Format

Banijay Entertainment's Endemol Shine Brasil is joining forces with Grupo Podpah and FURIA to develop Crew Fight, a new tournament format combining mixed martial arts (MMA), entertainment and gamification. The project, born from a partnership between the three companies, will premiere on December 9 on MadHouse TV's YouTube channel, broadcasting live from the Podpah studios.
The competition will feature four athletes battling for the title, each mentored by a member of Fighting Nerds, named the world's best MMA team. Combining traditional MMA rules with gamified elements and interactive challenges, Crew Fight aims to make the sport more accessible to newcomers while offering an engaging experience for established fans.

“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”, said 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”, commented Victor Assis, CEO of Grupo Podpah.

For Guilherme Chequer, FURIA's commercial leader, the project represents an opportunity to bring different communities together through new entertainment experiences. “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”, he said.
Pablo Sucupira, Founder and Head Coach of Fighting Nerds, also highlighted the opportunity to take MMA into new entertainment territories. “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”, he concluded.

According to a MadHouse TV survey, 52% of the digital generation identify as MMA fans, but only 42% regularly follow competitions, pointing to an opportunity to attract a wider audience. The new format seeks to bridge that gap by bringing MMA closer to younger, digitally connected viewers.