UFC Fight Pass, Cage Fury Fighting Championships partner to broadcast NCAA Division I wrestling
By UFC
UFC FIGHT PASS, the world's leading streaming service for combat sports, today announced a broadcast partnership with Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) to launch CFFC Match Day a new, live-event series that will feature a full slate of NCAA Division I Wrestling meets in the 2023-2024 season. The first event will debut exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS on Wednesday, November 1, live from Fort Liberty, North Carolina, when West Point takes on Campbell University and North Carolina State University faces Presbyterian College.
“Following the successful Battle at Bragg event last year, we knew we wanted to feature more collegiate wrestling on UFC FIGHT PASS,” said Crowley Sullivan, Vice President and General Manager of UFC FIGHT PASS. “Some of the most notable UFC athletes have backgrounds in collegiate wrestling. We're thrilled to expand our partnership with CFFC and shine a spotlight on these incredible athletes.”
The debut season of CFFC Match Day will see a number of high-profile collegiate rivalries contested along the way, including Wisconsin vs. Iowa State and Missouri vs. Illinois, along with Appalachian State, Cleveland State, North Dakota State, Oregon State, Purdue, Stanford, West Virginia and Wyoming.
"History has proven that wrestling is an incredible base for prospective mixed martial artists, and as a former college wrestler myself, as well as a wrestling coach for more than a decade, wrestling is also a lifelong passion of mine," said Rob Haydak, Chief Executive Officer, CFFC. "Before now, there's never been a direct connection between the wrestling world and the most powerful name in mixed martial arts, UFC, but that changes with this historic partnership. I'm incredibly excited to be a part of elevating the sport of wrestling to a much-deserved level by featuring these events on UFC FIGHT PASS with the top-quality production that CFFC is known for in the MMA industry."
Additional dates for the 2023-24 season will see the CFFC Match Day crew visit unique locations across the country, including soon-to-be-announced venues in the states of Iowa, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wyoming.
Award-winning sports broadcaster and wrestling analyst Shane Sparks will provide play-by-play commentary, while former Penn State two-time NCAA National Champion, three-time World gold medalist and Olympic gold medalist David Taylor will take a temporary pause from his 2024 Olympic run to provide color commentary. Joining the crew will be U.S. Olympic wrestler Rob Eiter, who will serve as Managing Partner and Senior Producer.
UFC FIGHT PASS features live events from dozens of combat sports promotions around the world. Subscribers of the platform also have 24/7 access to the world's largest fight library, featuring over 20,000 bouts, as well as every fight in UFC® history.
To sign up for UFC FIGHT PASS, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com, or download the UFC app.