The Fox deal is already paying dividends when it comes to mainstream sports hookups as UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz will be the honorary pace car driver at Sunday’s Subway Fresh Fit 500, a NASCAR event set to air on “big” Fox at 2:30 PM Eastern.
The race will be in Phoenix, AZ, and Cruz is a native of Tucson. He’ll sit shotgun in the pace car that does a ceremonial lap around the track prior to the race and also will participate in other activities.
His appearance kicks off the build to Friday’s debut of The Ultimate Fighter on FX where Cruz and Urijah Faber each will coach teams of fighters, building to an eventual title defense, expected for July in Las Vegas, NV. The live premiere will feature all the qualifying fights, starting at 9 PM with a two-and-a-half hour broadcast.
The two have fought twice before with Faber submitting Cruz in March 2007 in a WEC featherweight title defense and Cruz evening the score with a unanimous decision win last July in a UFC bantamweight title defense.