UFC Fight Pass has announced a partnership with social metaverse company, Meta, that will see future MMA events broadcast live in VR.

Available on Meta’s Horizon Worlds through the Meta Quest 2 headset, the immersive social experience will allow fans to see and speak with others while receiving ‘unprecedented VR views’ of the action within the octagon.

The Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) event, LFA 144, was the first to be given the VR treatment with technology and VR company, YBVR, producing the event and giving fans a 180-degree panorama of the event.

UFC Fight Pass plans to offer similar VR experiences for select combat sports events in the future with no impact on the normal broadcasts.

Commenting on the innovation, UFC Fight Pass vice president and general manager, Crowley Sullivan, said: “We are excited to offer an unprecedented level of engagement for Fight Pass subscribers and MMA fans around the world by producing a live MMA event in virtual reality.”

“With Meta providing the VR platform and YBVR lending their production expertise, we’re confident this will be a great experience for fight fans,” he said.

The announcement comes after plans were unveiled for the UFC’s next event in Australia.