Setanta Done

The UFC’s television partner in the United Kingdom, Setanta Sports, appears down for the count after the network ceased broadcasting and went into administration, one of the last steps before bankruptcy. The debt-ridden network had a late-hour sale offer fall through and was behind tens of millions of dollars in payments to the English Premiere soccer league, the network’s anchor programming. The UFC announced June 23 it had terminated its relationship with the network, which started two years ago.

The development calls into question whether or not the all-important UFC 100 card on July 11 will be viewable in the UFC’s key international market. The company indicated it would make an announcement concerning its future on UK television soon but had not done so as of week’s end. UFC 100 will likely air on Bravo, the general entertainment cable channel that aired UFC events prior to Setanta. Bravo stood ready to broadcast UFC 99 on June 13 had Setanta collapsed sooner, according to the Wrestling Observer. Rumors have the UFC returning to England on Nov. 14 at the Manchester Evening News Arena.

The UFC faces another challenge in Australia, where the Main Event Television pay-per-view network has decided not to air UFC 100 live due to a conflict with a Vic Darchinyan fight. Darchinyan, Australia’s top boxer, will challenge Joseph Agbeko for the IBF Bantamweight title on July 11 in what could be his third title win in three different weight classes. The boxing match will be carried in the United States on Showtime, not pay-per-view. In Australia, UFC 100 will instead be available starting July 13, with several replays to follow.