UFC & Meta Are Partnering To Bring MMA To VR

Mixed martial arts fans are in for a serious treat.

Fans of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) were in for a surprise earlier this month when Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made an unexpected appearance at UFC Vegas 61. The Facebook founder was spotted in the audience during the event, prompting speculation from fans and media outlets. Now we know why.

Today, UFC announced that is partnering with Meta to bring future mixed martial arts (MMA) events to VR. UFC Fight Pass, the organizations subscription-based video streaming service, will soon deliver live and on-demand fights in VR via Horizon Worlds, Meta’s social VR metaverse. The first live event to be featured will be LFA 144 on Friday, October 14th.

The fight will be available to view live in VR180, an immersive video format. If you can’t make the live event, you can catch an on-demand replay anytime October 23rd-27th in Horizon Worlds.

“We are excited to offer an unprecedented level of engagement for FIGHT PASS subscribers and MMA fans around the world by producing a live MMA event in virtual reality,” said Crowley Sullivan, Vice President and General Manager, UFC Fight Pass. “With Meta providing the VR platform and YBVR lending their production expertise, we’re confident this will be a great experience for fight fans.”

Meta’s Horizon Worlds is available to download free on Meta Quest 2. You can subscribe to the fight here.