UFC set for historic debut on Fox

When White convinced his high school pals Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta to purchase the fledgling mixed martial arts franchise a decade ago, the UFC wasn’t even allowed on pay per view, which White often points out even allows porn.

Tonight, 18 years to the day after the then-no-holds-barred UFC 1 in Denver, the organization makes its network television debut on Fox.

“There’s been a ton of milestones in our 10 years and this is definitely the biggest,” said White, who says this achievement is just the start of the UFC’s next chapter. “We are ready for prime time and we’re going to show everybody.”

While a full card will take place at the Honda Center, only a heavyweight title fight between Junior dos Santos and champion Cain Velasquez will air on the hourlong Fox telecast at 6 p.m. White, clearly stressed out over the event, has promised a fight worthy of a one-hour prime-time block.

The 27-year old dos Santos, who fights for his first title, says he is doing what he can to treat it as a normal fight despite the UFC’s lofty expectations.

“I feel really excited, but no pressure,” he said. “It’s the same pressure I felt in my last fight. This is huge for me, and I want to enjoy it and I will.”

While a network deal was long a major goal for the UFC, White says he turned down offers in the past. In fact, the organization was beaten to the punch by EliteXC and Strikeforce, which have aired cards on CBS.

White, however, has always been in search of the perfect deal. He believes he has it now in the seven-year pact with Fox that includes four live network cards per year, plus several more live events and new episodes of “The Ultimate Fighter” on FX and 2,000 hours of UFC programming per year on Fox-affiliated Fuel TV.

“We’re on Fox — the biggest, baddest network on the planet. We couldn’t ask for anything more. This is a dream come true,” White said, pointing to the amount of promotion this fight is receiving on other Fox broadcasts and the matching demographics of the network and the UFC. “In our decision-making in who we were going to go with, Fox was a no-brainer.”

David Hill, chairman and CEO of Fox Sports, said the brands fit together perfectly.

“It has been kumbaya since moment one,” Hill said.

The network is literally rolling out the red carpet for the affair, with celebrities and stars of some of Fox’s biggest shows scheduled to make grand entrances at Honda Center.

Even Fox Sports Radio (KBAD, 920 AM locally) is getting in on the act, with five hours of live fight coverage, beginning at 5 p.m., including the play-by-play call of the main event and a three-hour postfight show.

“It’s the first time a heavyweight title has been on free TV in 26 years,” said Eric Shanks, Fox Sports president. “We wanted to make sure we had the time to tell the story of this fight.”

Velasquez, 29, is an undefeated former college wrestler who hasn’t fought since injuring his shoulder while winning the title from Brock Lesnar at the Honda Center in October 2010. The son of a migrant worker from Mexico, the soft-spoken Velasquez represents the UFC’s best hope to break into the Mexican market.

Dos Santos is more outgoing and possesses some of the best boxing skills in MMA.

Either could instantly become a major star with an outstanding performance tonight in front of what figures to be a massive viewing audience.

“I don’t want to think about it,” Velasquez said. “I know what I have to do when I get out there, and that’s all that’s running through my head right now.”

In addition to the hour special featuring the main event on Fox (Cable 5) at 6 p.m., the undercard will stream live on Facebook and foxsports.com starting at 1:45. A three-fight Spanish broadcast, featuring live coverage of the lightweight contender bout between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida, airs at 4 on Fox Deportes (Cable 140).

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.