MUMBAI: It was an afternoon filled with mixed martial arts expertise as the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Sony?s sports channel Six officially confirmed a wide-ranging, strategic partnership which brings the sports organisation to India.

UFC content can be seen on Six every night at 9 pm. Six is the destination for all UFC programming in India, from live events featuring the biggest names in the sport to athlete profile shows including the seminal Countdown and Primetime.

Six will also feature the greatest fights in the UFC?s 19-year history with UFC Unleashed. In addition there will be a reality show called The Ultimate Fighter: India (TUF India). This will be a competition involving 16 fighters and the winner gets a six figure UFC contract. This event will be held next year in India.

Says UFC chairman, CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, ?We are delighted to bring the UFC - the fastest growing sports organisation in the world - to India. Our TG is 18-34 males. We have grown in Brazil and that success has shown that we can have success here. India has a lot of appetite for new sports and we are confident that Six will skew younger audiences with the special programming of the Ultimate fighting Championship on the channel. The fast paced action along with real fights will appeal to Indians. We also have a legacy of khushti and one day they can become UFC champions.?

?Ultimate Fighter? is the UFC?s long-running reality TV show in the US where 16 of the most talented unsigned martial artists compete for a contract with the UFC. Previous TUF winners have gone on to win UFC world champions and become international superstars.

Says Multi Screen Media CEO Man Jit Singh, ?Mixed martial arts require tremendous physical training, skill and strategy and India certainly has a lot of aptitude for the sport, With the Ultimate Fighter India, we hope to harness and prepare local talent to produce world class fighters. It will be an inspiration to young India. Six will motivate a new generation to compete on the world stage in one of the fastest growing sports in the world.?

TUF India will be the third edition of the long-running sports reality show to take place outside the US; with TUF Brazil taking place earlier this year and TUF: the Smashes (Australia vs UK) to begin airing in Australia later this month.

Fertitta, ?We are very excited to partner with Six as the UFC expands into India. We look forward to working with them to not only further expand the UFC?s fanbase here, but also to find and develop local talent and, ultimately, bring regular live events to India.?

Six?s commitment to the series is crucial for the UFC in the market. Says Fertitta, ?Six?s willingness to step up and commit to the Ultimate Fighter India was very important to us. TUF India will help to introduce the sport in India, to showcase the hard work, dedication, athleticism and skills needed to compete in the UFC. It will also cast a spotlight throughout the country, searching for the most talented local martial artists."

Tapping local talent will be one of the main hunts for the UFC in India. Says Fertitta, ?The UFC will be successful in India even without local stars, but what we?ve seen around the world is fans really want to see one of their own get a chance to compete at the highest level. Somewhere out there in a country of 1.2 billion there is a Indian champion, someone who will capture the imagination of the fans and help take the sport to a whole new level.?