Caption: From apparel to sports drinks, UFC have made some amazing partnerships over the years.
All major sports organizations make brand partnerships to help them gain the necessary funding to host top-tier sporting events. Nike, EA Sports, and Barclays are all famous partners of the English Premier League, 2K Sports backs the NBA, and the following brands have all struck up lucrative deals with UFC.
We’re going to take a look at some of the most interesting UFC partnerships. From live UFC broadcasting to poker tournaments, branded MMA gear to sports drinks, UFC has got a diverse portfolio of partners. So, let’s find out about them!
ESPN and UFC Broadcasting
If you’re a UFC fan then you’ll likely already know that the UFC partnered with ESPN as their official US partner. This means that if you’ve watched any UFC bouts in the US since 2018, then it’s been ESPN that’s brought it to you. What you might not know, is just how lucrative this deal is. The UFC signed a seven-year deal with the sports broadcaster back in 2018 that was worth a staggering $1.5 billion.
Those who are hot at math will realize that the deal is shortly due to expire, meaning that the terms will be renegotiated afresh. As ESPN also holds broadcasting rights in Australia and New Zealand, it’s likely that they’ll sign up to several more years. The next largest broadcasting partner is BT Sport, who only operate in the UK.
PokerStars and the UFC Branded Spin & Go games
PokerStars is an innovative partner that first joined forces with UFC back in 2018 as the official poker partner of the UFC. Their branding appeared in the Octagon, but this brand also found a way to incorporate their partnership into their own offering. The game development team created a unique UFC-branded Spin & Go game that was well-received by fans of online poker.
If you want to get involved with the UFC-branded Spin & Go game then it’s a good idea to understand how to play poker first. This game involves a good deal more strategy than casino games such as slots and roulette. We recommend starting off by learning your hand rankings and practicing in some classic Texas Hold’Em games before moving on to Spin & Go’s.
Prime: Official Sports Drink of the UFC
Launched to enormous media hype back in 2022, Prime was an instant sports drink sensation. YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI founded the brand and were quick to sign a deal with UFC, making them the official sports drink partner. The partnership began in January 2023 for an undisclosed amount. However, we’d bet it’s a fair chunk of change. Prime branding is prominent across many parts of the typical UFC setup. For example, you’ll find Prime branding on the weigh-in scales, as well as two corners of the octagon.
This sort of partnership makes perfect sense; both KSI and Logan Paul have an enormous social media following and a presence in the world of fighting. Boxing and MMA are closely intertwined. In fact, KSI even took part in a promotional training program with UFC world champion Michael Bisping. It’s great when two brands that seem made for each other actually end up working together and that couldn’t be more the case than for Prime and UFC.
Reebok and Standardization of UFC Outfits
Caption: Reebok’s collections for UFC were game changing
The Reebok partnership ended back in 2020, making way for French sportswear brand Venum (who have already cemented themselves as one of the top MMA apparel companies). However, during their partnership with the UFC, Reebok undertook some pretty exciting projects. They were the first official uniform provider for the UFC and took this duty seriously.
One of the most interesting was the Legacy Series. It was in this project that each of the fighters who were headlining a pay-per-view fight got to collaborate with the Reebok design team to create their ultimate walkout jersey. It was the opportunity to display the personality of each athlete on their performance wear. In fact, many said it was one of the projects that really led the way in more customizable sportswear.