ESPN has become the new home of the UFC in the UK and Ireland. The "world wide leader in sports" will begin broadcasting on Aug. 3 and will screen all live UFC events on both the Sky and Virgin platforms. The channel is free to all viewers in the region for the first month; a span which includes UFC 101 on Aug. 8 and UFC 102 on Aug. 22.

Afterward, the network will be available for subscription at the cost of £9 per month for Sky Sports viewers and £11 per month for those without Sky Sports.

"We are ecstatic to announce that ESPN is the new home of the UFC in the UK and Ireland," said UFC UK Division President Marshall Zelaznik. "ESPN is one of the most trusted and respected brands in all of sports broadcasting, and we are thrilled to be working with them as they launch their new channel in the UK and Ireland. Over the last three years, the UFC has become as big a part of the sporting landscape in the British Isles as football and rugby, and for the worldwide leader in sports broadcasting came to us and we were able to reach an agreement so quickly is another testament that the UFC is an important part of the British sporting calendar."

Beside covering UFC main events, ESPN will also screen UFC Fight Nights and UFC Unleashed. Plans are also possibly in the works for a weekly UK UFC magazine show. More details are expected to be released in the coming days.