Will we ever see co-promoted events?

I doubt it very much. MMA isnt mainstream enough or old enough to be on a station as big and as widespread as HBO.

 

It's not an issue of mainstream; Showtime shows MMA, HBO just hasn't come to terms with an MMA company. I doubt the UFC would be willing to give up as much as either HBO or Showtime would want.

 

Nonsense. If the UFC was desperate enough they would get onto ESPN or HBO...indeed they've been close to doing deals with both. The issue is that the UFC doesn't want to give up control over the product and so allow a broadcaster to build an unique brand for their coverage. Which given how effortlessly Showtime/CBS was able to switch from EliteXC to Strikeforce is very wise.