It was another successful year for the UFC with sponsor deals. The most noticeable sponsor came from Project Rock as The Rock’s Under Armour-made brand became the footwear sponsor of the UFC. The company supplied all of the footwear for athletes during fight week.
In addition, Icon Meals, Trojan Condoms, New Amerstdam’s ‘Wildcard’ ready to drink vodka and Poirier’s Louisiana Style Hot Sauce joined the UFC’s portfolio of partners.
Additionally, Manscaped and Battle Motors renewed its deals with the latter adding additional category of sponsorships.
The UFC has created new categories for its partners and are still looking to add to the list of its deals. The new business reflects the fact that the company is a viable brand that companies would like to associate its name. The visibility on ESPN (and ABC) as well as the continued pull of the adult male dominated younger target audience also makes it attractive for sponsors.
With deals ending soon, expect rates to rise. Also, look for new sponsor categories in 2023. For instance, the UFC does not have an automobile sponsor, a hotel sponsor and financial services sponsor just to name a few.
The sponsors deals contribute to the possibility that it may have done better than 2021 which saw all-time company highs.
On another note, for those wondering about how much fighters would receive from this new influx of revenues from sponsors. The answer is zero.
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