Earlier this week, several of the major MMA sites said DREAM, the Japanese MMA company that had risen from the ashes of PRIDE, was about to fold because it had lost its TV deal.
I couldn’t believe people were so quick to start pounding the nails in DREAM’s coffin. A TV deal is a very important component to survival, especially if a company wants to be the top MMA organization in Japan. I don’t know much about TV deals, but I did have faith – what about a TV deal with another network, what about pay-per-views, and holding events here in the U.S.?
Well, cue the Willaim Tell Overture and picture HDNet Fights owner Mark Cuban galloping across the desert on a donkey … don’t ask. Anyway, HDNet Fighst is partnering with DREAM.
Here a news release from HDNet Fights’ Web site:
HDNet has quickly established a reputation as the television destination for fans of mixed martial arts. The announcement made on tonight’s edition of Inside MMA only helped solidify that reputation.
The newest partner of HDNet Fights is DREAM, the upstart Japan-based MMA organization founded by the organizers of K-1 and former executives of Pride Fighting Championship. DREAM features some of the best fighters in the world including Mirko Cro Cop and Gesias “JZ” Calvancante.
As part of this exclusive broadcast agreement, HDNet will air DREAM 1 and DREAM 2 on May 2 and May 3 respectively, truly making the first weekend in May a “DREAM Weekend” for MMA fans. Both broadcasts will begin at 10:30 ET.
HDNet and HDNet Fights will also bring the next four DREAM events – DREAM 3 on May 11, DREAM 4 on June 15, DREAM 5 on July 21 and DREAM 6 on September 23 – to American and Canadian audiences.
