The Super Fight League, India`s first professionally organised Mixed Martial Arts event, kicks off on Sunday.The format promises sportainment and fights will be preceded by 45 minutes of live Bollywood entertainment from leading Bollywood stars, including Bipasha Basu, herself a fitness buff.
"We pride ourself on being able to break this cricket dominated market with a new form of sport and entertainment for the audiences of India. I am happy with the Colors deal. It shows they are interested in this. It is a very, very interesting deal for us. The eyeball and the reach they have makes our brand a huge potential for advertisers," Kundra told PTI over phone.
He, however, declined to comment on the deal size. "Mixed Martial Arts is currently a craze in the US on television and we are excited to partner with the Super Fight League in India," Colors Chief Executive Raj Nayak said in a statement.
The Super Fight League tournament will happen around the year in different cities, with the first in Mumbai, followed by Chandigarh (April 7) and New Delhi (May 6).
When asked if the television ratings of SFL could drop because of the Indian Premier League that commences on April 4, Kundra, who also owns the IPL team Rajasthan Royals, said the telecast of the mixed martial art event will be delayed to ensure that the viewers enjoyed both.
"We want both the tournaments to get good viewership," he said. Kundra also pointed out there were no IPL matches scheduled same day at Chandigarh or New Delhi, so the ticket sales should not be affected.