The UFC announced over the weekend that it would be partnering with PMR Motorsports to sponsor two rally cars during ESPN’s X Games in Los Angeles on July 31.
ESPN viewers and X Games fans packed inside the LA Coliseum won’t miss the trademark UFC logo and numbers “117” and “118” on the 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Rally Cars driven by Patrick Moro and Timothy Rooney of PMR Motorsports. 117 and 118 symbolize the next two blockbuster UFC events coming up in August.
“The UFC and the XGames are the perfect combination, and it’s an honor for UFC 117 and UFC 118 to be represented on the PMR Motorsports rally cars,” said Dana White, UFC President.
“I am very excited to have UFC on board with us for X Games 16,” said Moro. “I think we are opening new doors to our sport everyday and I’m glad that PMR is the company that has a chance to prove these relationships can absolutely work both ways. The competition is going to be very fast as every year is at the X Games, but I have faith that our freshly built cars will be able to closely compete with them. I still didn’t really have a chance to celebrate our Super Production Championship and we are off to the next event. It is going to be a great one!”
Payout Perspective:
It’s nice to see the UFC experimenting with different types of advertising and promotion. Seldom do we see two properties come together to cross-promote. Many sports and leagues view others around them as strict category competitors; each is fighting for what it sees to be a finite pool of money and consumer spending. In a case like this where the UFC and X Games share a similar demographic, it makes sense because there isn’t the same competition for viewers (it’s not like the NHL and NBA are cross-promoting, and then competing for the same viewers on Saturday night).
Note: the RVCA decal on both cars. The X Games is definitely RVCA’s target market. However, it’s also interesting because we’re slowly seeing an escalation of commitment to the UFC and MMA on RVCA’s behalf. The company has done great work with BJ Penn and Vitor Belfort, it was on the mat at last night’s UFC on Versus 2, and is now jumping into the fold with this promo opportunity. I anticipate RVCA will be looking to make one or two more additions to its stable of fights; certainly, it must have cringed when FORM picked up Jon Jones – he would have been the perfect addition to their small and talented stable.
Leave a Reply