UFC Returns to Boston for Fox Sports 1 Launch Show on August 17

The UFC will help kick off the launch of the new Fox Sports 1 channel with a major show headed to UFC president Dana White's hometown of Boston on Aug. 17.

White teased earlier this month at UFC 158 that the company was planning a return to Boston in the near future, and it looks like August is that time.

The UFC has only done one show in Boston since MMA became fully regulated in the state of Massachusetts with its card in August 2010, headlined with the lightweight title rematch between Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn.

The card also featured the lone appearance of former boxing champion James Toney as he faced off with UFC Hall of Fame inductee Randy Couture at the show.

The show on Aug. 17 will be a launching pad for the debut week of Fox's new all-sports channel called Fox Sports 1.  The new network will replace Fox's Speed Channel and debuts the same day with UFC being the first major live event to be showcased that evening.

Fox Sports 1 is the network's vision to compete in the all-sports broadcasting race with other companies like ESPN. The UFC will be an integral part of the new station with multiple live cards airing for the remainder of 2013 and years to come.

The first card on the network will be the Aug. 17 show at the TD Garden Arena in Boston, and as White teased, the UFC is planning a major card for the launch of its new broadcast partner.

As it currently stands, the UFC already has two other major shows planned for August, with UFC 163 taking place in Brazil on Aug. 3 and UFC 164 scheduled for Aug. 31 in Milwaukee as part of the Hometown Throwdown in coordination with Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

If the UFC's last venture into Boston is any indication, the show should be a big success.  UFC 118 drew a crowd of 14,169 in live attendance and pulled a gate of just over $2.8 million. 

No fights have been announced as of yet for the upcoming Fox Sports 1 card, but more announcements are expected in the coming days.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report