For all of the UFC’s growth in recent years, the leading MMA circuit still lacks sponsors in some of the biggest consumer categories.
Anheuser-Busch has been a corporate patron since 2008, and
Reebok has built much of its repositioning around UFC and its dedication to cross-fit training. Still, there are no automobile, quick-service restaurant, insurance, technology, soft drink or financial service brands on the UFC’s sponsor roster, despite its increasing support among the eternally hard-to-reach young male demographic.
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Ronda Rousey's loss to Holly Holm in November helped push UFC further into the mainstream.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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Ronda Rousey’s defeat in November at the hands (and feet) of Holly Holm pushed UFC more firmly than ever into the realm of pop culture, fueled by around a million pay-per-view buys. The Holm/Rousey rematch looks like it will be in July at UFC 200 in the new MGM/AEG arena in Las Vegas. That’s UFC’s Super Bowl, and it also seems like it will be the next bout for either combatant, so one of the stories we’ll be watching closely is whether the accompanying hype will be enough to bring more mainstream brands on board.
“We’re really connected to core fans. Now reaching the broader audience of sports fans is a big mission,” said UFC Chief Global Brand Officer Garry Cook, a former Nike marketer who has been with UFC since 2012. “Ronda brought more people into the fold. Now that they’re in, we have to have a place for them to go and get wowed by us. Our challenge is educating general sports fans about UFC and telling the stories of our athletes.”
UFC Sponsors
■ Bud Light
■ DraftKings
■ Toyo Tires
■ Reebok
■ Harley-Davidson
■ MetroPCS
■ EA Sports
■ Monster Energy Drink
■ FRAM
We’re not confusing UFC 200 with Super Bowl 50, but Cook noted a big-event strategy and making it a weeklong celebration of the sport’s heritage and future, along with its featured bouts, which will include Rousey and
Conor McGregor.
Along with a UFC Hall of Fame induction, a UFC Community Day is planned. Championships in other martial arts, like judo, wrestling and karate, will attract another 7,000 competitors and their families to Vegas. Additionally, a tournament will be held to crown an undisputed champion among players of EA Sports’ UFC console game; intriguing since it’s MMA’s entrance into e-sports.
Domestic revenue is now around 70 percent of the UFC pie; Cook predicts that within four to five years, international revenue will be the lion’s share.
With nearly every big sports media contract now tied up for many years, the other big UFC story that bears attention is its broadcast rights deal with Fox, which expires after two more years. Look for that to be the clearest indication of UFC’s value and acceptance by the mainstream market.
> SUPER HOUSE: With more than a month to go before the Super Bowl, NFL House, the ultimate hospitality destination for NFL sponsors, is close to a sellout again. The NFL/GMR venue will be at the One Market Restaurant in San Francisco. In keeping with that city’s focus on food and wine, this year’s version of NFL House will include both a digital wine-tasting experience, wherein participants will find out where their tastes lean whether or not they are oenophiles, along with a wine-blending experience, when experts will help those on hand perfect a wine that will then carry an NFL House label. There will be appearances by chefs and vintners, along with NFL players and alums.
Verizon is again presenting sponsor of NFL House, which also provides meeting spaces and, at least for this year, a bocce court. “After five years, the intent of NFL House is still the same,” said Mary Pat Augenthaler, NFL vice president of events. “It is a haven, where you can step out of the craziness and the excitement of Super Bowl, have a business meeting and enjoy some activities, along with some great food and drink.”
This year’s NFL House will run from noon until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday of Super Bowl weekend. Pricing is $600 a day or $1,600 for all three days.
> GREEN HOUSE: To our knowledge, the New York Jets are the only team in the league doing their own version of NFL House. Year three sees the team moving Jets House from Super Bowl week, where it started during the 2014 NFL championship in New Jersey, to Friday Jan. 29 and Saturday, Jan. 30, the weekend between AFC and NFC championship games. The site will be the Ainsworth, an upscale Manhattan sports bar. Activities will include autograph signings, player/alum meet and greets, and appearances by the Jets cheerleaders. Pricing ranges from $44 to $89 for the day sessions and $59 to $99 for evening sessions, with lower pricing for season-ticket holders. Sponsors include Clorox, Corona, D’Agostino’s, FanDuel, Jet Blue, Jim Beam, MasterCard, OneUp Sports and Pepsi.
> COMINGS & GOINGS: Howard Jacobs has departed Madison Square Garden after seven years, last serving as executive vice president of marketing and sales. Jacobs has also held jobs with XM Radio and Millsport. … Meanwhile, MSG has hired Scott Wessels as its new senior director of sports and entertainment sales. Wessels, who has also worked for Premier Partnerships and the Houston Rockets, will be based in Los Angeles. … Sports marketing veteran David Paro has departed Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment, where he had been executive vice president and chief marketing officer since early 2014. Paro has also held marketing/management slots at Clear Channel, SFX and McDonald’s. … Steve Pamon moves to Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment as COO after four years heading sports and entertainment marketing at JPMorgan Chase. Pamon was vice president of strategy and new business development at the NFL from 2009-11.
Terry Lefton can be reached at tlefton@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
