UFC Fight Pass is an American subscription-based

video streaming Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...

service owned by the UFC's parent company,

Zuffa Zuffa, LLC () is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to be the parent entity of ...

, that launched in December 2013.

History

Fight Pass showcases live and on-demand

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

submission grappling Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission through the ...

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

and

Thai boxing Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

events. In addition to UFC events (with their flagship pay-per-view events appearing on the service around a month after their initial broadcasts), Fight Pass also includes content from the libraries of

PRIDE FC PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts eve ...

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

, Strikeforce, Affliction Entertainment, World Fighting Alliance,

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mains ...

Pancrase Pancrase Inc. is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the Ancient Olympic Games. Suzuki and Funaki pr ...

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish owned mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under the Cage War ...

Shooto Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the ''Shooto Association'' and the ''International Shooto Commission''. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 198 ...

and

UCMMA Ultimate Challenge MMA (also referred to as UCMMA) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It is shown live on London Live in the UK, Fight Now TV in the US and on Viewster in several other countries. History The collap ...

. In September 2014

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

began live-streaming events on Fight Pass. In February 2016, it was announced Fight Pass would begin streaming kickboxing promotions Glory and

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

, and the Eddie Bravo Invitational submission grappling tournaments. On December 5, 2019, UFC announced an upgrade which included 1080p video, improved search and multi view for desktop. UFC president

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 mil ...

said "The redesigned Fight Pass offers upgrades like 1080p video, multi-view for desktop, improved search, and coming early next year, ‘Downloads to Go,’ so you can watch Fight Pass content without an internet connection. Add in the world's largest fight library with 17,000 fights, every UFC fight ever, and over 1,000 hours of live combat sports, and Fight Pass continues to be a must-have streaming service for combat sports fans". Content included alongside live events and the fight library includes shows such as The Ultimate Fighter, Unleashed, Dana White's Contender Series, Unfiltered, Connected and the popular long running show UFC Now. On July 22, 2020, it was announced that UFC had rolled out their Fight Pass service in Japan. Kevin Chang, senior vice president for UFC Asia said "Japan is a pioneer in the sport of MMA, with a fan base that is knowledgeable, sophisticated, and always hungry for more". The promotion had also introduced the service to other major territories in Asia, including China and India. As of February 2021,

was pulled from Fight Pass. As many broadcasters have chosen with the current decline of traditional TV Invicta opted to go down the Fight Network route where their events will now broadcast live in the United States and Canada similar to the WWE Network model where full live events is part of a subscription base price. Although media subscription services tend to experience significant

churn Churn may refer to: * Churn drill, large-diameter drilling machine large holes appropriate for holes in the ground Dairy-product terms * Butter churn, device for churning butter * Churning (butter), the process of creating butter out of mil ...

, UFC Fight Pass is believed to have approximately 250,000 subscribers globally, as of 2017. In 2020, it was noted that the service has continued to grow 28% year to date. General manager Crowley Sullivan said, "Even without live events for two months, UFC Fight Pass subscriptions are up 28% year-to-date and 23% year-over-year". In August 2022, it was confirmed that UFC Fight Pass will be released in Brazil in 2023 after the UFC rights with

Grupo Globo Grupo Globo ( en, Globo Group), formerly known as Organizações Globo ( en, Globo Organization), is a Brazilian private mass media conglomerate based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded in 1925 by Irineu Marinho, it is the largest media group i ...

will expire on the same year. UFC Fight Pass was officially released in Brazil on January 1, 2023.

References

External links

* {{Sports television in the United States Internet television channels Ultimate Fighting Championship Internet properties established in 2013 Subscription video streaming services