UFC Inks Three Year German TV Deal

Last week we reported that German cable television network DSF (Deutsches Sportfernsehen - German Sports Television) had secured the German television rights to the UFC. The following press release issued by DSF sheds more light on the deal. English translation by Robert K.

DSF secures UFC rights for the next three years

DSF has secured the television rights to the worlds fastest growing fight sport. Over the next three years, from 2009 to 2011, DSF will televise the world's most successful Mixed Martial Arts organization, the "Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Beginning on Saturday, 7th of March, DSF will air a weekly highlight magazine, UFC Unleashed, from 11pm to midnight in addiction to regular UFC events.

DSF will also broadcast 20 live and tape delayed UFC events. The first of which will air on the 14th of March from 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 featuring Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine in Columbus (Ohio). In addition DSF holds the rights to several other UFC shows including UFC Countdown, UFC Wired and UFC All Access.

In total DSF plans to air 170 hours of UFC programming over the 3 year years. The commentary team will consist of Tobias Drews and Oliver Copp, two of Germany's most respected boxing and martial arts experts.

DSF CEO Oliver Reichert explains: "Having secured the German rights to the UFC, we have the absolute premium content in mixed martial arts. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is a highly professional organization, with dedicated athletes and clear rules and regulations. The UFC will be a important part of our 2009 lineup."

UFC President Dana White adds: "It was always one of our main objectives to bring the UFC to Germany. We look forward bringing the UFC's biggest fights and fighters to the many fans in Germany trough our partnership with DSF. In recent years many fans were forced to make long trips to catch the UFC - now they can watch the UFC right in their living rooms on their TV."

UFC on DSF – An Overview Of The Upcoming Shows:

UFC Unleashed
A weekly highlights show on Saturdays starting from 11pm to Midnight
on Saturday, 7. March.

UFC Fight Night
20 Fight Nights starting. Midnight and 6.00 am live/Replayed on Saturday.

UFC Countdown
A preview of the upcoming events and highlight clips (Saturday, March 14, 0:00 to 1:00 a.m.)

UFC All Access
Interviews and training videos with exclusive insight into the lives of the UFC fighters. (Sunday, March 15, 5:30 a.m to 6:00 a.m)

UFC Wired
A analysis show with replays of past fights, interviews and previews of upcoming events (Sunday, April 5, 4:15 a.m. to 5:15 a.m)

UFC 95 Videos: All Fights - Dos Santos, Maia and More

UFC 95 turned out be a lot more entertaining than what most fans, experts and pundits had predicted. While the main event looked like a snooze fest at first sight, it was anything but. Sanchez vs. Stevenson was a great battle and a deserving Fight Of The Night winner. In between we had a couple of big upsets, spectacular knockouts and amazing submissions. Surprisingly only one bout on the main card went the distance while three didn't make it beyond the first round. Once again it was Demian Maia who walked away with the Submission of the Night award, his fourth in five UFC fights. The upset of the night was another easy pick. Paulo Thiago's amazing uppercut K.O over Josh Koscheck at 3:29 of round 1 will go down as one of the upsets of the year. The UFC newcomer was at one stage priced at +600 at various sports books and betting exchanges.

It was a riveting night of fights, here are all the UFC 95 fight videos.

Diego Sanchez vs Joe Stevenson



The atmosphere inside the arena was electric, if the above MMA videos didn't convince you check out this remarkable footage captured by a fan.

Junior dos Santos didn't disappoint after his specular K.O over Werdum. In just two fights, the Brazilian striker was catapulted himself into the top of UFC's heavyweight division.

Josh Koscheck vs Paulo Thiago Knock Out Video



Demian Maia Submission Video Over Chael Sonnen



UK fans were treated to a good show however more star power is need to keep UFC reputation in Europe in tact. With Cro Cop, Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin set to participate, UFC 99 could very well be the biggest European card yet.

Fight Video: Semmy Schilt Submits Mighty Mo

There has been more talk of K1 legend Semmy Schilt making a UFC comeback. Schilt showed well rounded skills in his round 1 victory over unpredictable striker Might Mo. The Golden Glory star is scheduled to take on Badr Hari at K-1 World GP 2009 in Amsterdam.

Chuck Zito - Fight Legend

I cant wait to see Chuck Zito in the ring or cage. He is one of mixed martial arts biggest characters and one of its first celebrity fans. Now you can catch him on satellite radio on Howard 100 and Howard 101. He was also part of Affiliations latest show and was entertaining as hell.

A lot of you will propably find this page looking for info on the infamous Jean Claude Van Dam Chuck Zito street fight if you could call it that. It was a one sided beat down really. Hustler Magazine has a pretty accurate account of the story:

The deed he’s most famous for was when he decked Belgian action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme at a Manhattan strip club in February, 1998.

"The man who calls himself The Muscles from Brussels went down like a sack of potatoes and curled up in the fetal position after taking a blow from his former bodyguard," read an article in The Globe. "This ain’t the movies!" Zito reportedly shouted as Van Damme lay in a heap, "This is the street, and I own the street!"

"[Van Damme] is just a very arrogant and disrespectful person," Zito told the New York Post, whose front-page headline was JEAN-CLAUDE VAN SLAMMED! "He was saying, ‘Chuck Zito doesn’t have any heart.’ There are people who will take that kind of abuse. I am not one of them," claimed the man who came to be known as "The Van-Damminator."

This interviewer is lucky to escape with his life after disrespecting the legendary Chuck Zito.

Josh Koscheck Angry At Referee Stoppage

I've watched the fight video several times now and have come to the conclusion that the referee's stoppage was the right one. Koscheck demonstrated immediately and was clearly upset with the referee's decision. Check out this fascinating behind the scenes footage inside his locker room.

Combat Sambo: Fedor Wins Gold at Russian Championships

Fedor Emelianenko captured the Russian Combat Sambo Championship for the fifth time over the weekend. For the entire tournament he spent less than a minute in the ring with the final lasting less than 20 seconds. Unlike last years world championships, this tournament was a cake walk for the WAMMA heavyweight champion. The final fight was captured via video phone below.

Overeem vs Remy Bonjasky Fight Video

It has just been announced that Alistair Overeem has been offered another K-1 match by FEG. The proposed opponent is K1 champion Remy Bonjasky. Alistair and his management (Golden Glory) have already accepted the offer, the ball is now in Bonjasky's court according to our source (MixFight). At the end of 2008 Overeem shocked the martial arts world by knocking out K-1 star Badr Hari phenomenal fashion under K1 rules. On March 28 Alistair will continue is K1 career and with a win over Bonjasky could become the worlds most feared striker.

Translated from Dutch fight portal Mixfight.nl/ by Robert K.