UFC ends agreement with Setanta

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Tuesday announced that it has terminated its agreement with Setanta Sports.

Setanta had been the broadcaster of UFC live events and programming in the U.K. since January 2008.

UFC U.K. Division President Marshall Zelaznik said, "It was with great regret that the UFC ended its relationship with Setanta. Over the last two years, Setanta has helped the UFC become the biggest indoor sporting event in the British Isles.

"They were the right partner for us at the right time as we continued to build the sport of mixed martial arts and our brand.

"Throughout the last few weeks we have been kept informed of the situation at Setanta and therefore we are in a position to ensure our U.K. and Eire fans will not miss any of this summer's huge UFC events, commencing with UFC 100 in July.

"We will be announcing the new home of UFC shortly, but assure our fans they won't miss any of the upcoming super-fights."

According to BBC news agency, Setanta has been running at a loss of about £100 million (U.S. $1.6 million) per year and recently missed payments to both the English Premier League and the Scottish Premier League, two popular soccer leagues in the U.K.