Alienware to Sponsor Mitrione, Other Suckerpunch Fighters

Damon Martin of MMAWeekly has the latest scoop on yet another significant corporate sponsor entering the MMA fold. Dell Computers subsidiary Alienware will sponsor fighters managed by Suckerpunch Entertainment including Matt Mitrione (UFC 113), Amir Sadollah, Pat Berry, and others.

The deal with Alienware, a subsidiary of Dell Computers, will begin immediately. It will feature sponsorship of upcoming UFC 113 fighter Matt Mitrione, who will face Kimbo Slice on the main card of the show in Montreal on May 8.

 

In 2006, Dell Computers was recognized as the 25th largest corporation by Fortune 500. They’ve continued to grow in the computer industry every year since that time. Alienware, which was purchased by Dell in 2006, features components used in Dell Computers for high tech gaming.

 

The deal will coincide with Suckerpunch’s roster of fighters, which includes UFC stars like Amir Sadollah and Pat Barry as well as WEC fighter and legendary computer gamer Jens Pulver.

 

Brian Butler, president of Suckerpunch Entertainment, says the deal to get Alienware on board was a long process, but the expansion of major corporate sponsors into MMA is worth the work.

Payout Perspective:

It’s not Dell, but it is something. And certainly, in terms of fit between the brand and property, Alienware aligns pretty well with the sport of MMA. Each caters to the 18-34 demographic and the sport of MMA is making substantial in-roads with the gaming community (which is obviously Alienware’s core target market).

It’ll be interesting to see what Alienware does to further activate around these sponsorships; or whether they’re simply testing the waters from an awareness generation standpoint and learning more about the industry as they go.

Keep your eye on this one.