The Black Beast has made himself known for the outrageous things he says and his love of Popeye’s Chicken. MMA Fighting reports that Derrick Lewis has signed a sponsorship deal with Popeye’s Chicken.
Through his management, Lewis has secured a deal with Popeye’s Chicken. Lewis and his opponent this Saturday, Daniel Cormier, have taken friendly jabs at each other over the restaurant.
Lewis recently did a video in conjunction with another one of his sponsors, Represent. Taking advantage of getting rid of his pants in his post-fight interview at UFC 229, Lewis is selling shirts with his infamous response to Joe Rogan.
Founded in Louisiana in 1972, the company now calls Miami, Florida its headquarters. There are more than 2,600 Popeyes restaurants in more than 40 states and D.C., Puerto Rico and 30 countries worldwide.
As part of the sponsorship, Lewis will get free Popeyes for life in Houston and his picture will be on the menu board according to his agent, Malki Kawa. In addition, Lewis posted on Instagram that Popeyes in Cypress, Texas will let everyone eat for free on Sunday (from 2-4pm) if he defeats Daniel Cormier.
Payout Perspective:
At a time when its perceived to be hard to secure sponsor deals outside of the Octagon, Derrick Lewis has been able to draw deals. Lewis’ outspoken nature has helped him jump on opportunities where none were available. The Popeyes Chicken deal was facilitated through his management team that saw an opportunity that coincides with this fight. Cormier and Lewis joked over the fast-food restaurant and an opportunity was born. Lewis also got ahead of the curve when he started selling t-shirts with his catchphrase from UFC 229. Lewis social media presence likely helped as he has 141,000 followers on Twitter and another 1.4 million followers on Instagram. Of course, Daniel Cormier has more followers on both but Lewis has been a media darling for the outrageous things he says. If he scores an upset Saturday, his portfolio of sponsors will continue to grow.
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