ONE Championship continues to make waves -- perhaps their biggest ever announced today.
The Asian promotion has signed a three year deal with Turner Sports to broadcast in the United States, according to a new report by Ariel Helwani of ESPN.
Reportedly, the deal kicks off in just a few weeks on January 1, and will see 24 events broadcast live on TNT and B/R Live. No official announcement has been made, but is expected in the coming days. The first planned event is scheduled for January 19 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
ONE Championship has been incredibly active in acquiring more talent known to fans in the states. They've signed former UFC Champion Eddie Alvarez and prospect Sage Northcutt, as well as trading for all-time great Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson. The company also has Miesha Tate and Rich Franklin involved in non-fighting roles.
Helwani states that "shoulder programming" and a reality show are also in the works for the deal. He also states that there are planned dates for the company's new acquisitions to fight -- Northcutt on February 22 in Singapore, Johnson for March 31 in Tokyo, and Eddie Alvarez on either of those two cards.
We'll discuss this situation at length on the Fightful MMA Podcast today at 2 PM EST.