UFC® Announces Hiring of Two Emmy Award-Winning Producers

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today the addition of two new staff members who will play key roles in the organization's television production efforts. Former ESPN Deportes coordinating producer Kieren Portley joins UFC as Vice President of Studio and Spanish Production, while former ESPN producer Zach Candito takes the role of Event Producer for UFC's weigh-in, pre- and post-fight shows on FUEL TV.

Portley, an Emmy Award-winning producer, spent 10 years at ESPN and was responsible for the creation of popular shows such as MMA Live, Fantasy Football Now, and other high profile content. While at ESPN Deportes, the University of Rhode Island graduate was responsible for all cross platform original content and sales integration. In his new role, Portley will oversee a variety of UFC studio productions with a concentration in Spanish-language broadcasts. He will be based out UFC's offices in Los Angeles.

Also an Emmy Award-winner, Candito spent five years at ESPN, producing the hit shows MMA Live and Fantasy Football Now, while also creating digital content for ESPN.com. A graduate of Quinnipiac University in Connecticut with a degree in broadcast journalism, Candito will manage and produce UFC's weigh-in, pre- and post-fight shows. He'll also work closely in production elements surrounding UFC events on FOX, FX and FUEL TV. He will be based out of UFC's Las Vegas corporate headquarters.

"The next two years are going to be big for us and we're going to produce a lot of new programs for our fans," UFC President Dana White said. "We've got some of the most talented people in the world on our staff and it's great to bring on accomplished guys like Kieren and Zach to our production department." 

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com.

About Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® is the world's premier MMA organization and produces over 12 UFC live Pay-Per-View events annually around the globe. This year, FOX will broadcast four fights annually. In spring 2012, The Ultimate Fighter®, UFC's signature weekly reality TV show, debuts on FX. UFC content is also distributed commercially to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in 150 countries, territories and jurisdictions, reaching over one billion homes worldwide, in 21 different languages.

UFC® also boasts a powerful presence online, with UFC.com attracting over seven million unique visitors per month, while also possessing one of the most powerful social media followings in all of professional sports. To date, UFC has over seven million fans on Facebook and over 475,000 followers on Twitter.  In addition, UFC President Dana White is one of the most accessible and most followed executives in sports with more than 1.8 million followers on Twitter.  On January 22, 2011, UFC continued to set trends in social media, becoming the first major sports league to stream live, broadcast quality action on Facebook.

Ancillary businesses include best-selling DVDs, a magazine, the best-selling UFC "Undisputed" videogame franchise distributed by THQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, and articulated action figures.

SOURCE Ultimate Fighting Championship