The development is a tournament format combining MMA, entertainment and gamification elements, launching December 9 on MadHouse TV’s YouTube channel, live from Podpah studios.
Endemol Shine Brasil, part of media and entertainment group Banijay Entertainment, Grupo Podpah and FURIA, announce Crew Fight.
The development –the result of a partnership between the trio– is a tournament format combining MMA, entertainment and gamification elements, launching December 9 on MadHouse TV’s YouTube channel, live from Podpah studios.
The tournament will see four athletes compete for the title, each mentored by a member of Fighting Nerds, which has been named the world’s best MMA team. Blending MMA rules with gamification and interactive challenges, it is designed to make the sport more accessible to both newcomers and dedicated fans.
A Madhouse TV survey found that while 52% of the digital generation consider themselves MMA fans, only 42% follow competitions regularly, highlighting significant potential to grow engagement. Crew Fight subsequently aims to bring the sport closer to a young, digitally connected audience.
“Crew Fight is born from our ambition to create new formats that connect entertainment, sport and community. This project is our first step into sportainment, expanding our portfolio in this fast-growing category and underlining the value of collaborating with leading partners such as Grupo Podpah and FURIA”, says Nani Freitas, CEO of Endemol Shine Brasil.
“The commitment of Podpah has always been to speak directly with our community and break away from traditional formats. With Madhouse TV, our goal is to transform the way young audiences consume sport. They look for dynamism, interactivity, and real entertainment. Crew Fight reflects this vision to connect our engagement strength with Endemol Shine Brasil’s format expertise. We are very excited to open the doors to our studio to create a milestone in national sportainment”, explains Victor Assis, Grupo PodPah CEO.
“FURIA always believed in the potential of connecting different communities through sports and entertainment, and Crew Fight represents another opportunity to explore new formats and connect audiences with experiences that extend beyond traditional competitions. This is a project that speaks directly with our vision to expand FURIA’s presence in different cultures and entertainment territories”, affirms Guilherme Chequer, FURIA commercial leader.
“Today Fighting Nerds is recognized as one of the main teams of MMA in the world, and maybe the timing has never been better to take the sport into new frontiers. Crew Fight stems from a partnership between some of the biggest powerhouses in entertainment, digital content, and the gaming ecosystem, and one of the most successful teams in global MMA. I’m convinced this project will be a milestone in our history and a reference to the future of sport, showing it is possible to innovate without losing the fight essence”, concludes Pablo Sucupira, Fighting Nerds Founder and Head Coach.
The announcement aligns with Banijay Entertainment’s wider ambitions across both sports and digital, supporting the continued expansion of its sports portfolio and growing the reach of its content through digital-first initiatives.
