Cage Rage Strikes Deal with Nuts TV

By: Stash Capar | Posted: Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 9:35 am.

Cage Rage has inked a new broadcast deal with controversial television station Nuts TV. The digital network has acquired the broadcast rights to the Cage Rage 27: Step Up main card on Saturday, this after the London-based promotion lost its original broadcast contract with Sky Sports last month.

Often described as the home of “cops, cars, crashes, football, fighting, darts and girls,” Nuts TV will be the ideal home for Cage Rage, according to promoter Dave O’Donnell.

“Their audience is perfect for such an exciting emerging sport,” O’Donnell said. “We aim to put on a stunning show at Wembley [Arena] for them this weekend and keep them coming back for more.”

All indications point to Nuts TV establishing a long-term relationship with Cage Rage; the network has commissioned mixed martial arts documentaries, along with background reports and exclusive coverage from Cage Rage Contenders events — a first for the top British MMA company.

Cage Rage’s new broadcast partner, however, lacks the reach of a giant like Sky Sports. Launched in September 2007, Nuts TV has not made a noticeable dent in terms of viewership. Early ratings put its number of viewers around 9,000, with a peak of 28,000 upon launch, according to a BroadcastNow magazine report.

Owned in part by Turner Broadcasting, Nuts TV plans to launch on Virgin Media’s cable television service sometime in the near future.

Cage Rage 27: Step Up will feature the welterweight debut of UFC, EliteXC and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Phil Baroni, as he takes on Scott Jansen. Three title fights will anchor the show.

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Cage Rage 27: Step Up
Saturday, July 12
Wembley Arena
London

Cage Rage British Heavyweight Championship
James McSweeney vs. Mustapha al Turk

Cage Rage British Featherweight Championship
Robbie Olivier vs. Ashleigh Grimshaw

Cage Rage British Lightweight Championship
Francis Heagney vs. Jason Young

Phil Baroni vs. Scott Jansen
Robert “Buzz” Berry vs. Neil Grove
John Phillips vs. Tom Watson
Scott Jansen vs. Joe Mac
Stav Economou vs. Piotor Kusmierz
Dave Legeno vs. Kev Simms
Tevi Say vs. Aisling Daley
Mark Brown vs. Wessley Johnson
Umidjon Mavlyanov vs. Ricki Andrews
James Elsons vs. Dave Van Gas

CATEGORIES:MMA