Combate Enters New Broadcast Era in Brazil, Partners with Multiple MMA Promotions

The decision by the UFC not to renew its broadcast deal with Rede Globo after a partnership that spanned more than 10 years has made a significant impact on the combat sports market in Brazil.

After the world’s largest MMA promotion decided to invest in its own streaming platform (UFC Fight Pass) with TV Bandeirantes as a partner, many fans of the sport thought that Combate, the only cable channel dedicated 24 hours a day to martial arts, would would be finished. After all, it would make no sense for more than 300,000 subscribers to keep paying a monthly fee of RS 49.90 ($9) without having access to the UFC as part of the subscription.

Instead, the approach of having “everything but UFC” at a more affordable price for the subscriber was put into practice. After signing deals with One Championship, Glory, Rizin, Jungle Fight, Top Rank and Karate Combat, Combate is expected to announce the addition of Bellator and PFL to its broadcast roster in the near future. This is good news for MMA fans in general. It became clear during UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro that the Globo group’s total silence regarding the sport could impact its future. Unlike previous numbered UFC editions in Rio de Janeiro, most of the general public did not even know about the event since outlets connected to Globo (including newspapers and TV stations) did not mention UFC Rio — either before or after the event — even though there were two Brazilians fighting for titles on the card.

With the Combate channel now having the rights to broadcast the second largest promotion in the sport and PFL in addition to Rizin, One, KSW and Jungle Fight — organizations that have several Brazilians as champions — it’s likely that Rede Globo will resume its coverage of MMA.

Another aggressive strategy utilized by Combate was to lower the subscription fee to less than half of what was previously charged. Today, the price is RS 19.90 (less than $4) for the annual subscription. Meanwhile, the UFC platform in Brazil charges a monthly fee of RS 29.90 (less than $6). In other words, for less than $10, the Brazilian MMA fan now has access to nearly all of the world’s major events in addition to a huge library of documentaries and other content. It is worth remembering that during the last seven years Combate charged around $15 for its monthly subscription, which featured only the UFC, some national events and documentaries. Now, hardcore fans will be able to have much more MMA content while paying less.

UFC Top Team

During the first UFC Fight Pass broadcast in Brazil, the promotion pleased fans by assembling a team from Combate: Andre Azevedo (narrator), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (commentator), Carlão Barreto (commentator) and Evelyn Rodrigues (reporter). The only new addition for UFC Fight Pass was Demian Maia as a commentator. The black belt, who graduated with a degree in journalism, did very well alongside “Minotauro” and Carlson Gracie's veteran black belt, Barreto. According to sources close to UFC Brazil, the platform attracted 60,000 new subscribers in the first two weeks of the year, and that figure is likely to have grown significantly during the week of UFC 283.  

Meanwhile, Combate broadcast team continues with Rhoodes Lima as the titular narrator, with Luiz Prota and Bernardo Edler in the same role. The team of commentators includes Fabricio Werdum, Luciano Andrade, Ana Hissa, Marcelo Alonso, Alex Gazé and Múzio de Angelis.

Only time will tell how the broadcast changes will affect Brazilian MMA, but it seems that it has already begun a democratization of the sport. Considering the size of the Globo conglomerate in the country, it would not be surprising if, in a few years, Brazil is the only country in the world where the champions of Bellator, PFL, One and Rizin are much more recognized by the general public than the UFC champions.