Eleven Sports is set to broadcast live coverage of Cage Warriors events in Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy until 2021 following the announcement of a partnership extension with the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion.
The deal, which is effective immediately, marks the extension of a successful partnership between Eleven and Cage Warriors which has seen the broadcaster co-deliver a series of live events in Belgium, as well as provide coverage of every Cage Warriors fight night over the past three years.
Casimir Knight, CEO of Cage Warriors, stated: “It’s always an honour and a privilege to work with Eleven – their creative and entrepreneurial approach fits well with our commitment to grow European MMA.”
As a result, Eleven will now broadcast all Cage Warriors’ live events in 2020 and 2021, with coverage beginning with the promotion’s first visit to the BEC Arena in Manchester on 7 March 2020 before heading to the O2 in London where it will cover both a Cage Warriors show on 20 March and UFC London on the following day.
Eleven is also set to continue in its commercial organisational role of Cage Warrior events, with plans reportedly already underway for an activation in Belgium later in the year.
Danny Menken, Group Managing Director, Eleven Sports, added: “Cage Warriors are Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion. They’ve been a fantastic partner to ELEVEN over the past three years, delivering electric entertainment to our fans. We’re delighted to be continuing our relationship with them.”
The deal is Eleven Sports’ latest acquisition following the recent announcement that the broadcaster had secured exclusive Polish and Portuguese live broadcasting rights to the ongoing Supercopa de España.
The tournament kicked off last night when Real Madrid won 3-1 against Copa del Rey holder Valencia in the first semi-final. FC Barcelona meets Atletico Madrid tonight (9 January) in the second semi-final, with the winner set to face Real in the final on 12 January.
At the time Menken commented: “The Super Cup is bringing together LaLiga’s top teams for what promises to be three strong match-ups. It’s a great way to kick off a top-quality calendar of football for Eleven fans in 2020.”
Insider Insight: The deal sees Eleven add to its high profile combat sports portfolio which has seen the broadcaster be the home to the UFC in both Belgium and Luxembourg since 2017.
As well as this, Eleven also recently secured live and exclusive coverage of the Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr rematch in Belgium, Portugal and Taiwan which marked a significant coup for the broadcaster due to the global appeal of the event.
