In what sounds like a reality TV version “Cobra Kai,” TelevisaUnivision is set to release a mixed martial arts competition series — with a $50,000 prize for the winning squad of fighters — on its ViX+ Spanish-language subscription streaming service.
The series comes from Combate Global, the Hispanic MMA sports franchise, and will be available on ViX+ (regularly $6.99/month in the U.S.), which TelevisaUnivision launched last month in the U.S., Mexico and across Latin America.
The first six episodes of “Combate Global Exclusivo ViX+” drop Wednesday, Aug. 24. The show pits members of four MMA training gyms from Mexico, the U.S. and Spain against each other. Each episode will culminate with Combate Global MMA bouts that pit fighters from the different camps against one another. Points will be awarded to the gyms based on their fighters’ performances in each bout, and the gym that earns the greatest number of points over the course of the series will be awarded the $50,000 prize.
The four gyms competing in the series are Bonebreakers in Mexico City; Goat Shed Academy in Miami; Saekson’s Academy in Los Angeles; and Uppercut Training Center in Barcelona, Spain.
“We are proud to have Combate Global as part of the TelevisaUnivision sports portfolio, and especially with this series, to not only show the competition inside the ring but also bring viewers the journey fighters take on, mentally and physically, ahead of each of their fights,” Federico Larino TelevisaUnivision’s SVP of sports entertainment, said in a statement.
Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren, who co-created the UFC, will appear in the series as “Señor Campbell” overseeing the competition. “Combate Global is once again making history with an unprecedented format for a combat sports competition reality series,” he said in a statement.
TelevisaUnivision offers two streaming services: The free ad-supported tier under the ViX brand and the premium subscription-based ViX+, with more than 10,000 hours of entertainment programming, up to 7,000 hours of live sports, and more than 70 original series and movies slated for its first year.
