Fight Business Podcast #29: UFC signs Chinese media distribution deal, ONE Championship considers US SPAC deal
Welcome back to the Fight Business Podcast, Patrick Auger’s show dedicated to the business-side of mixed martial arts.
Timestamps:
- 0:00​ – Intro
- 01:51​ – UFC signs exclusive Chinese media distribution deal
- 08:59​ – ONE Championship mulling US SPAC deal
- 19:38​ – How Myanmar coup could affect ONE Championship
- 29:46​ – UFC reveals info regarding discretionary bonuses
- 40:55​ – Invicta FC parts ways with UFC Fight Pass
The first topic of discussion in this episode is the UFC’s historic media distribution deal in China. The promotion has landed a deal with Migu Video, which will now become the home of the upcoming Asia edition Dana White’s Contender Series. The China Mobile subsidiary will also air UFC PPV events and Fight Night events in China.
Auger explains what this means for the UFC and how the promotion worked toward this remarkable deal behind the success of Chinese champion Weili Zhang.
Next, Auger focuses on how ONE Championship is considering a US SPAC deal. ONE Championship has chosen Credit Suisse Group and Goldman Sachs Group to manage the potential listing. Auger explains everything you need to know about this development.
On the topic of ONE Championship, Auger then discusses how the 2021 Myanmar coup could impact the promotion. ONE Championship has an incredible following in Myanmar and Auger explains what’s at stake for the promotion here considering stars such as Aung La N Sang have spoken out against the ‘unlawful’ coup.
Lastly, Auger touches on the news regarding UFC discretionary bonuses and also how Invicta FC has parted ways with UFC Fight Pass.
One would think that given the role Weili Zhang played in making all this come together, the UFC would want to take advantage of her marketability and desire to fight as frequently as possible and push for as many title fights as she’s willing to take. Instead, it appears they’ve hung her out to dry while trying to negotiate terms acceptable to her potential challenger, Rose Namajunas. No other current champion in the UFC has had to wait as long this past year as Zhang has to defend their title and there is still no announced date. It makes one wonder how much her manager, who also manages Rose and Carla, is contributing to this delay. I’m sure he’d like nothing better than to have Carla challenge Weili first, followed by Rose.
Thanks for the comment, Juchi! You’re right. It’s a shame that we haven’t seen Weili Zhang compete since almost 12 months ago. Hope that the UFC can really work something out for her this year.