fight fans in the world.
Boxing has been the sport of choice for Mexican fans, but World Extreme Cagefighting is banking on the excitement, intensity and popularity of mixed martial arts to win over Latin fight fans.
The WEC is home to many Mexican fighters such as WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Angel Torres, Manny Tapia, Leonard Garcia and Blas Avena. The WEC is going after the Mexican market in a huge way, announcing a deal with Cadena Tres to become the network television home for the WEC in Mexico.
The deal with Cadena Tres starts with Sunday's broadcast of WEC 35, which features three titles fights, and runs through 2009.
"This partnership between Cadena Tres and the WEC is a groundbreaking event for Mexican television," said Erik Zuckermann, director of programming and new content for Cadena Tres. "We are the first free TV network to bring the Mexican audience this kind of contact sport in primetime. The WEC live events represent the perfect choice for Cadena Tres, which, being the newest option on Mexican free TV, continually bets on content that represents a unique and fresh option for our viewers. We are certain the WEC will represent one of the biggest hits on TV and Cadena Tres will be the channel to watch every week."
The WEC's deal with Cadena Tres wasn't the only MMA TV deal to be announced on Thursday. Fox Sports Net and ProElite, the parent company of EliteXC, announced that FSN will telecast four one-hour special MMA cards on Sundays at 9 p.m. from mid-September and into early October.
The FSN EliteXC telecasts will showcase Internet street-fighting sensation Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, MMA legend Frank Shamrock, EliteXC lightweight champion K.J. Noons and other EliteXC stars.
The FSN EliteXC telecasts also will feature vintage bouts of other MMA stars such as UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber from earlier in their careers when they fought for ProElite-owned King of the Cage and Cage Rage.
The EliteXC specials on FSN will be hosted by Jay Glazer and Frank Trigg.
