Tag Archives: Survivor

mixed martial arts, MMA, NBC, PFL

Professional Fighters League Announces Deal With Mark Burnett And MGM Television

Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Washington, DC (March 29, 2018) — The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the world’s only major mixed martial arts league, announced today that they are partnering with Mark Burnett, President of MGM Television Group & Digital and MGM Television to develop and produce new content and programming for PFL’s upcoming season. MGM and Burnett (Survivor, The Voice, Shark Tank, The Contender) will both join as PFL investors and Burnett has personally been added to the advisory board. The PFL 2018 league season debuts June 7 and consists of 11 events live on NBC Sports Network and Facebook Watch.

 

 

The Professional Fighters League is the first organization ever to present MMA as a true sport with individual fighters competing in regular season, “win-and-advance” playoffs, and season-ending championship. The new partnership with MGM Television will bring unscripted programming and short-form content to PFL’s multi-platform distribution designed to maximize engagement with MMA’s 300 million fans worldwide. The initial unscripted series will engage fans in the day to day life of the fighters and feature a parallel tournament whose champion will win a spot in the PFL league playoffs.

 

 

“We are thrilled to partner with MGM Television and Mark Burnett,” said Peter Murray, Chief Executive Officer of Professional Fighters League. “Mark’s creative vision for delivering innovative live content is among the absolute best the industry has to offer – and that is exactly what we will bring MMA fans this season.”

 

 

Earlier this year, PFL announced exclusive multi-platform distribution agreements for the 2018 season with NBC Sports Group and Facebook. NBC Sports Group will establish an exclusive live Thursday night PFL fight franchise, presenting seven regular-season live events in prime time exclusively on NBCSN beginning June 7 through the end of August.

 

 

“It’s no secret that MMA’s audience is rapidly growing and PFL has an enormous global presence. As an enthusiast for innovation within the television industry, I’m passionate about the growth and vision of PFL and it’s time this sport revolves around a league format,” said Burnett. “They’re elevating the sport in an entirely new way and I’m looking forward to being part of it.”

 

 

In addition to the live events, the development deal will feature PFL’s “What Do you Fight For?” programming that brings viewers short-form digital & social content that will showcase the day-to-day lives and back stories of the fighters, designed to help build online communities of PFL’s fan base and encourage engagement among fans, fighters, and PFL’s on-air talent. Viewers can follow PFL athletes through an array of short-form original content, such as the “Top 10 of The Week, Path to the Finals, 24:7: Life of a Fighter, and “Inside the Gym” Cam.

 

 

“PFL is thrilled to partner with Mark Burnett the innovator and icon who invented and perfected unscripted TV,” said Donn Davis, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of the PFL. “The PFL is re-imagining MMA and the start of the 2018 Season June 7 will bring fans the same excitement and ‘hey, I have never seen that’ reaction they felt when Survivor debuted and ushered in the new age of television.”

 

 

ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE

 

 

The Professional Fighters League brings the sport format to MMA for the first time with a regular season, post-season, and championship. The PFL is co-founded by Donn Davis, Russ Ramsey, and Mark Leschly and backed by business titans in sports, media, and technology. The Professional Fighters League purchased the fighting operations and event infrastructure of the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) and will launch its first season in June 2018 on NBC Sports Network and Facebook. For more visit www.PFLmma.com.

boxing

Daughter of renowned promoter Tony Holden to appear on Survivor Season 32!

Leave a comment

 

Holden.jpg

Dallas, TX (February 16, 2016) – Alecia Holden, daughter of Holden Productions founder Tony Holden and Tina Holden is a member of Survivor: Kaoh Rong – Brawn vs Brains vs Beauty 2.

 

The series debuts Wednesday, February 17 at 8 PM ET on CBS.

 

Raised in Tulsa, OK but based in Dallas, TX, Holden is a full time real estate agent who also models and acts. The 24-year-old grew up around boxing and built friendships with Holden Productions’ fighters including former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison, undefeated Joe Mesi and 1996 Olympian Zahir Raheem.

 

Self-described as an adrenaline junkie, Holden enjoys bungee jumping, shark diving, sky diving and was even once with uncaged tigers. Interested in a new challenge, Holden applied for Survivor and was quickly chosen.

 

In a preview for the show, host Jeff Probst referred to Alecia as one of the season’s more unpredictable players while mentioningshe came from a boxing legacy.

 

“When she told me about applying to be on Survivor, I had a strong feeling that she’d be selected,” said Tony Holden. “She is a fighter at heart and worked hard for everything she has. After she went to college for a year, Alecia received a work visa and trekked to Australia followed by a short stay in Indonesia, which are just two of the 16 countries she’s visited. The fact she literally took a chance by going to the other side of the world by herself and did what she had to in order to make it epitomizes what it means to be a survivor.”

 

To physically prepare for Survivor, Holden returned to Tulsa to train alongside Holden Productions prospect Trey Lippe-Morrison.

 

Holden and Morrison.jpg

– Alecia Holden pictured with heavyweight Trey Lippe-Morrison

“Trey was impressed with her work ethic,” stated Tony Holden. “She was in great shape before coming back home to train but she is that serious. Alecia wanted to make sure she was as prepared as anybody out there because there are other contestants on the show that were professional athletes, bodybuilders and FBI agents. I told her that she can’t trust others there because it’s everybody for themselves on Survivor and if she had to become a villain that is just fine.”

 

Fans can follow Alecia on Twitter @leashyleash2.