WebProNews

Yahoo enters a deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship to carry UFC 82 on March 1 live online as a pay per view event.

Between the complete lack of rationality in the oil trading market pushing gas prices into the stratosphere, and the usual rotten weather in the Midwest, $44.95 looks like a bargain compared to driving to Columbus for UFC 82.

Yahoo comes to the rescue with its UFC PPV arrangement, kicking off with the Anderson Silva/Dan Henderson middleweight championship. Terms of the pay per view deal give viewers live video from the fight, available at three different speeds, and 24 hours of unlimited archive viewing.

Despite the departures of Terry Semel and Lloyd Braun, for whom such an arrangement would have seemed a natural extension of their entertainment initiatives, Yahoo has stuck with original content in its sports pages.

Make no mistake, demographics for UFC come into play for Yahoo. A young male audience is like catnip to advertisers, making UFC's appeal to Yahoo's display ad salespeople an obvious connection.

"This relationship with Yahoo! is an important step for the UFC to build its global distribution platform for live pay-per-view events," UFC President Dana White said in a statement. "We are looking forward to working with Yahoo! Sports to expand our reach and bring the sport of mixed martial arts to fight fans in every corner of the world in every possible language."