Cage Warriors signs new three-year deal with UFC Fight Pass

Cage Warriors has signed an all-new exclusive three-year deal with UFC Fight Pass and reportedly turned down television deals in order to do so.

Cage Warriors confirmed the new deal to MMA Fighting Sunday following an initial report that appeared in the Sunday Times.

According to the Times report, BT Sport — a U.K. sports broadcaster that owns the television rights to UFC events in the region and have previously broadcast Cage Warriors events — were among the television suitors that were “blown out of the water” by the streaming service, according to sources from within the promotion and at the UFC.

The U.K. promotion, which has proven the last port of call for nearly 100 fighters before signing for the UFC, initially signed a partnership deal with UFC Fight Pass in 2016 ahead of its comeback from an 18-month hiatus. The deal also saw the Cage Warriors back catalogue made available through the Fight Pass subscription service.

Following Jack Shore’s capture of the promotion’s vacant bantamweight title at December’s centenary event, Cage Warriors 100, the organization is set to host its first event of 2019, Cage Warriors 101, at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England on Feb. 23.