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Melissa Leong hosts UFC Fight Week

Melissa Leong becomes a surprise host of Ultimate Fighting Championship show as Main Event secures all pay perview matches.

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In one of television’s more unexpected casting announcements, self-confessed UFC fanatic Melissa Leong is hosting UFC Fight Week on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.

She is joined by panellists’ Tyson Pedro and Dan Hooker ahead of UFC 297 with Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis in Toronto on January 21.

Main Event has become the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View eventsin Australia after a a new multi-year agreement between Kayo Sports and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Under the new agreement, fans looking to purchase a UFC PPV will be redirected to Foxtel and Kayo Sports’ Main Event platform. UFC Fight Pass will continue to broadcast live UFC fights including the Preliminary bouts to UFC PPV events and each UFC Fight Night event in its entirety, in addition to live and on-demand combat sports and archived bouts from around the world.

In addition to all the UFC PPV events sports fans can expect a full menu of UFC content, including UFC Fight Nights, UFC Pay-Per-View Prelims, UFC Countdown, DC & RC, plus selected titles from UFC’s Fight Library on ESPN, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.

UFC’s popularity has soared since it was first broadcast in Australia in 2008. There are now more than 700 million UFC fans across the globe. In Australia and New Zealand, UFC counts more than 4.3 million fans and features the youngest fan base of any professional sport in Australia with 48% aged between 18-39.

“We’re excited to strengthen and expand our relationship with the UFC, the fastest growing sport in the world, and 2024 will deliver a line-up of epic battles, kicking on January 21 with UFC 297,” said Rebecca McCloy, Executive Director of Commercial Sport, Foxtel Group.

UFC President Dana White, said: “Foxtel and Kayo Sports are the best sports broadcasters in the country and they have backed UFC in Australia since the beginning. Together, we will continue to grow UFC in Australia and they will be the destination for the biggest and baddest fights we put on year-round.”

Australia’s fan-favourite UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski faces Georgian Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in California on February 18.

3 Responses

  1. I don’t know what would be funnier – If Melissa goes full Masterchef in her commentary … and talks about each fighters journey in a delicate & nice manner.

    Or if Melissa (as someone we as viewers have only seen only in a delicate manner) does a 180 and goes full on stereotypical UFC meathead with a totally brash aggressiveness in her commentary.

    Regardless of either scenario, it is great to see someone talented and multi-faceted get to show of her knowledge of a different realm.

    1. She did indicate a while ago she had other projects in the pipeline (such as the public health system series coming to SBS) but at the time all the press was interested in was suggesting she was dumped from MasterChef. This marks her third show for 2024.

  2. “The fluidity of your punches is a puglistic delight and it’s such a joy to watch, like a warm hug from grandma. What a masterclass.” Melissa Leong on UFC (probably)

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