Asian MMA scene on the rise

Great news for MMA in Asia as both Legend FC and One FC sign major broadcasting deals.

Article from Bloody Elbow
Title:Legend FC Announces Distribution Deal With ESPN, ONE FC Announces Media Partnership With ESS

Legend FC

There's interesting news coming out of the Asian MMA scene from both Legend FC and ONE FC. Both promotions will be hosting their next shows at the same date, and both promotions have announced major deals for their promotions on the same day as well.

Earlier today, Legend FC has announced an "exclusive distribution and syndication agreement" with ESPN. This Hong Kong-based promotion is already available on 10 countries, including PPV in North America, and with this deal, they'll be looking to expand their reach to a broader audience globally with the help of ESPN international. From their press release:

Legend Fighting Championship (Legend) today announced the signing of an exclusive distribution and syndication agreement with ESPN International (ESPN). Under the terms of the agreement, ESPN will serve as the sole distribution agent of all Legend broadcast content in Asia, Oceania, the Indian sub-continent, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

... "Legend’s combination of a roster filled with elite fighters from the Asia-Pacific region with high-quality production values makes us excited to work with them to continue to develop their audience around the world," said Mike Walter, vice president of programming, ESPN International.

ONE FC on the other hand, will be hosting a show on the same date, and as we wrote about earlier, the Singapore-based promotion is set to be broadcast all over Asia on ESPN Star Sports (ESS). The promotion announced this deal a few moments ago, also adding that they have entered in a 10-year partnership with the company, guaranteeing a decade's worth of shows being broadcast on ESS. From their release:

ONE Fighting Championship™, Asia’s largest MMA organization, announces a 10-year media partnership with ESPN STAR Sports, Asia’s biggest sports content provider. This partnership marks the largest MMA media deal in Asian history and includes showcasing the best Asian mixed martial artists against one another through a series of events across all the major cities in Asia.

... Adam Zecha, Executive Vice President, Head of Sales (SEA), ESPN STAR Sports, said, "ESPN STAR Sports has always been at the forefront in offering innovative and engaging programming to sports fans across the region. We have successfully showcased a diverse range of combat sports events to fans, and with this long-term partnership with ONE Fighting Championship, mixed-martial arts sports fans can now look forward to more exciting action on our networks."