Staying true to its commitment of delivering programing via free television, the International Fight League on Tuesday announced a partnership that will regularly put mixed martial arts on an over-the-air network for the first time in North America.

The rapidly-growing fight league has partnered with FSN and MyNetworkTV to air 66 hours of IFL-produced content during 2007. Expanding on the 13 hours of IFL telecasts that aired on FSN in 2006, 22 one-hour shows featuring the first full season of the MMA league are slated to start airing in the first quarter of this year on the regional sports network.

With 22 two-hour prime-time broadcasts on the terrestrial MyNetworkTV, which includes affiliates in America's three largest media markets — WWOR (New York), KCOP (Los Angles) and WPWR (Chicago) — Tuesday's announced deal will expose the IFL to 96 percent of the country.

"This is a historic day for the sport of mixed martial arts, and we want to thank everyone at FOX for seeing this great opportunity and making it a reality," IFL CEO Gareb Shamus said through a press release. "This partnership will give MMA in general and the IFL in particular a chance to showcase the personalities, training regimen and great skill and discipline that these athletes and their coaches have to a much wider audience both in the United States and eventually around the world."

Beyond the expanded television audience, the agreement, according to Tuesday's joint press release, established a partnership between the IFL and FSN to "manage, maximize and distribute IFL-related digital media rights including online/Internet, broadband video and mobile, with the potential to leverage Fox's powerful digital assets including Myspace, IGN, Fox Mobile Entertainment's new global distribution partnerships and other potential third party digital platforms."

The first full season of the IFL kicks off Friday in Oakland, Calif., when the San Jose Razorclaws battle the Reno Lions and the Seattle Tiger Sharks face the Southern California Condors.