TKO announced a partnership with Anduril Industries. The company specializes in “allied military capabilities with advanced technology.” It will become an Official Partner of UFC Freedom 250 and an Official Partner of UFC 330 in Philadelphia.
The press release from the UFC indicates that in addition to the UFC and WWE, it will work with Zuffa Boxing “to stage a first-of-its-kind competition celebrating the proud boxing traditions of America’s military academies.” The event will feature “military boxers” on an official fight card.
It is a uniqye arrangement between TKO and the defense contractor. It also is another step toward TKO/UFC moving toward being an extension of the U.S. government. More specifically, the current administration in office.
The company is owned by 33-year-old entrepreneur Palmer Luckey. According to his wikipedia page, he was the founder of Oculus VR and designer of the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset. The company focuses on autonomous drones and sensors for military applications.
In 2016, allegations arose of him donating $10K to a pro-Donald Trump group that opposed Hillary Clinton. Also of note, he was fired at Facebook for an alleged incident in which he claims he was forced to support a libertarian candidate instead of his preferred candidate, Trump.
His current company is doing well. It received a contract worth $967M for a project with the U.S. Air Force. It also received a $1B contract to lead what amounts to a drone system for the United States Special Operations Command.
The move comes the week of the UFC White House event which lands on president’s 80th birthday.
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