【religious eroticism pieta】

Late last year,religious eroticism pieta we were the first to tell you that the UFC was testing virtual reality live broadcasts.

Now the testing is over--and we're a few days away from seeing our first live mixed martial arts fight in VR.

The development comes as part of Samsung Gear VR's new VR Live Pass service, which in addition to UFC fights, will also include live events from the X Games and concerts from Live Nation.

SEE ALSO: Virtual reality can help you feel more empathy for women harassed at abortion clinics

"We've always felt that the potential of combining UFC events with virtual reality would give our fans the ultimate enhanced experience," said UFC chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein in a statement released by Samsung. "This game-changing initiative [will] further revolutionize how fight fans consume our content and live events around the world."

If you launch the Samsung VR app, you can already see free VR previews of the fight, as well as a short feature that allows you to see what it's like to spar with Max Holloway in the UFC octagon.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

And while the UFC's growing profile in the sports landscape will only be enhanced by this new immersive channel, the actual popularity of live VR sports broadcasts is still mostly a mystery. That's because none of these VR sports initiatives have released viewer numbers.

Back in 2015, there were VR broadcasts of NBA games, and this year the NCAA did the same with Final Four games. But you almost never heard chatter about them afterwards on social media.

Whether that's due to small-but-growing VR headset ownership or lack of interest in the format itself remains to be seen.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Despite the fairly quiet fan response to VR broadcasts from the likes of the NFL and soon Major League Baseball, we continue to see leagues trot out VR livestreams. In my own live VR event viewings, I've found the presentation to be incredibly engaging and definitely worth the extra effort of strapping on a VR headset. But unless more fans begin sampling these immersive experiences, live VR events may turn out to be a brilliant entertainment innovation that eventually fades into the background, having never found its audience.

The X Games event will be broadcast in VR beginning on July 13, the Live Nation events will come in August, and the José Aldo versus Max Holloway UFC fight will be broadcast for free to Gear VR owners on June 3 live from Brazil.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Fitness meets VR gaming with this badass flying machine

---

Topics Samsung Virtual Reality

• Digital Culture
• Life
• Science
• Entertainment
• Social Good
• Games
• Tech
• Deals

• Scientists find supercolony of penguins on the remote Danger Islands
• Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge preorder deals: Get a $50 Amazon gift card
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 13, 2025
• More concise chatbot responses tied to increase in hallucinations, study finds
• The State of 5G: When It's Coming, How Fast It Will Be & The Sci
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 14, 2025
• Best Sonos deal: Save $100 on Sonos Ace at Amazon
• Best gaming laptop deal: Get the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 for $520 off
• Things AMD Needs to Fix
• Best Garmin deal: Save $50 on Garmin Forerunner 165

• Trump’s political appointees will vet EPA’s scientific work before release
• Wax and Gold and Gold by Mihret Sibhat
• Elon Musk's $55.8 billion Tesla compensation has been thrown out by a US court
• This 'GOT' star teamed up with Google to capture Greenland's melting ice
• How to watch 'Feud: Capote vs. the Swans': premiere date, streaming deals, and more
• The Restaurant Review, Summer 2023 by The Paris Review
• Cooking with Elizabeth David by Valerie Stivers
• Alejo Carpentier’s Second Language by Alejandro Zambra
• You can now play 'Death Stranding' on iPhone and other Apple devices. Here’s how.
• This disturbing dolphin selfie trend is a low point for humanity

• Afghanistan vs. Australia 2025 livestream: Watch ICC Champions Trophy for free
• Trump fires Copyright Office leaders as new AI report surfaces
• Best Garmin deal: Save $100 on Garmin Forerunner 265
• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 11: Tips to solve 'Connections' #700.
• Apple is reportedly still working on smart glasses of some kind
• Best robot vacuum deal: Save 67% on the Dreame L40 Ultra at Amazon
• 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 5 teases the Pearl Jam song
• Best Peloton deal: Save $300 on the Peloton Tread
• Best smartwatch deal: Save $40 on the Fitbit Versa 4
• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 11: Tips to solve 'Connections' #700.

• Boeing's new VR simulator immerses astronauts in space training
• Spotify’s AI DJ now takes requests
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 12, 2025
• Best speaker deal: Save $30 on the JBL Clip 5
• 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 4: Why Ellie sings 'Take on Me'
• Best speaker deal: Save $30 on the JBL Clip 5
• Comparing Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs. iPhone 16
• 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 5: Who is Leon?
• Episode 4: The Wave of the Future
• Google Find My Device rebrands as Find Hub