Victory Fighting Championship events to air on UFC Fight Pass

Another regional organization has been added to the growing list of live-event offerings on the Ultimate Fighting Championship's online platform, Fight Pass.

Omaha-based Victory Fighting Championship has signed a distribution deal with the subscription channel that will begin in 2016, the UFC announced Thursday. Victory is a regional mixed martial arts promotion organization.

Ryan Stoddard, the owner and president of VFC, said in a release he has been working toward this type of deal since starting his organization.

"When I launched my company in 2010, the ultimate goal was to formalize a working relationship with the UFC," said Stoddard. "Today, I'm excited and honored to announce that I've reached a deal with the UFC to feature Victory's events on UFC FIGHT PASS. This is a significant day for Victory and a historic day for our athletes, who now have access to a fan base of millions in over 176 countries worldwide. My deepest thanks go out to UFC for giving Victory and its athletes this incredible opportunity. I can't wait for January 29 and for fight fans everywhere to see what our fighters and this promotion is all about."

The first event to air live on the service will be Victory 47 on Jan. 29, featuring a middleweight bout between Elvis Mutapcic and Anthony Smith for the vacant title in the main event.

Eric Winter, a senior vice president for the UFC and the general manager of Fight Pass, said the company is excited to add another offering to subscribers of the platform.

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Victory Fighting Championship to broadcast their exciting events and to showcase their talented athletes to fight fans," Winter said. "We look forward to working with Victory and to present its professional MMA events as part of our exclusive programming lineup."

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj