“We never imagined that we would meet Fernando Alonso from the UFC” | Relief
Anaheim.- On the outskirts of Madrid, the countdown is already coming to an end. at Eurosport headquarters everyone is rubbing their hands. In Anaheim, more than 9,300 kilometers away, Latino-Georgian Ilya Topuria will fight this weekend – early in the morning from Saturday to Sunday. for the UFC Featherweight Championshipthe largest mixed martial arts (MMA) company on the planet.
“For us, the evolution of all this is unstoppable,” he says. Fernando Ruiz, director in Spain and Portugal of the network that will broadcast the evening, the 298th company under the leadership of Dana White. “When we bought the rights three seasons ago, We felt it would work very well with a younger audience, but we never imagined Fernando Alonso from the UFC would show up.“.
This is not surprising, of course. Topuria, 27 years old, has Georgian roots, but has lived in Alicante since childhood. has risen like foam in recent months, not only inside the Octagonwhere he boasts a perfect record (14-0), but also outsidewhere he became a goose of sorts, laying golden eggs for sponsors, media and fans.
“The trend is clearly increasing every year.“Ruiz speaking from the network’s headquarters in the City of Image.”Our bet is very clear: We have the best commentators and every week we offer a special El Club program led by Laura Fernandez. From there, We want to increase the social base that is interested in the UFC.“.
For this, The network’s strategy is very different from ESPN’s in the US.which offers pay per view (pay per view) every night. “What could we do to create a PPV for these special events? Well, of course yes, but Our goal is for the UFC to reach as many people as possible.. This is the basis of our success,” he says. “Anyone can pay a monthly subscription of 6.99 euros and enjoy all the sports content of Eurosport.”
“We are getting more and more subscribers who come to Eurosport because they want to watch UFC”
Director of Eurosport Spain and Portugal
Be that as it may, the UFC is increasingly distinguished within the television network. “Subscription information is confidential, but I can tell you that Every year there are more and more subscribers who want to watch the UFC.“, Add.”The percentage is very high, increasinglyand over the past 12 months this number has grown as Ilya won the battle not only in subscriptions, but also in consumption of the application, website and our social networks.”
In this latest networking segment, Topuria’s character in front of the cameras has a lot to do with him, who, according to those who know him, knew how to understand the business from day one. “He makes a great contributionbecause he is no longer good inside the octagon, but outside This is a character with great charisma, who, in addition, does not hesitate to say depending on what things“, points out Ruiz. “In our networks Ilya’s short videos work very well. “He attracted people interested in competition, not only to him or to Joel Alvarez, the Spaniard, but also to the sport itself.”
The product, in addition to caution, has its possible peak after February 17, the day when Topuria and his team determined the long-awaited deadline. coronation in front of Alexander Volkanovski. “We are glad that you have no idea that the UFC is coming to Spain.“, says the Eurosport director on the other end of the phone. “It’s not confirmed yet, but it will probably be in the last quarter of 2024, and It would be the perfect ending to many months of work.. “Great party for Ilia, for the UFC and Spanish sports.”
