Bally’s and KO Entertainment aim to bring gamification to the world of combat sports beginning with the pilot of “Oscar de la Hoya's KO Entertainment Presents Bally's Fight Night.”
de la Hoya, a former world class boxer and Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, said, “We have the utmost respect for the storied history and tradition of boxing and mixed martial arts. By partnering with Bally's, and working to develop this innovative product, we believe that we can deliver real-time, data-based insights into the punch-by-punch action, creating a level of transparency and objectivity that has never existed before. We will also provide an experience that is more easily understandable for the average viewer, and at the same time more rewarding and safer for fighters."
The program consists of five professional MMA and four professional boxing matches presented in video game type format. The fights utilize sensors and a custom-built data tracking dashboard that offer objective data points like punch force and punch combinations thrown and landed.
The information is presented by way of an on-screen power bar, akin to combat sports video games.
Bally’s said it would integrate Monkey Knife Fight into broadcasts. Bally’s acquired the daily fantasy sports platform earlier this year.
Soo Kim, Chairman of Bally's Corporation's Board of Directors, said, "This partnership represents an extraordinary opportunity to bring together experts in gaming, media and combat sports to breathe new life into boxing and mixed martial arts. By integrating our innovative technology and interactive gaming platforms into combat sports, we will create new and transformative ways for audiences to engage with our live broadcasts.”
Bally’s Fight Night premiered Wednesday June 9 on Stadium, a network owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
This spring Sinclair rebranded its 19 regional sports networks “Bally Sports” and committed to broadcasting Bally’s produced content on those networks.
Mike Goldberg serves as play-by-play, Frank Trigg as color commentator, and Holly Sonders as social host and reporter for “Bally’s Fight Night.”
